Southampton vs Aston Villa

06 / saints
Nathan
Jones
Dear supporters,
welcome back to St
Mary’s for this
afternoon’s Premier League
match against Aston Villa.
I would like to welcome Unai
Emery, his staff and players,
and the travelling supporters
to Southampton for what
will be another tough test
against a team that have
shown an improvement
under their new manager.
Unai is a top-class coach who
has achieved unbelievable
things in Spain and in
Europe, so it comes as no
surprise to see him have an
impact on his new club.
A week is a long time in
football, and for us last
week felt hugely significant
in lifting everybody around
the club, proving we are
on the right path with
the work we are doing.
Selhurst Park and Goodison
Park are two grounds where
you really have to fight to
get a result – atmospheric
stadiums where the home
crowd make it tough for you.
To come away with two
wins on the road, in the FA
Cup and Premier League
respectively, showcased the
These
performances
and this
team spirit
must be the
blueprint
for us now.
We’ve proved
we can find
different
ways to win
games.
strength of character of this
group, particularly given we
were forced to come from
behind on both occasions.
That is not easy to do against
any Premier League club,
especially away from home.
In between those games, we
had the small matter of taking
on one of the best teams in
the world in Manchester City.
We know all about their
quality, as well as their
proud record in the Carabao
Cup in recent seasons, so it
was another measure of our
progress that we were able
to get through to the semifinals
with a clean sheet in
front of our supporters.
This was not a case of hanging
on to a lead and riding your
luck – we defended superbly
as a team from front to back,
restricting a great side to
zero shots on target, and
always carried a threat of
our own going forward.
These performances and
this team spirit must be the
blueprint for us now. We’ve
proved we can find different
ways to win games, but we
have to kick on and keep
the momentum building.
Your support here at St
Mary’s is absolutely key to
that. Your backing on the
road has been wonderful to
see, but this is our home and
we have to make the most
of that advantage from now
to the end of the season to
get to where we want to be.
We March On.
Nathan Jones