Southampton fullback sheds helplessness in replicating international form | OneFootball

Yukinari Sugawara appeared helpless while wondering about his uneven form for Southampton and the Japan national team.

One of Southampton's biggest helplessnesses has been that they couldn't end the previous year on a positive note. Accordingly, they had to fight a losing relegation battle, and eventually, they couldn't turn the momentum in their favour.

Still, the Saints are well aware that it's nowhere comparable to the one faced by their defenders presently.

Be it club football or fulfilling national duties, the Saints' backline can't seem to catch a break from their prevailing fatigue issues. And who better to ask than Jan Bednarek and Taylor Harwood-Bellis who have been hopping from one injury to another since the previous two months.

Now, this doesn't mean that it's smooth sailing for the remaining fortunate ones. If you aren't convinced, then look no further than Yukinari Sugawara's annoying situation.

Sugawara's rollercoaster campaign for Southampton and Japan

The right-back is completely match ready, enjoys good transfer backing from European heavyweights and is one of the first names on Japan's team-sheet. Factoring all of these plus points, Sugawara must feel proud of his individual performances.

Glancing at his Southampton outings, inclining towards the above statement seems a more difficult task. Knowing this, Sugawara has also broken his silence on the stark contrasts between his club and country's matchday efforts.

Accepting his helplessness to translate his Japan form to St. Mary's, Sugawara was quoted by ESPN: "But with the [Japan] national team, we've done well and I've got some positive things. I'll try to bring those things to the club but it isn't so easy."

Now, the Saints can bring the squad's declining morale as a reason to justify their shortcomings. Looking at Japan, they are a cohesive bunch of dedicated teammates while Southampton's unity is quite uninspiring, to say the least.

Hence, Sugawara must be thinking about considering Napoli's offer if Southampton doesn't show some collective resilience in the next months. Now, whether he does opt against staying will likely remain unknown for the time being.