FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Southampton - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - September 30, 2024 Southampton manager Russell Martin looks dejected after the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo
(Reuters) - Smarting after a gutless 3-1 defeat by Bournemouth, Southampton manager Russell Martin says the task ahead of Saturday's trip to high-flying Arsenal is painfully obvious.
"It's really clear for us what we have to do, what the focus needs to be," he said after the disheartening loss to their south coast rivals.
"It's really, really clear for me. The people that need to play is really, really clear for me. Joe Aribo, when he came on, was outstanding. Really brilliant. Ross Stewart, brave. Wanted to take the ball, wanted to fight. Adam Lallana too. They show fight and spirit. They show courage. They show aggression.
"So yes, we need a team on the pitch. We know who's going to fight for everything regardless of talent, regardless of style and all that stuff."
Martin is demanding a complete change of mindset after a game in which he said the Saints displayed “no aggression, no courage, no intensity.”
He revealed how, at halftime, with the team down 3-0, he had urged his players to show they actually wanted to run and fight for the club's staff, for each other and for the supporters.
"I felt sorry for them (fans) after the first half, and at least (the players) did that, and that took a bit of courage to do that in those circumstances. So I thank them for that, but I shouldn't really be thanking my team for running and fighting," he said.
As Southampton languish one off the bottom of the Premier League with only one point from six games, the contrast with their next opponents could hardly be starker.
Third-placed Arsenal are unbeaten in their opening six matches, winning four and drawing two. The Gunners have scored 12 goals and conceded just five, showcasing the kind of aggression and intensity Martin is desperate to instil in his struggling Saints.
(Reporting by Ossian Shine; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
