Southampton 0-0 Stoke City: Three key takeaways

4 of 4

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 03: Mauricio Pellegrino, Manager of Southampton looks on during the Premier League match between Southampton and Stoke City at St Mary’s Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images) /

Reality check

The revival that was hoped would accompany our ‘fundamental’ games has failed to materialise so far. The fixture list leading to the end of the season is now far from easy, and it’s difficult to see where the points that guarantee survival are going to come from.

A relegation battle has been on the cards for a number of months now, but if Saints aren’t careful they could be down before the season ends.

Not including the FA Cup quarter final, the team have four away games in a row coming up (Newcastle, Swansea, West Ham and Arsenal). Thankfully we have been no stronger at St. Mary’s than on the road, so it’s actually not as bad as it looks on paper. However going to any of those clubs and coming home with points is going to be tough.

It’s not over yet, but the team need to find the killer instinct that should have made today’s result a comfortable win.