Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has demanded everyone in the Southampton camp ‘step up’ in every way following defeat to Newcastle United at the weekend.
Heading to St James’ Park for the game against Rafa Benitez’s side, Southampton were a goal down within 63 seconds and Hojbjerg knew the performance from the side as we fell to a three nil defeat simply hadn’t been ‘fair’ on the travelling 1,600 supporters.
Speaking to saintsfc as he met with the media a short time after the full time whistle went in the game, he explained.
‘I don`t like to words to say sorry but it is the only thing we can say at the moment on behalf of the players to the fans that have come a long way in great numbers to support us. To everyone that showed up in a Southampton shirt, it`s not fair to them or to ourselves. Everyone needs to look in the mirror and ask what they can do for the team, just in the next game to get a result, let`s not speak about staying up.’
With eight games remaining in the league season as well as an FA Cup quarter final tie against Wigan Athletic which could turn into a banana skin of itself, Hojbjerg called for an immediate improvement in our form and he was confident we could do that as we haven’t turned into a bad side over the summer.
‘I`m very disappointed and angry with myself and as a team it`s just not good enough. You can blame other things but it`s just not good enough. We stand here as a group and we didn`t succeed today, that is the fact. We have to be in the Premier League but the reality speaks for itself. It doesn`t mean the big picture is broken; luckily – and this is the good side of football – we have a new possibility to show that we are better than this. We need to step up, in every aspect of the game.’
He went on to say.
‘Now the emotions are running high but when training starts again on Monday, we need to be on it and focus on the next target. The next ball, the next exercise; do it all to get the win in the next game, that`s the only thing that counts.’
It was inevitable talk of ‘cup finals’ would come up in such an interview.
‘Every game right now is crucial, with eight league games to go, they are all finals. The last many games were finals too and we haven`t got the results we wanted. We will do everything we can; I have said it before that the club cannot go down, we have to stay up.’
Adding.
‘We have to be in the Premier League because that is what we are but the reality speaks for itself and we can`t hide. We can`t get around it. There is nothing for it, we have to show the desire to survive and anything less won`t be enough.’
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