Southampton will play Premier League leaders Arsenal on Friday (April 21st) evening at the Emirates Stadium.
Lots of people will write the Saints off for their game against the Gunners, especially as Ruben Selles’ side suffered their third consecutive defeat last weekend.
However, Arsenal have drawn their last two games, meaning that there is a bit of hope for the Hampshire outfit.
A win for the Saints will see them close the gap a little bit more to the safety zone.
Southampton are currently four points adrift from Everton, who sit in 17th place in the Premier League table.
On the other hand, Mikel Arteta’s side will be desperate to return to winning ways following their two consecutive draws, especially now that Manchester City are hot on their heels in the Premier League title battle.
Here are three things Southampton can do in an attempt to get a result at Arsenal
1. Master The Dark Arts!
One way that Southampton can get a result against Arsenal is by frustrating them by mastering the dark arts of football.
We all know that Arteta’s side regularly plays some beautiful football by dominating possession and creating many opportunities that typically lead to goals.
Most of their threat comes from Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli or Gabriel Jesus.
Any of those four players can easily dissect a defence and certainly know where the back of the net is.
However, Southampton can time-waste a lot and play a little bit dirty on Friday to frustrate their opponents.
Frustration will be a key way to try and halt their opponents on Friday as it will slow down Arsenal’s fast, progressive and attacking football and may prevent the Gunners from playing the way that they are used to.
This may force the North London Outfit to try and adapt their play style for the game, which they may struggle to do and therefore could present the Saints with an opportunity to nick a result against the league leaders.
Continued in the next slide…