Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy has urged his side to thrive under the pressure which they find themselves under in their relegation battle, as reported by the Daily Echo.
The Saints stopper came into the side at the end of 2017 and has performed well since earning his place in the team, with a number of fine performances.
Saints face Stoke City in the Premier League tomorrow and McCarthy knows just how important the game is for the club if they are to avoid the drop this season.
He put in an inspired performance last weekend as he helped his side to claim a vital 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor as Manolo Gabbiadini struck late to snatch a point.
The Saints keeper previewed his side’s clash against the Potters, which has been given the go-ahead despite treacherous weather conditions.
The next game against Stoke has a lot of pressure involved. It’s very tight from the middle of the table down to the bottom. Being a game at home it’s one we have to win. The games are running out now, so we need to be picking up as many points as possible.
Saints currently lie 16th in the table and are only out of the bottom three on goal difference. They are just a point better off than Saturday’s opponents Stoke City, who lie in 19th place.
He continued and went on to add:
We know we’ve got a tough job on our hands, but with the squad we’ve got here I know we’ll have enough to get out of it. It’s a massive game, everybody knows that and hopefully we get three points.
Every game that we have between now and the end of the season, every game is going to be in the spotlight.
Saints face just four home games before the end of the season and they certainly need to win this one to put the pressure on the teams around them as they look to get away from trouble.
