Southampton’s star wants to confront the ‘negative’ of Birmingham’s win

Despite an interesting 4-3 win over Birmingham City, Saints manager Russell Martin wants to address his team’s defensive issues.

Substitute Joe Aribo scored at the death to give the Championship promotion ambitions a thrilling and much-needed victory over 10-men.

Martin’s Saints were anxious for a morale-boosting victory, having lost four of their last five games in all competitions since their 25-game undefeated streak ended.

They shown spirit and unity to persevere till the finish, but the outcome underlined present defensive flaws.

“Let’s get the negatives out of the way: we’ve conceded three rubbish goals, which we need to stop,” Martin told the Daily Echo.

“We went from being one of the meanest in terms of passing up opportunities to giving up too many recently.

“We will definitely address that. It comes down to a variety of factors; it is not a tactical issue because we are not being cut open; it is a result of poor goals.

“Against Millwall, it was a free kick and a penalty, and tonight it’s a major mistake early on, followed by a brilliant counterattack.

“The second goal–I love them both, but it’s foolishness. The third goal, they’re down to ten men and have two in the box.”

Martin continued: “One strikes the post, and the other puts it in. That is unacceptable to us. If it had been one thing, we would have addressed and resolved it.

“We looked toothless against Millwall and did not build up adequately against Hull, so both have received a lot of attention.

“At Liverpool, we produced numerous opportunities but did not score enough. The final third is a major focus, and we have Today has presented numerous opportunities.

“Birmingham also struggled at home. You have to prioritise time on the training pitch based on what you believe you need, and the players were fantastic on the ball today.

“This group is so amazing, they feel everything together when football has a tendency to make you into a robot emotionally.”

Aribo’s match-winning goal was his second since returning from international duty this year.

Despite a solid showing in the FA Cup fifth round against Liverpool, the 27-year-old started the game at St Andrew’s on the bench.

“I love all the players so I don’t mind who gets the winner,” he said. “He was fantastic today and unlucky not to start following Wednesday.

“I am also very happy for Will Smallbone, two assists and an excellent performance. He received a few kicks and was booed by the home crowd.”