Saints have taken just 3 points from their last 5 games in the Championship, Boro themselves are struggling and are on a poor run that has seen them drop out of the automatic promotions spots. Can Tonda turn the tide for Southampton.

In the run up to the Xmas games back in Mid December, you would have assumed that this game would likely be between two sides in the top 6, both hoping for automatic promotion, however after a torrid Xmas period for both clubs, Middlesbrough are now slipping down the table and after starting the year in 2nd place, could find themselves as low as 6th if they lose to Saints on Sunday afternoon.

That should give hope to Saints, only 5 points separate Ipswich in 2nd and Bristol City in 8th, yes we are 10 points behind the automatic place, indeed 7 points behind the last play off spot, but if we can get back to winning ways, then anything is possible.

But that is the big question, can we get back to winning ways ?

Against Millwall we kept a rare clean sheet, but that seemed to be at the expense of the attacking flair that we had only a few weeks ago, Tonda Eckert made 5 changes against the South London side, but the truth is he was making the changes in the wrong area.

As I have been banging on about the issue is the defensive 3, unless we make changes there, both in where individuals are played and who those individuals are, we are going to struggle to turn the corner.

Millwall's big chance on New Years Day came because Taylor Harwood-Bellis, is not comfortable on the ball when he is out wide, he got dispossessed and we were not organised to deal with the situation, rescued only by a tremendous save by Gavin Bazunu.

That was symptomatic of why we are struggling, the back 3 cannot pass the ball more than 20 yards quickly and confidently, we are no longer turning defence into attack with a quick ball to our midfield.

The problem is for this game Eckert needs to ring the changes again elsewhere, we need to be starting the likes of , Tom Fellows, Adam Armstrong & Casper Jander, all rested against Millwall, perhaps even Finn Azaz who was also on the bench.

That being the case is Tonda Eckert going to be brave enough to make 6 changes to the side that started against Millwall.

For my mind our best team at the moment would be

Bazunu

Edwards, THB, Quarshie

Manning, Jander, Downes, Fellows

Azaz

Armstrong, Scienza

But I cannot see the manager making so many changes in this game, Boro might be in poor form but they are still a strong side.

However with the return of Elias Jelert, we have the option to perhaps change the formation to 4--4 -2 or at least a variation on it.

Bazunu

Jelert, THB, Quarshie, Manning

Fellows Jander, Downes Scienza

Azaz Armstrong

That would also be a strong side, but the problem is that it leaves us very short on height at the back, we are a small side, I think one of the reasons that Eckert has stuck with the back 3 is that most teams have at least 3 big players, usually 2 centre halves to come up at corners and a big centre forward, with our current line up we can put a big man on a big man, if we go to 4 at the back, then we have just 2 big men to combat 3 in the opposition.

So from this perspective we perhaps have to stick with 3 at the back, unless we play someone like Ronnie Edwards at right back who has the pace and mobility to play there as well as the height needed at set pieces.

The return of Shea Charles to the side, which could be imminent could offer us the height we lack, but he is not ready just yet.

Going on current form a draw is perhaps a likely result, although the neutral would probably predict a home win.

But I have a sneaking suspicion that we might just get something here, we are not a bad side, we have proved that, but we are a good side playing badly.

So there is a lot of work for Tonda Eckert to do, he has to now show why Johannes Spors had so much faith in him, show he can see where things are going wrong and that he can deal with it.

All Photos Via Reuters