Rodriguez wants Saints to bounce back in Liverpool clash

Coming off the back of successive Premier League defeats, Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez knows the important of their first game back after the international break.

And it couldn’t get much harder for them, as Claude Puel’s side welcome table-toppers Liverpool to St Mary’s on Saturday.

The Saints’ last two league games before the international break saw losses to both Hull City and a resurgent Chelsea, with Puel’s defence conceding twice in each fixture.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are the top scorers in the Premier League with 30 goals from their 11 games so far, and Rodriguez knows his colleagues in defence will be up against it come Saturday.

“We know how important these matches are, so we just want to get the three points,” said the 27-year-old.

“It’s going to be a good battle against their strikers for our defence, but it will also be crucial to make sure we take our chances.

“After the Hull game we were very disappointed and we can’t wait to put it right.

“The international break was a long break, but the lads are raring to go again. It’s important that we focus on ourselves and make sure that we do our jobs properly on Saturday.”

And despite Klopp’s side featuring former Saints Adam Lallana, injury permitting, as well as Nathaniel Clyne and Dejan Lovren, Rodriguez insists it will be just another game.

“It’s normal to come up against old teammates. You just need to be as professional as possible,” he added.

“During the game you are very focused on the match itself. You’re in a team environment and you are just focused on a positive result.”