Interim Huddersfield Town boss Jon Worthington relishing selection dilemmas for Southampton
Huddersfield Town face a tough task tomorrow as they take on second-placed Southampton
Huddersfield Town caretaker manager Jon Worthington is looking for his side to take a “positive mindset” into this weekend’s clash at high-flying Southampton.
The Terriers face a tough task on Saturday, as they face a side who are on a 24-match unbeaten run in all competitions that stretches back to September.
Russell Martin’s side have the highest possession stats of any team in the division to date, averaging more than 65 per cent of the ball per game, but Worthington insists the Terriers are not going to St Mary’s just to “sit back” against their opponents.
“I think they’re impressive, good manager. They’ve got some talented players obviously, but again I think we’ve touched on them, and we’ll have a clear plan going into the game on Saturday to try and get a result,” Town’s caretaker boss said.
Jon Worthington
“First and foremost, you’ve got to go with a positive mindset, and I’ve been really clear with the lads, we don’t just want to sit back.
“We’ve got to respect the opposition, so a lot of the work has been around that, and although they’re a good side, [there are] areas that we think we can exploit, because I believe we’ve got a really good squad.
“I think it’s a balance – respect where they are in the league, respect the run that they’re on, but also definitely not going with fear, and I don’t expect us to do that at all.”
Town head into Saturday’s game off the back of registering an impressive 4-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday last time out, their biggest win of the season to date.
That result leaves the Terriers fourth from bottom in the table, on 31 points from 30 matches played, three points above the relegation zone.
Last weekend’s victory was Town’s first win of 2024, and Worthington believes his side head into Saturday’s encounter in positive spirits off the back of that success.
Reflecting on the Sheffield Wednesday win and the week that has followed, the caretaker manager said: “It’d been a fantastic week, great to end the week on such a high, but also a pretty draining week as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“I think I said after the game in some of the interviews, those memories can never be taken away, and it was fantastic for me to be able to share that with my family.
“It’s been really good (training this week). I can’t wait for the game. The lads are in a really good place, training’s been lively this week, and again just going into it with a real positive attitude through all the squad.
