Southampton’s Downes Details Plan to Challenge Liverpool

Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes has stated that the Saints must observe how Liverpool “pick their times” to press and attack. This approach, he believes, is essential to make the upcoming Sunday match challenging for Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders. Downes informed BBC Radio Solent, “It looks like they are more structured and pick their times better,” further explaining, “That’s something we need to watch, see how they do it and then hopefully do that against them and make it tough for them.” Although Southampton currently occupies the bottom position in the league after 11 games, Downes maintains that the team possesses the necessary quality to begin climbing the table. Downes also commented on his own performance and the team’s adaptation, saying, “I know I can do so much more and do so much better,. We are all adjusting to the Premier League and we have new players. That isn’t an excuse – it just takes time to build those relationships with players. There have been a few changes in the team and that is tough as a player, but I just want to do the best I can for the team.” He further reflected on his playing style, noting, “I do feel like I am doing too much running at times. When I watch it back, sometimes I look and you could not do the running and sit back, watch and wait. That’s something I want to add to my game.” Regarding the team’s current league standing, Downes remarked, “I know we are bottom of the table. There is so much to play for. On the training pitch, we know how good we are.” He concluded by stating, “This season on the pitch, we have not handled setbacks well – when we go 1-0 down. We all feel we are good enough to be in this league and we have just got to show it.”