Squad Selection Must Be Flawless as Southampton Take on Arsenal, Insists Martin

Following a disappointing 3-1 loss to Bournemouth on Monday, the pressure is mounting on Martin.

He stated: “We have a lot of players who are trying to learn and find their way in our system in the Premier League, which is not easy when they haven't played that way before.

“And to try and learn in a team that hasn't won yet as well is difficult. So if you're winning, it's much easier to integrate players and for them to feel it. But some of them haven't felt enough success through the pain yet on the pitch.

“So stuff that we're trying and maybe a few tough moments. And then on Monday, we went away from it far too quickly.

“I believe that's maybe because they haven't been on the pitch long enough to feel that if you stick with it, it will come good.

“Whereas there's a lot of guys that have been here a year or more now and they've felt that and know that they need to stick with the detail and trust the work that they do.

“I think there's a balance of talent, always a balance of talent, character and then the opposition. I've got no doubt about the character in this squad.

“After everything we've been through together and the guys we've brought in because we bring them in for a reason, they want to be part of this, that we'll all get through it together. And when we do, it'll be brilliant. And it's a long, old season.

“And we haven't quite found flow yet consistently. When we have, there's been real moments of promise and enough to give the players enough feeling.

“I think that's the feeling amongst the group is that they can really impact things and get some really brilliant results and surprise some people.

“But now it's just about piecing it together. We have to just sharpen up a little bit around certain moments like a quick free kick on Monday night.

“We walk away from the ball, turn our back and then you're 1-0 down and it's such a difficult position to be in after you start the game well.

“So yeah, it's a process. They're evolving all the time. We're trying to tweak and adapt and find out what is best for us and what works. And I'm convinced we'll do that.”