Former Southampton midfielder Jason Puncheon urges Simon Rusk to segregate the dressing room for the club's good.
Admit it or not, all of us Southampton fans were happy initially upon listening to boss Simon Rusk's unbiased lineup stance. But is it the same after the defeat to Aston Villa? Absolutely not.
Well, judging the manager's performance by just one game feels cruel, yet we can't help his situation. Now, it may be an overreaction, but with time ticking down, Rusk’s neutrality could cost Saints dearly.
This is because while tasked to grab a couple of points more this season, Rusk's plan risks retrapping the Saints in the problem of plenty again.
For the first time in months, Southampton has a nearly full squad at their disposal and that’s part of the problem. Now, while this situation would have been a massive positive elsewhere, it can haunt Southampton, if they risk player experiments now.
Seems like another headache, right? But, thankfully, Southampton has a solution in sight if they follow former star Jason Puncheon's words.
So, recently, Puncheon urged the club to split the dressing room to decide on playing time among those continuing at the club and those who will leave this summer.
As quoted by the Daily Echo, Puncheon said: “Players who aren’t going to be there next year don’t need to play. The players who will be there need to bed in. They need to act fast.”
Puncheon's plan could be a win-win solution for Southampton
Now, I know your blank faces reading this. After all, why would the ex-Saint want to further decrease the squad's unity when already it stands low amid individualistic claims? Yet, that's the catch here.
Notably, this way, Southampton does not only avoid the risk of experimenting with fringe players now, but this feels crucial to the next season in the Championship.
Just think, won't a clear idea of which Saints players would form the club's core, help in the promotion battle next season? Definitely, it would.
Now, it sounds brilliant on paper, let’s see if the club dares to follow through.