Jack doesn’t want to fear for job again
JACK STEPHENS knows Southampton cannot go through the same mental torture as 12 months ago.
The Saints avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth and, while they may be unbeaten in the league in 2019, are still just three points above the drop zone.
They have an 11-day break between this win over lacklustre Everton and their next clash at home to Crystal Palace with other key fixtures against Burnley and Cardiff following.
Ralph Hasenhuttl will not be sending his men on a break. And defender Stephens agrees with that.
“No one was enjoying their football at the back end of last season, it was a horrible place to be, the pressure was so high,” he said.
“We knew we had to get points – there were jobs on the line. It’s not a nice situation to be in. It was our own fault.
“We didn’t get enough points early on, so we’ve tried to do that this season.
“We’re looking stronger each week and we know as a club and as a team we can’t be in that situation again come April and May. But the reality is we are still right in that fight. There are teams around us who are winning as well and no one will be giving up.
“It’s important we carry on with what we produced against Everton and at Chelsea. That will keep us out of the relegation zone.”
The win came thanks to a long-range shot by James Ward-Prowse and Lucas Digne’s own-goal, under pressure from Nathan Redmond.
Hasenhuttl now has as many league wins in less than two months as predecessor Mark Hughes picked up in eight and a half.
The Austrian said: “It’s down to hard work and making some good decisions which means giving players a chance – and the players have paid us back.
“Every part of our game you can feel a development. But there will be no break.”
Everton have won just two of their last 10 league games and captain Seamus Coleman accused his side of lacking fight.
They are struggling for consistency and now face sluggers Millwall in the FA Cup.
“As a minimum you give your all and at times they beat us to second balls, which was disappointing,” he said. “We just can’t get a run of wins.”
SOUTHAMPTON (3-5-2):
McCarthy 6; Bednarek 7, Stephens 7, Vestergaard 7; Valery 7, Romeu 7, Hojbjerg 7, Ward-Prowse 8, Targett 6 (Cedric 35, 6); Redmond 8 (Armstrong 86), Ings 7 (Long 74, 6).
Booked: Redmond, Long. Goals: Ward-Prowse 50, Digne 64 og. NEXT UP: Palace (h), Jan 30 PL.
EVERTON (4-3-3): Pickford 7; Coleman 6, Keane 6, Zouma 6, Digne 5; Gomes 5 (Calvert-Lewin 57, 5), Gueye 7, Sigurdsson 7; Bernard 6 (Walcott 75, 5), Richarlison 5 (Tosun 65, 5), Lookman 5. Booked: Gueye.
Goal: Sigurdsson 90. NEXT UP: Millwall (a), Sat FAC.
Referee: G Scott (Oxfordshire).