FLORIN Gardos has set his sights on more playing time after making his first Saints appearance in nearly two years in the 5-0 thrashing by Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round at St Maryâs.
The centre-back finally made his comeback from a knee injury that kept him out of the first-team since February 2015 against the Gunners, writes Peter Howard.
But the Romanianâs long-awaited return to action ended in misery as Arsenal dismantled Saintsâ young side.
The 28-year-old was happy to be back playing at last and, with Saints short on defensive options, is aiming to become a serious option at the back for Claude Puel.
âIt was important and Iâve been waiting a long time for this,â he said, referring to his return.
âIâve had a very frustrating period so Iâm happy I came through 90 minutes.
âBut you canât be happy when you concede five especially as a defender, but I will try to build up on this and hopefully get some more game time.â
âItâs the best Iâve felt for a long time and I played a few games for the under-23s which helped today but this is a different level.
âThings change a lot in the team and there is an opportunity so I will try my best.
âWe have done well in that department in recent years so itâs a big responsibility.â
Ex-Saint Theo Walcott hit a hat-trick against his former side, while Danny Welbeck netted a brace as the Gunners ran riot.
Gardos believes that Saints need to just draw a line under the poor result.
âWeâre all disappointed because of the result but we can learn something from this game and we have to move on because we have a difficult period coming up,â he said.
âWe conceded pretty easily and of course youâre disappointed. We also had a lot of young players today and I think they had more experience, which proved the difference.â
Six academy players started for Saints against Arsenal and Gardos believes they performed well, despite the result.
âI think it proves that the academy keeps giving good youth players and they did well even though the result wasnât what we wanted,â he said.
âThey have to learn that you have got to keep going because things like that can happen.â
Gardos isnât dwelling on the result, with Saints having already booked a Wembley date in the League Cup.
âItâs a great moment to play a final in the League Cup. The FA Cup is also an important competition but now we have to look forward in the Premier League and also for the final,â he said.
THE Premier League is home to some of world footballâs most famous venues, but which is the best?
Using Google reviews, which aggregates all reviews made by punters and gives an average out of five, we have ordered the 20 top flight arenas from best to worst.
Tottenhamâs White Hart Lane comes in as worst, with a still respectable 3.6 out of 5, but where does their rivalsâ Emirates Stadium place?
Saints were dumped out of the Emirates FA Cup by the Gunners yesterday, with Puel naming a youthful team for the fourth-round encounter.
While it was a chastening afternoon, Puel explained that lessons can be learned from it.
"Itâs hard. Itâs difficult to lose 5-0 at home,â he said. âItâs a disappointment of course for our fans and these young players.
âItâs a good lesson. When we win, itâs easy. In a bad moment it is a good time to learn.
âBut, of course, itâs a difficult moment for young players to take a 5-0 defeat, but it was not possible to give them the best balance between experienced players and young players, because this moment is difficult for us on the physical side.
âItâs important to consider this, to analyse this game and this defeat.
âWe have a lot of injuries in the squad, and we continued with this game to improve our young players. Itâs important to give experience and itâs a good lesson for the future for all these young players.â
| Saints V Arsenal The Verdict | Claude Puel had to rotate for this game, no one argued with that, but why did he get his line up so badly wrong ? 29-01-2017 |
The eight-day international youth tournament, which is being hosted in the city and surrounding area, will involve boysâ and girlsâ teams from around the globe, with sides from countries such as Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Croatia, Algeria, Canada and Switzerland all set to take part.
The competition will feature Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 categories, with more than 1,500 players and 300 coaches expected to visit the city in year one for the festival of football, which is set to increase in size each year.
The Southampton Cup will get under way on Saturday 5th August, with the competition open to both professional academy teams (Academy Section) and non-elite teams (Premier Section). Some of the games will be hosted at the clubâs Staplewood Campus.
As well as the international youth tournament, Saints will also be running a grass roots Community Mini-Football Tournament as part of the event, which will allow for under-seven to under-11 boysâ and girlsâ teams from the Hampshire area to be part of the Southampton Cup, while also being able to watch some of the worldâs best academies during the week.
A separate registration form and details for the Community Mini-Soccer Tournament will be released in February.
We are urging all the remaining teams wishing to take part in the Southampton Cup to complete the registration form as soon as possible to ensure they donât miss out on what will be a fantastic festival of football.
To find out more click here or complete the registration form to enter your team.
If you require further details or wish to get in touch with the tournament team please email southamptoncup@saintsfc.co.uk
ARSENE WENGER appeared to get around his touchline ban by using a headset to communicate last night.
The Arsenal boss wasnât allowed in the dugout in the FA Cup tie at Southampton following his altercation with the fourth official during last weekâs win over Burnley.
But it didnât seem to do his team any harm as they stormed to a stunning 5-0 victory thanks to a Danny Welbeck brace and a Theo Walcott hat-trick.
CLICK THROUGH THE GALLERY ABOVE TO SEE THE SNAPS OF WENGER USING HIS HEADSET.
Arsenal brought Saints back down to earth with a thump in the FA Cup last night.
Just three days after beating Liverpool at Anfield and securing a place at Wembley in the League Cup Final Claude Puelâs side were dumped out of the FA Cup.
Just to cheer you all up hereâs all the pictures from Anfield in midweek
A hat trick by former Saint Theo Walcott and a brace by Danny Welbeck gave the Gunners a resounding 0-5 victory at St Maryâs.
Puel had made ten changes from the side that got Saints through to their first major final since 2003 in midweek.
WHAT happened to the supposed stars of the future from FIFA 07?
âFIFA 07 is regarded as one of the best ever editions of the game, but a decade on, where are the wonderkids?â
Ten years on from what is widely regarded as one of the best ever FIFA video games, how many of the wonderkids - who all reached ratings in the high 80s or 90s in the gameâs manager mode, are still going strong?
Reddit user yeskevinlad277 selected 20 of the finest wonderkids from the EA Sports classic, and weâve looked into where they were then and who they play for now.
Itâs transfer deadline day and a massive moment in the Premier League as Chelsea travel to Liverpool on Tuesday.
Victory for Antonio Conteâs men would move them 13 clear of challengers Liverpool, while Arsenal host Watford and Tottenham travel to Sunderland on a day when teams have until 11 p.m. to make transfers.
On Wednesday, Manchester City visit West Ham and Manchester United â who have drawn their past two league matches â will look to get back to winning ways at home to Hull City.
Elsewhere, thereâs some big matches toward the bottom. Sam Allardyce goes in search for his first league win as Crystal Palace boss at Bournemouth, while Burnley host free-falling Leicester.
Predict the outcome of all the midweek matches by voting in our polls.
LIVERPOOL: Form team vs. strugglers usually presents few prediction difficulties, but this is Liverpool â great against the best sides and poor against those near the bottom. Logic therefore goes out of the window, and you can expect the Reds to rise to the occasion, albeit too late for the title race.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea â Steven Kelly
CHELSEA: With Philippe Coutinho fit again and with Liverpool desperate to close the 10-point gap to Chelsea, Jurgen Kloppâs side will throw everything at the Blues. But the pace of Eden Hazard and Pedro on the counterattack should have some joy against a leaky defence.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea â Phil Lythell
ARSENAL: Watford have not won in the league since beating Everton on Dec. 10, a run that stretches to seven games. With Arsenalâs league campaign galvanised by their late winner against Burnley, they should have more than enough to dispatch the Hornets. This should be a routine win for Arsene Wengerâs men ahead of their huge clash with Chelsea at the weekend.
Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Watford â James McNicholas
WATFORD: Watford have been humiliated in their past two encounters with teams near the top of the table, conceding six at Liverpool and four at home to Spurs. Walter Mazzarri will be keen to avoid a third lopsided affair, and this may impact his approach to the game. New signing Mauro Zarate will be unavailable due to suspension, but Craig Cathcart and Daryl Janmaat could make a return to the starting XI as the Hornets look to bolster their defence and avoid another heavy defeat.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Watford â Mike Parkin
SUNDERLAND: Bottom of the league, with Victor Anichebe facing a long layoff to worsen David Moyesâ injury nightmare, Sunderland will struggle to hold a rampant Tottenham. Unless there is a massive improvement on recent form, this game has a Jermain Defoe consolation goal written all over it.
Prediction: Sunderland 1-3 Tottenham â Colin Randall
TOTTENHAM: Tottenham were on a six-match winning run in the Premier League before their 2-2 draw at Manchester City, which must still be viewed as a good result. Conversely, while ex-Spurs striker Defoe has scored 12 goals for Sunderland this season, the basement boys have lost five of their past seven games, drawing the other two, and have not won since mid-December.
Prediction: Sunderland 0-2 Tottenham â Ben Pearce
WEST HAM: West Ham were humbled 5-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup at the London Stadium just a few weeks back, but Slaven Bilic has seen form rejuvenated in his side since. Inevitably, talk will be of the Hammersâ revenge, but an honourable draw is a more likely outcome.
Prediction: West Ham 2-2 Manchester City â Peter Thorne
MAN CITY: City embarrassed West Ham in the FA Cup this year, so the home side will be desperate for that not to happen again. Pep Guardiolaâs men have been hit-and-miss recently, but they have been showing signs of finding their feet properly under the new coach, with an entertaining and attacking display in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
Prediction: West Ham 1-2 Manchester City â David Mooney
MAN UNITED: Though Hull City already look far more resilient under new manager Marco Silva, their problems persist in keeping the leagueâs leading attacks at bay. Manchester United â now playing with more fluency and with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in fine form â are unlikely to be in charitable mood.
Prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Hull City â Musa Okwonga
HULL CITY: Nine consecutive away defeats in the Premier League ensure Hull City travel to United without much room for optimism, and few will expect the rot to be stopped at Old Trafford, a ground where the visitors have never won a league fixture. Jose Mourinho has strength in depth against his respected countryman Silva, pointing toward a comfortable home win.
Prediction: Manchester United 3-1 Hull City â Phil Buckingham
BOURNEMOUTH: The Cherries have struggled to find their performance levels of earlier in the season during recent matches, and they are still yet to win in 2017. However, a point against Watford last time out will help generate some momentum, and another fixture at home should supply even more confidence and positivity.
Prediction: Bournemouth 1-0 Crystal Palace â Will Kent
CRYSTAL PALACE: The Eagles will look at this fixture as a must-win game. Allardyce hopes to have more recruits secured by the time the fixture takes place, and should the squad be strengthened, thereâs no question Palace can get a much-needed win.
Prediction: Bournemouth 0-1 Crystal Palace â Rob Sutherland
BURNLEY: With six wins out of their past seven Premier League games at home, including four victories in a row, Turf Moor is the fortress around which the Claretsâ likely survival is built. Champions Leicester have been poor away from home all season â like Burnley, they are yet to win on the road in the league â and it should be another three points for Sean Dycheâs side, although it could be tight.
Prediction: Burnley 2-1 Leicester â Jamie Smith
LEICESTER: The championsâ trip to Burnley could define their season. If the Foxes lose, they will be well and truly in a relegation dogfight. Claudio Ranieri is unlikely to stick with the diamond midfield after it proved ineffective in the 3-0 loss at Southampton last time out. The key to victory is finding the balance in the centre of the park and getting Jamie Vardy involved. This time last year, the Foxes would have been odds on to take maximum points, but right now, a draw will do. Prediction: Burnley 2-2 Leicester â Ben Jacobs
STOKE: Everton seem to have finally found their feet under Ronald Koeman, and in Romelu Lukaku, they have a player who always seems to score against Stoke. The Potters have enjoyed their best performances at home, though, and a potential debut from Saido Berahino could provide the added impetus needed to take a point from one of the leagueâs in-form sides.
Prediction: Stoke 1-1 Everton â James Whittaker
EVERTON: Three wins in a row has sixth place in sight as Everton try to continue recent resurgence at Stoke on Wednesday. Three points would further underline progress made since a dismal 3-2 defeat at Watford in December â the Blues have won without conceding in four of their past five league games.
Prediction: Stoke 1-2 Everton â Luke OâFarrell
SWANSEA: The Paul Clement effect has Swansea full of confidence for the first time all season following last Saturdayâs 3-2 victory over Liverpool. Southampton have won one league game in their past five and had two cup fixtures against Liverpool and Arsenal before visiting Wales, making it three games in eight days.
Prediction: Swansea 3-1Southampton â Max Hicks
SOUTHAMPTON: Claude Puelâs men should be in a confident mood after booking their place in the EFL Cup final, but they need to improve their poor away form to stop their Premier League season from petering out into nothing. The continued absence of Virgil van Dijk gives Swansea hope.
Prediction: Swansea 1-1 Southampton â Alex Crook
MIDDLESBROUGH: After a wobbly week of manager-fan relations, Aitor Karanka will be looking to persist with the positive style of play that belied Boroâs recent 3-1 defeat to West Ham. With Alvaro Negredo, Patrick Bamford and Rudy Gestede in contention for a place up front, scoring more goals will become top priority.
Prediction: Middlesbrough 2-1 West Brom â Catherine Wilson
WEST BROM: The Baggies head to Middlesbrough looking to carry their fine home form into a tricky away fixture. Chris Brunt has been superb recently, and with a fully fit defence to choose from, Tony Pulis can restore Brunt to a more natural attacking position where he can have even more impact.
Prediction: Middlesbrough 0-1 West Brom â Matthew Evans
Everton seem to have turned a corner under Koeman and will seek to continue their promising recent form when they head to Stoke, while EFL Cup finalists Southampton face a Swansea side on a high from their 3-2 win at Liverpool last time out in the league.
And donât forget â Tuesday is the last day your club can make transfers between now and the end of the season.
Have your say on the window and the midweek fixtures in the comments below.
Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.