Will Still sets struggling Southampton squad demands for Carabao Cup clash at Liverpool

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Southampton travel to the Premier League champions amid a lacklustre run of form in the Championship.

The Saints’ winless run in the second tier stretched to five when Hull City beat Southampton 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Kyle Joseph, John Lundstram and Oli McBurnie put the Tigers three goals to the good before an injury-time consolation goal from Southampton striker Adam Armstrong.

Will Still is under pressure at Southampton following his less-than-impressive start as the Saints boss, with his side sitting just one point above the relegation zone at this early stage of the season.

As luck would have it, his out-of-form Saints face top flight title holders Liverpool in the Carabao Cup third round this evening (Tuesday, September 23), and Still has a message for his players ahead of the mammoth task.

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Will Still wants Southampton to ‘be brave’ against Liverpool

Still admits that Southampton are struggling in attack lately, with Armstrong’s inconsequential goal being the Saints’ only goal in their last two games.

Southampton’s lack of firepower and presence up front was the source of Ryan Fraser’s complaint to Oli McBurnie on Saturday, and Still needs to imrpove the Saints’ limp attacking play.

However, that will be extremely difficult when facing one of the world’s best sides, but Still wants his Southampton squad to show “bravery” and take the game to the Reds at Anfield.

Ahead of the Liverpool clash, Still told Southampton’s media: “I think it’s a good thing that we’re playing again, and we get the opportunity to erase the mistakes that we made on Saturday.

“But no one is stupid, no one is blind to what the challenge is,

“They’re the best team in England, probably one of the best teams in Europe, and we have to go there with the belief that we can play football and that we’re good at doing certain things in our register.

“We just have to show a bit of personality, a bit of bravery to stand back up, to get back up.

“I just want us to have a go, to be brave and show a bit of what we’re about, not just go there and fold over and crumple.

“We need to be strong, we need to be good at what we do. Just go there and have a go.”

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Carabao Cup clash at Liverpool is a free hit for Southampton

After Southampton’s turgid performance at the MKM Stadium, morale seems to be at a low for the Saints.

Therefore, what better way to instill some confidence back into their play than by giving a commendable account of themselves against Liverpool?

Realistically, not even the most die-hard Saints fan will be expecting a victory at Anfield.

However, if Still’s side do take it to the Premier League champions in their own back yard, it could set the precedent for a resurgence in the Championship.

As they will in tonight’s clash, Southampton will have to be at their absolute best this weekend when the current Championship table-toppers Middlesbrough visit St Mary’s, and a solid performance against the Reds could be the catalyst for improvement.