Southampton will have waited over two weeks for a competitive fixture when they take on Manchester United in the EFL Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

Claude Puel’s men thumped Sunderland 4-0 in their last outing back on February 11, which was the perfect preparation for Sunday’s final against a United side that will have played four times since the Saints last took to the field.

Puel’s side really needed that win at the Stadium of Light a few weeks ago, not only for confidence ahead of the final, but in terms of staving off a potential Premier League relegation battle.

The South Coast outfit lost six of their preceding seven games before travelling to the North East, although their victory there means they now find themselves ten points clear of danger with just 13 games of the season remaining.

Clearly though, that dreadful run of form must be of concern to Puel, who himself will know that there is plenty of room for improvement over the coming months.

Thus, here are THREE things Puel and his Southampton team must improve ahead of the run in…

Score more goals

Southampton’s tally of 28 goals in the Premier League this season is the least of any side in the top 11, and only higher than five other clubs, two of which are in the bottom three.

And when your top-scorer is Charlie Austin with six, and he hasn’t played in the league since December 3 with injury, it’s clear that you’ve got issues in the final third.

It’s not through the lack of trying – in fact the Saints have created 279 chances in the Premier League this season, which is more than the likes of West Ham (244) and West Brom (188), both of whom are above them in the table, and have actually netted more times (both 34) than the Saints.

Yet, they need to be more clinical, and the signing of Manolo Gabbiadini will go some way to addressing that, given that he has already netted three times in just two games, but the other forwards players will also need to chip in.

The 4-0 thumping of Sunderland was a good start – they need to follow that through over the coming weeks and months.

Tighten up defensively

They have been far from the worse side defensively in the Premier League this term, but the Saints have struggled at times at the back over the past few months.

Puel’s men have conceded more goals in their last nine games than their first 14, shipping 16 since their 0-0 draw with Stoke on December 14, in comparison to just 15 in the first 14 games of the campaign, which included seven clean sheets.

With just two clean sheets in their last nine as well, it’s clear that teams are finding it easier to net against the Saints, and whether that’s because of injury troubles or the rotating of the squad remains to be seen.

Nonetheless, starting against United in the League Cup final, Southampton must aim to be more solid and difficult to break down, like they were in the early phase of the season.

Their away form

While St Mary’s has been a tricky place for teams to come and play this season, Southampton’s away form needs some improving.

The Saints have won just three of their 13 away matches this term, at West Ham, Bournemouth, and Sunderland, but the other ten games have yielded just three points.

Although they drew away at Manchester City and Leicester, Puel’s men have suffered defeats at Hull, Crystal Palace, and Swansea, and they are in danger of becoming one of those teams that the ones near the bottom target when they face them at home.

Improving their away record will be tough, given that they’ve got to play four of the top eight between now and May, but it would quite the statement of intent for the rest of the campaign and beyond if they could get a few wins.