Matt Targett says it’s important Southampton get a good result against Sunderland before next week’s international schedule.
Following an opening day draw against Watford and a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United, Saints host the Wearsiders on Saturday looking for their first win of the new season.
Sunderland are without a point to their name after suffering losses in each of their opening two matches, with new Black Cats boss David Moyes searching for a win at St Mary’s this weekend, and Targett feels it will be a tough assignment for the hosts.
“I think it’s just the way he sets them up,” Targett explained. “He gets 11 men behind the ball and makes it difficult for teams to break them down.
“I think it is important to get a positive result before the international break as it is a long time to wait to put it right.”
If selected, Targett could come up against Sunderland winger Adnan Januzaj, who is someone the Saints youngster knows well.
“I played him in the younger age groups,” said Targett. “He’s a very tricky winger. He likes to attack the defender one v one.”
Targett lined up at Old Trafford last week to try and keep the likes of Juan Mata and Anthony Martial quiet, while he also took inspiration from opposite numbers Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia.
“You want to play against top-class players like Luke and Valencia,” said Targett. “You’re playing in one of the biggest grounds in the country in front of 75,000. As a young player, you always want to play on the big stage.”
And playing in the new-look system has also brought changes to the team’s style, one which Targett is also enjoying.
“I think we are not playing as much long ball as we did last year,” he commented. “We are keeping the ball much better and trying to play through teams much more whereas last year we had Grazi [Pellè] and we used him quite a lot.”
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