Nathan Jones dismissed any suggestion there was less pressure on relegation-battling Southampton ahead of their FA Cup clash with Blackpool, saying there would have been “carnage” had they lost to the Championship strugglers. Southampton’s continued cup success is in direct contrast to their Premier League form, with Jones’ side languishing at the foot of the table, but he was quick to contradict any notion that the cup clash was less challenging than the fight to avoid the drop. Obviously it’s a different pressure, because the Premier League is bread-and-butter, it’s the most important thing, but today there’s pressure because if we lost the furore would be carnage. “And then it’s a different kind of pressure on us today because we are expected to dominate, to win comfortably. The new Seasiders boss inherits his own relegation battle, with Blackpool sitting one from bottom in the Championship, and revealed he had been in touch with his opposite number ahead of Saturday’s cup clash.

Source: Express January 29, 2023 01:08 UTC