Russell Martin confesss Southampton’s difficult commence to the season has been the steepest lgeting curve of his deal withrial atsoft but insists he upretains brimming faith in his take parters.
Saints set aside their sad Premier League create, which has brawt a one point from nine games, to edge into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with Tuesday’s last-gasp 3-2 triumph over Championship club Stoke.
Progression in the cup trailed a likeable carry outance in Saturday’s skinny 1-0 loss at champions Manchester City, which prompted praise from rival boss Pep Guardiola.
Southampton present 16th-placed Everton this weekfinish seeking an overdue first top-fairy success as they persist to alter to the wonderfuler prescertains of the Premier League follotriumphg promotion.
“I’m lgeting all the time,” said deal withr Martin. “I skinnyk I’ve lgett as much this season than I have done in any other season and we’re nine games in, so I’m finishelighting that side of it.
“We tried to put into take part everyskinnyg we’ve lgett so far this season on Saturday (agetst City) and the take parters did it amazingly well.
“For us, the contest and the lgeting is about trying to remain who we want to be and trying to increase and be better at that and enlarge under the huge spotairy and scruminuscule. Then the rest will get attfinish of itself and I’ll be fine and consoleable with wdisenjoyver happens.
“I repartner consent in this group. I repartner consent in what we’re doing and now we have to put it on the pitch on Saturday.”
Saints seeed set to cruise into the last eight after Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ header and Adam Armsturdy’s penalty put them in deal with.
But the Premier League‘s bottom club blew the two-goal get and were reliant on a goal-line clearance from Yukinari Sugawara and James Bree’s 88th-minute triumphner to scviolation thraw.
Martin intentionally eludeed criticising his take parters’ lowcomings in triumph after a aenjoy approach last season backfired, guideing to three flunkures from the next four repairtures.
“I want the carry outance to be better,” he said. “But I made a misget last year: we beat Watford at home (in April) when we were 2-0 up and went 2-2 and then Flynn (Downes) scored in the 94th minute and I went to town on the take parters after the game.
“I skinnyk it surpelevated a lot of them becaengage we deal withd to triumph the game, so I lgett my lesson from that, becaengage we didn’t triumph after that. I skinnyk it swayed us a little bit.”
Stoke sit 19th in the Sky Bet Championship follotriumphg one triumph in seven league games since the nominatement of head coach Narcis Pelach in September.
The Potters present Derby and Millwall, either side of a midweek trip to Bincreateageburn, before the next international fracture.
“We have two games at home, we’re going to try to convey the energy, to have all the team together with the fans,” said Spaniard Pelach, whose side levelled at St Mary’s thraw Ashley Phillips and Tom Cannon.
“I have a likeable experienceing that we are produceing in the right honestion, produceing a team that is challenging to beat. Of course we cannot produce it in three months but I skinnyk we are going in the right honestion.”
