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If Saints Are Still In Top 5 After Weekend People Will Start To Take Us Seriously !

The win over Sheffield United was not greeted with much enthusiasm on TV on Sunday, it seems like no one in the media is taking us seriously, but the next two games will show Saints supporters indeed the World whether we have what it takes to stay around the top 5 for the rest of the season.

Once again latest win was almost ignored by the media, Match Of The Day salivated over Leicester City's performance and spoke of how they were now only a point behind the leaders, but they like the rest of the media seem oblivious to the fact that Southampton are only 2 points behind the top two with almost a third of the season gone.

This is a recurring theme across all media portals, Leicester are the team that could sneak in on the rails, little Southampton are merely a side show, almost a nice little story given where we were a year ago after that win defeat that even the pundits are getting embarrassed mentioning the name of so frequently do they do so.

Coming in under the radar is the way to do it, we want to get on quietly with our job and let others worry about each other.

I am not getting carried away here I am not going to make any claims of winning the League or even finishing in the top 4, both will be a difficult task, perhaps impossible, but the fact that we are were we are is great testimony to what Ralph Hasenhuttl has done here.

No one can claim that we have got to where we are easily, we have had a good mixture of games, we have played Leaders Tottenham Hotspur, got a draw at Chelsea who would have actually been top now if they had won at Everton and the bulk of our fixtures have been against those who are around us.

But this week is perhaps the acid test as to whether we have what it takes to make a serious top 5 challenge, two games against Big Six teams, the first away at Arsenal ., somewhere we haven't won at in the League for 33 years, this would be an ideal time to break that run.

Then Manchester City at home, they seem a shadow of their former self, but like their neighbours, disastrous seasons are pretty much what 14 teams in the League would give their right arm for, both clubs are within striking distance of us.

So if we want to be able to show we have staying power then we have to come through these two games with our head held high and still in the top 5, the key to that will be a win at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal are in their worst start to a season in decades, they seem to have a squad that needs revamping , we have to put them to the sword and do so now, my only fear is that defeat to Burnley will have provoked a reaction from their team and that a siege mentality will be in place on Wednesday and they will be more fired up than of late.

Manchester City have not been great this season, but it should be noted that as we speak they are still only 4 points behind us with a game in hand, they will feel that they have kept the top two in their sights at a time when they are not firing on all cylinders and that now could be the time to flex their muscles, a home game against West Brom on Tuesday night will set them up nicely and with Liverpool hosting Spurs on Wednesday they could be right behind them come the weekend.

So these two games are a true test for us, can we get something from them that will keep us in the mixer or will the pundits just be saying that we were a fad for a couple of months.

Personally I think we can challenge for a top 5 spot but more likely top 7, my worry is that we are very much a team based on a starting Xi at the moment, we need to rotate the squad more and this is the one failing of Ralph Hasenhuttl at present.

2-0 up against Sheffield United on the hour mark, it was nearly 20 minutes before we made a substitution, Diallo should have been on shortly afterwards for a decent spell on the pitch, keep him sharp for when he is called upon through injury and suspension, likewise Mohammed Salisu, why put him on the bench if you are not going to play him when you are 3-0 up, I can see why NLundulu was brought on for the final minutes, but strikers don't need games as defenders do, it would have been good to see both used yesterday.

So we can keep up with the leading pack, this is a strange season and we can take advantage of the fact that at least three of the Big Six are not firing on all cylinders this season and indeed all are vulnerable, as they have showed over this weekend.

Ralph Hasenhuttl showed that he has changed the mindset of the team, they believe they can do it, yesterday it was refreshing to see that those lucky 2,000 fans got behind the team, St Mary's was not a library, nor was it on the back of individual players, it got behind the side from start to finish, this will be vital.


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