Ralph Hasenhuttl is looking for Jack Stephens to step up to the plate as the man to lead the back four in the coming weeks.
Ralph Hasenhuttl is handing increased responsibility to Jack Stephens and asking him to play in the centre of a three man central defence and hold the line.
"What I like about Jack Stephens is that he’s a loud one, he can organise very good and that’s important for the central position of the centre backs because there you have to read the game and push out or take the guys to you so the space in front is not too big,” said Hasenhuttl.
"That’s one of the qualities Jack has and what I’m demanding from him and what he does.”
Bednarek’s return to the team under Hasenhuttl has been an interesting watch, and the Saints boss clearly rates him.
"He’s a very hard working guy,” reflected Hasenhuttl.
"He showed from the first moment on that he wants to fight for every centimetre, for every step for the team and that helps us to get more stabilised in the last row.
"He made a very good job against Arsenal and Chelsea with a few good saves in the last moment so it’s an important player for me.
"Not without mistake like everyone else. We all have mistakes in our game and must put them away but he’s a hard working guy and will earn more good games if he can keep working like he is until now.”
Of Vestergaard, Hasenhuttl added: "Against Cardiff it was not the best beginning for him but that shows I don’t look at just one mistake, I look at the whole package I get from him.
"He made a good development until now, he played fantastic against Chelsea and also against Arsenal at home."
It seems that Hasenhuttl is hoping that giving Stephens increased responsibility will improve his game, I am not so confident, the back four has been full of mistakes both before and since the Austrian arrived to take over from Mark Hughes and so far no one has really shown the qualities of leadership required.
At Derby we were poor defensively for both goals and indeed in the two home games after Xmas five goals went in due to shoddy defending.
A clean sheet at Chelsea papered over the cracks but on reflection the London club still had at least four golden chances unmarked where both Angus Gunn and the linesman's flag saved us.
But in the short term at least Ralph has to work with what he has got to hand, he has to try and instill confidence in his defenders and perhaps coach them in a way that none of his predecessors have done. He has acknowledged their failings and he must hope that he can eradicate those errors.
Hopefully that will see an improvement but I am not as optimistic as our manager that it will be to the level required.
But although I will criticise and give my opinion I am first and foremost a Saints supporter, I have nothing against Jack Stephens or indeed any of our other players, I want them to succeed, I want them to play well, I want them to prove me right when I praise them and I want them to prove me wrong when I criticise as I have done in the past.
If Ralph Hasenhuttl turns out to be the man who turns Jack Stephens into a true Premier League class defender then I will be the first to congratulate the player himself on here, I find it strange that so many are vitriolic to those who they do not see as playing well, most are giving 100% and most of the time it has been in situations that have been difficult to say the least.
Time to get behind all the players as Ralph Hasenhuttl has done now and encourage them to play out of their skin.