The outcome at Manchester City was positive despite it still being a defeat, but it shouldnt gloss over the fact that we are still a few players short in this squad.
No one can deny that Saints put in a battling performance at Manchester City, but in the happiness at not being slaughtered its been somewhat forgotten that we were beaten and that like last season some good work for most of the game was undone by poor defending at the back.
In many respects defensively the game on Sunday suited us more than most of our matches in the Championship, last season we spent a lot of time in the opposition half, the downside of this was that too often we were susceptible to being caught on the break, with our defence holding a line up near the half way line they were open to being exposed for pace.
But at City and in fairness many away games this season it will be totally different from last, at the Etihad we were holding our back line for much of the game on the edge of our own box, this meant that City couldnt get in behind us or run at us much, so our back four was not as exposed as much as it could have been, but if we want to win games of football in the Premier we are going to have to tighten up at the back.
As good as the result feels we still shipped three goals and although it could be said that we scored two and it could have been more, the same could be applied to City who with 20 shots on our goal during the game on another day could have turned it into the rout that we feared before the game.
Yes we battles and there can be no doubting the spirit, but we wont stay up on spirit alone and the weaknesses that most of us agreed were there before the start of the season are still there and need addressing.
A look at our bench on Sunday showed how little we had to bring on aside from the three changes we made, Im sure that the likes of Luke Shaw and Jamie Ward-Prowse will be great players for Saints, but they have to be used properly and allowed to develope rather than being expected to come in and do a mans job when not only do they not have enough experience yet, but nor do most of the players around them at this level, yes if you are good enough you are old enough, as the old saying goes, but we dont want to burn them out.
Saints in my mind could do with making a minimum of three key signings, we still need at least one centre back and a wide player on both sides of the pitch, that is an absolute minimum in my opinion and it seems that Nigel Adkins feels the same way judging by the players we are chasing, it was a positive performance on Saturday, but we now have to put in another 37 of them and pick up points, to do that like any team we have to keep on improving.