Southampton missed yet another opportunity to gain vital points in the Premier League’s relegation battle on Saturday with a 0-0 draw with Stoke City.
With fans on the south coast nervously sweating on their team’s survival hopes, the result clearly didn’t help those concerns and left the team with opportunities to turn their fortunes around.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s management of the team has quite rightly been under scrutiny for most of the season, and his lack of risk-taking and defensive style only have Saints fans asking questions.
Results must come quickly now for the Saints, and positive moves have to be taken to ensure they claw themselves away from the drop zone.
Here are three vital components of Southampton’s play that must be taken full advantage of if the team are to remain in the Premier League for another season: