Victor Wanyama will not change his physical approach, despite walking a disciplinary tightrope in Saints’ next three matches.

The midfielder has accumulated nine bookings this season, and will face a two-game ban if he picks up another yellow card in the coming weeks.

The aim is to survive through to the end of Saints’ home game with Hull, on April 11, when the suspension criteria will be raised to 15 cautions.

Wanyama admits he is well aware of the situation, but does not want to alter his game too much because of it.

“At the moment, it’s on my mind, you know,” said the 23-year-old, who ranks third in fouls per game in the Premier League.

“I know I’m just one booking away and I need to be in the team and I need not to get a yellow card for the next three games.

“Hopefully that will work for me, not to get a suspension.”

He added: “I don’t want to think about it too much, because in the games sometimes you never know – maybe if you go easy you might get also injured.

“But I’m really focused with my game and I’m not going to change my game, I’m not going to change the approach of my game.

“We’ll just continue and hopefully we’ll go through with no suspension.”

His manager, Ronald Koeman, does not mind Wanyama, or his central midfield companion Morgan Schneiderlin, picking up bookings if necessary, but there are some he believes they can cut out.

“Always we are talking to the players who get sometimes too much yellow cards,” he said.

“He’s a physical player. He’s a player who wins a lot of balls in midfield, he’s strong.

“The fault [that] is necessary at that moment is not a problem, but sometimes, like Morgan, like Victor, sometimes they get yellow cards – in my opinion it is not to do that fault at that moment or that place on the pitch.”

Daily Echo:

Victor Wanyama tussles with Chelsea's Oscar at Stamford Bridge

Wanyama picked up his ninth booking of the campaign in last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea – a display he described as “the best team performance I’ve ever seen for a long time”.

The Kenyan possesses belief that Saints can keep that level up until the end of the season.

“I’m very confident, because it’s unbelievable how we started the league and we’ve really been consistent and we have stayed there for long,” he said.

“We were unlucky with the injuries, but I think if we had no injuries I can’t imagine where we could have been, you know.”

So, with the squad now completely healthy, bar long-term absentee Jay Rodriguez, how far does he think they can go?

“I think it can even give us the chance to challenge for Champions League,” said Wanyama.

“I know we have still the chance to be there. It’s just a matter of fitness – if everyone is fit then we can compete.”

He added: “It’s very important, especially at this time. We have big games to play for and it’s just good to see everyone back to their best.”

Wanyama has been a formidable presence in midfield this term and has certainly appeared to be operating close to his peak for most of the season.

He is pleased with how he has progressed throughout the campaign – his second since a £12.5m move from Celtic in 2013.

“When I came, it was a bit difficult, but now I feel like I have settled now and I know the league,” he said.

“Things now are falling into place.

“I am feeling confident now and I’m always happy to go onto the pitch and try to help the team.”

He added: “I’m happy with my performance as well.

“It was a tough season last season – injuries and also trying to get used to the league as well, but I did that well and I finished stronger, then come this season we have just done unbelievable.”

If Saints are to continue in that fashion and achieve something truly sensational, they will almost certainly have to beat Burnley this afternoon, and Wanyama knows it will be a different challenge to the one they faced at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

“They’re a team that works hard and they don’t change their style, so they are a bit dangerous,” he said.

Wanyama added: “Every team who are coming to St Mary’s, they will try and sit back and make it difficult for us, so we need to find our way through the defence and try and break them up.

“It’s going to be a different approach as well. It’s going to be a difficult task for us, but hopefully we can manage to win the day.”