Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has admitted that the chances of his team finishing among the Champions League spots appear increasingly distant, adding that he is planning to strengthen his squad for a possible Europa League campaign next term.
Koeman took the reins of the Premier League outfit at the start of the current season and the Dutchman has done exceedingly well in his first season at St. Mary’s.
Despite the departure of several first team regulars in the close season which included players like Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert amongst others, Koeman has guided his side to sixth spot in the league and they remain among the challengers for a spot in the Champions League next season.
However, the 52-year-old feels that his team’s chances of reaching the elite European competition look difficult since they have a six-point deficit to overcome over fourth placed Manchester United.
“It is difficult, because we have the distance in points”, he said at pre-match conference ahead of Saturday’s clash against Everton.
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“It is all about [the upcoming games], if we win the next two, three games then we will still be in fight for that, but it is more for the big teams, but we will try. We have to focus after the international break.”
However, the 1992 Champions League winner added that finding a spot in the Europa League would be no mean achievement for the Saints.
“And we play eight finals and this season so far is fantastic. And if we can reach European football that means the season is special one for the club.”
Talking about his plans for next season, the manager added that for a team of Southampton’s size it often becomes very difficult to fight in the Europa League as well as the domestic competitions.
As a result, he is planning to strengthen his squad in the summer to put them in a position to compete in Europe as well as the Premier League, in case they qualify for the Europa League.
“That’s one of the problems for clubs like Everton and Southampton, unlike big teams who can handle more competitions.
“For us it will be more difficult.
“That’s one of the reasons in my plans for next season; maybe we need more numbers, more experienced players to have the possibility [to compete on all fronts] if we play in Europe.”
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