#PLStories- Southampton manager Ruben Selles has his say on problems with huge squad #SAINTSFC

Only Nottingham Forest have used more players in the Premier League this season than Saints’ 32 - level with Chelsea - as all three clubs toil through challenging and underwhelming campaigns. And speaking ahead of Monday night’s trip to Nottingham Forest, Selles provided insight into the challenges of managing such a large squad while admitting that it has likely played a role in Saints’ disastrous season. READ MORE: Selles - 'I always say I want to be here for the next ten years, that is my ambition' “You don’t need to be a genius in football to know that when you have a bigger squad, it’s more difficult to manage internally and also in the rotation of the games,” the 39-year-old told the Daily Echo.  “Because the relations are difficult between the players, not only for the coach but for the players as well it is difficult. It doesn’t matter which kind of players you have because I think the Nottingham Forest squad is very different to our squad in terms of the pattern of the players.  “And even for Chelsea - who is number three on that list - it is difficult because there are a lot of personal situations that tend to be more individual than a team issue. And when you don’t have those kinds of relations, it’s more difficult to compete.  “So definitely when you have a big squad either it's a big big reason for that (the problems building relationships between players) or the preference would be to have smaller squads.”   The size of Saints’ squad has proven to be a problem for all three managers this season and it was only made more difficult by the January transfer window which saw five senior players signed - as well as the recall of Jan Bednarek - while there were no notable departures. Consistent opportunities have been tough to come by for a number of players since Selles took over from Nathan Jones with Mislav Orsic almost immediately frozen out following his winter transfer. Paul Onuachu, also signed in the January window, has seen his opportunities dry up as well, starting none of Saints’ last ten Premier League matches.  After missing last weekend’s trip to St James’ Park due to feeling discomfort in his knee, the striker should be fit to return to the squad on Monday, if selected by Selles, no guarantee considering he was left out entirely for the previous 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth. Monday’s opponents Nottingham Forest have faced similar challenges this season after heavy recruitment in the last two windows saw them sign a total of 30 new players. Steve Cooper’s side enter the weekend in the bottom three on goal difference, six points clear of Saints.  Defeat for Saints would leave them on the brink of officially being relegated to the Championship and while Selles has insisted the he and his players still believe that they can overturn the deficit to safety in the final four games, he admitted that another loss on Monday - which would be their seventh in the last nine matches - would make things significantly more difficult. “There are moments when you're up and you're down but that is normal for all of us,” Selles added.  “Players know they can do it and it's not a case where we feel we're completely out of it, we compete against every team and it's our belief we have been competitive but for some reason or another we haven't got the points. If there is a time to do it then it is now."