Saints will not set any point targets as they head into the start of three seemingly winnable league games.

Saints host fourth from bottom Bournemouth at St Mary’s tomorrow, before travelling to third from bottom Sunderland and entertaining seventh from bottom Stoke either side of the international break.

There is the potential for a significant points haul from those matches, but Saints manager Ronald Koeman is staying focussed on the here and now.

“First of all if we play at our level that we like to play like at football then you have always the possibility to win the game,” he insisted.

“It’s not good because the Premier League is different.

“Sometimes the Bournemouth game can be more difficult than the Liverpool game or the Chelsea game. It’s game by game, that’s the planning.

“It’s not about now we play two at home and needs to be six points. No.

“We play football, out of our philosophy, and then the possibility we win is possible.”

The Premier League table certainly has an unusual look to it after ten games with Leicester near the top and Chelsea near the bottom and Koeman said: “At this stage of the season it’s not the most important the position on the table because it’s so close to everybody.

“Higher on the table and lower behind us is no difference with a lot of points. It’s not the time to look too much at the table.”

Saints are gunning for a good finish again this season after qualifying for the Europa League last time out, but Koeman remains realistic about their top four chances despite the early struggles of the likes of Chelsea.

“We know that our experience tells us that’s very difficult,” he admitted.

“Maybe a part of the season Chelsea is now struggling but they will come back because they have good players and I don’t think they struggle like until now for the rest of the season.

Liverpool will come back.

“We know it’s a hard fight to stay between those teams.”