Claude Peul’s Southampton have certainly fallen short of their expectations in the Premier League this season but fans are thankful for their memorable trip to Wembley back in February.
Securing a top-half finish in the table is now the priority for Peul’s men and it seems that task is set to be successful, with the Saints requiring just a point from their final league clash of the season against Stoke City to secure their top-ten status.
In truth, the fans in the bar aren’t too bothered about where they finish this season and they’re urging Peul to make sweeping changes to his line-up for today’s game, as they believe it’s the perfect opportunity for the side to experiment.
Neither Southampton or Stoke have anything but pride to play for and our landlord agrees it’s the ideal opportunity for changes to be handed to fringe players, who he feels could take the opportunity with by hands by putting in a memorable performance.
Harrison Reed
At 22-years-old, Harrison Reed is at the age where he needs continued first-team exposure to enhance his development but he’s managed just 63 minutes of Premier League football this season- with just one of his three appearances coming from the start.
If opportunities don’t raise themselves soon, Reed may have to consider moving on for the benefit of his career and utilising the youngster this afternoon against Stoke City will give Claude Peul an idea of whether Reed can play a more regular part in the first-team next season.
Josh Sims
20-year-old Josh Sims has enjoyed a fair amount of time in the first-team frame this season, accumulating seven appearances in the Premier League. However, just one of those openings has come as a starter and his action amounts to just 206 minutes of football.
Last featuring against Hull at the end of April, Sims would benefit from a start against Stoke City this afternoon and, if he could manage the entire ninety minutes, it would give a fairly good indication of where he stands ahead of next season- and whether a loan move would be beneficial.
