Exclusive: Will Still warned over Southampton pressure building - Sky Sports pundit highlights Sheffield United decision | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie weighs in on the Saints' start to the season

Southampton’s summer optimism has quickly given way to unease after a difficult opening to their Championship campaign.

With just one victory from their first six matches, the Saints find themselves 19th in the table, far removed from the automatic promotion push many had forecast.

The club’s board sanctioned a significant outlay of more than £48 million in the transfer market, with only Ipswich Town spending more across the division.

That investment was intended to deliver a squad not just capable of competing, but of setting the pace in the second tier.

Instead, Will Still’s side appear stuck between styles, dominating possession without creating enough chances, and folding too easily when tested defensively.

The expectation of a swift return to the top flight was clear, and for Still, appointed in the summer with a reputation as one of Europe’s brightest young coaches, the margin for error was always going to be slim.

Pressure already building on Southampton manager Will Still after poor start

With just six points on the board, Football League World spoke exclusively with former Premier League midfielder and Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie about whether the Southampton manager should already be feeling the heat.

“I think, yeah, certainly there is going to be massive pressure starting to mount on Will Still for obvious reasons, just one win in their first six Championship games,” Hendrie told FLW.

“The problem is, is that they're also conceding goals as well, which you do feel that that is an issue unless it gets resolved quite quickly.

“You've seen what Ruben Selles has done at Sheffield United and not got the results which have ended up with him leaving the football club.

“So I think when you look at the likes of Southampton, you look at the likes of Ipswich, you look at Sheffield United, these are clubs that you would say - and are - are in the thick of (a) promotion (fight).

“Add Leicester to that as well - and they (Southampton) haven't performed.

“You know, they sit 19th in the table. I know it's still early days, but you start to think that just being on six points, they really have to find a bit of a rhythm.

“I think the pressure will mount, and that's the problem - being at a big club in the Championship with expectation levels, which Southampton have, the pressure is going to certainly mount on him every game.

“Against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, but, you know, you do feel that they need to start getting some momentum massively and quickly - because I think their level will be minimum play-offs and expectation of promotion.”

The coming weeks could prove decisive for Southampton’s prospects. While it is still early in the campaign, the league table has already begun to take shape, and a prolonged slump risks leaving the Saints playing catch-up to promotion rivals.

The Championship is notoriously unforgiving: a run of poor results can quickly drag even the best-equipped clubs into the wrong half of the table, and new promotion rivals are beginning to set the pace.

Supporters may tolerate teething problems from a young manager, but Still was hired on the back of his reputation for tactical innovation and strong leadership.

He will need to prove both qualities quickly. The club’s stature, recent financial backing and top flight pedigree mean patience is in short supply on the South Coast.

With back-to-back fixtures against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and the Championship leaders Middlesbrough to follow, Southampton’s response will offer a clearer picture of whether Still can steady the ship, or whether the pressure will continue to escalate.