Southampton captain Jack Stephens says the team has rediscovered the defensive resilience that underpinned last season's success. His return to the starting line-up has coincided with a significant upturn in form, yielding 10 points from the last 12 available, a run that includes three consecutive clean sheets. This has helped propel the side to sixth in the Championship, having taken 20 points from their 12 games with a record of seven wins, three draws and two losses.
Stephens returned for the south coast derby against Portsmouth earlier this month, a fixture that began that run of shutouts. "We knew that we had it because we showed that last year when we went on a long unbeaten run," the defender said. The recent defensive solidity marks a stark contrast to the start of the campaign, where Saints failed to keep a clean sheet or win away before the September international break.
Building momentum
The team's renewed strength was evident in last Friday's 3-2 victory at West Ham, a result that moved Southampton to sixth in the Championship with 20 points from 12 games. Kuryu Matsuki, James Bree and Lewis Dobbin found the net at the London Stadium, with Kyle Walker-Peters and Tomáš Souček replying for the hosts. That win on Saturday 24 October was part of a recent run of three wins and a draw from their last five matches. Stephens highlighted the team's offensive capabilities, noting they have scored 24 league goals this season while conceding only 12, with Cyle Larin leading the way on seven.
"It’s just about getting into that rhythm, building momentum," Stephens added. "We know we’re strong as a group, we know we’re going to score goals, we’ve got some brilliant players in the squad that can score at any time. When we do score, it's about locking things down defensively." The win ended West Ham's nine-match unbeaten streak and closed the gap to the Hammers in the promotion race to just two points, though Saints remain five behind leaders Middlesbrough.
The challenge now is to maintain this form ahead of a key home fixture against Queens Park Rangers this Saturday 31 October. QPR, who sit eighth, are fresh from a 5-0 thrashing of Swansea. The next test at St Mary's will be another measure of the resilience Stephens believes is back. Fans can view the full fixtures schedule as Southampton look to continue their climb from a position that was impacted by a four-point deduction at the season's start.
This story first appeared at southamptonfc.com
