Ronald Koeman has told the press that the Capital One Cup is very important to Southampton FC as they strive to keep progressing.
Saints fans will be glad to hear that Ronald Koeman will be taking Wednesday night's Capital One Cup tie seriously and will do so every year.
Koeman sees the cups as very important to Saints and their best chance of winning a trophy.
"It’s very important [the Capital One Cup] because we have, as a Southampton team, two opportunities to win a title,” Koeman told reporters at the press conference ahead of the Liverpool game.
"One is the FA Cup and the second is the Capital One Cup. We don’t win the Premier League, and it’s very important.
"Firstly about the competition because we would like to reach the semi-finals.
"And second, after the two defeats the best way to get back full confidence is winning and that’s about tomorrow.
"We play for a semi-final and a semi-final is an away game and a home game and then you can play a final at Wembley.
"I’m a sportsman and I like to win. I hate losing.”
Koeman clearly feels that the natural next step for the club is to win a trophy and either the Capital One Cup or the FA Cup are the best opportunities.
"First, [a trophy] is well deserved for the club, all the people in the club and all the fans,” he added.
"The second, of course, it is the next step. That is one of the meetings we had with the team at the start of the season, about improving and being better than last year.
"After several seasons doing fantastic work in the club and growing and improving, then of course it’s something which you can win and we will fight and do everything to win.”
Wise words from the Dutch manager that shows just why he has been a breath of fresh air since his arrival in the summer of 2014 and why if he stays beyond his contract he could well become the greatest manager the club has ever had.