The Frenchman was one of those picked out as visibly distraught on the pitch following the conclusion of Wednesday’s 2-0 loss. Many Saints supporters are resigned to relegation but there are still 11 games to play and just two points separating the bottom from safety. After seven points in Ruben Selles’s first five matches as manager, even the second loss to Thomas Frank’s Bees does not wrap things up. Perraud insists Saints have to maintain a fighting spirit to stand a chance of beating the drop and playing Premier League football next campaign.
Romain Perraud said: “We have to keep going. Keep a good mentality. Keep a fighting spirit because, you know, when you play to stay in the Premier League, the most important thing is just to be ready and be focused, especially mentally because sometimes it can be hard. Of course, I was disappointed. The situation is tough for us and for everybody. You know, we play for life as well, for the fans and for the club but I will never give up. We need to be ready on Saturday. It’s difficult to say but it was not enough (the reason for defeat). We were inoffensive. We conceded a goal on set pieces and we know this team is very good on corners and on free-kicks, everything. But I think we controlled the game, we had the ball but we didn’t find the connection between us. And at the end of the day, it was not enough in terms of situations, in terms of shorts, crosses. We have a game on Saturday and we will be ready to fight for this game. We were ready to compete and it’s tough because we wanted to give a good game but it was not enough. We need to forget this and try to move on knowing our situation.”
The upcoming game Perraud repeatedly references is another home tie, with Tottenham Hotspur visiting on Saturday, March 18. Saints could still climb out of the relegation zone with a victory, while Spurs manager Antonio Conte comes under increasing pressure in their hunt for the top four.
Romain Perraud added: “I think we improved our way to play in the last four or five games. Sometimes it can happen, you can lose or win some games. Wednesday I think it was not enough and hopefully we will be ready for Saturday. We know this team is playing for the Champions League but we played a good game in Chelsea and at Old Trafford, so we’re ready to fight.”
Saints will need to find a goalscoring touch to have any luck after failing to score for a third time in the five matches Selles has managed. In the two games in which they have scored – once – Saints have won courtesy of clean sheets. No team has scored fewer goals than the St Mary’s side in the Premier League this season (20).
Romain Perraud added: “I will be every time behind my guys because it is about a team, maybe we have to be more killers in front of the goal. It was not enough of course, but we need to keep believing. We have to believe, it’s very close at the bottom of the league so now we need to give a good performance against Spurs.”
