Saints’ leaky defence concerns Yoshida

Southampton must stop conceding so many goals according to defender Maya Yoshida as they prepare for their EFL Cup semi-final against Liverpool.

The Saints haven’t kept a clean sheet for five games, conceding 12 goals in that time, a worrying statistic for Claude Puel’s side ahead of facing Liverpool.

Yoshida got himself on the scoresheet during the Saints 2-2 draw with Norwich City in the FA Cup on Saturday as a last minute Steven Naismith header earned the Championship side a replay.

“We shouldn’t concede the last minute goal, of course,” he said.

“To be honest, we’re very disappointed but we don’t have too much time to change anything so just focus on the next game against Liverpool and the semi-final.

“We are frustrated because we controlled the game, same as the one against West Brom, and we conceded two goals. Now we’ve conceded too many goals, and we need to stop that.”

(Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

The late equaliser for Norwich also left Saints boss Claude Puel facing another fixture in the coming weeks meaning they still have six games to play before the end of the month.

“It’s a second round now and we play at home, but it’s another game on January in the cup to go alongside the Premier League and the EFL Cup,” he added.

“It’s another important game without the possibility to recover also.

“It’s without a week of recovery and work, but it’s our fault and it’s important to have a good answer in the next game against Norwich.”