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Shane Long targets silverware for Southampton in New Year

Southampton striker Shane Long admits that winning a piece of silverware is the one thing holding his team back, with an EFL Cup semi-final with Liverpool on the horizon.

Shane Long has admitted that matching last season's Premier League finish and winning silverware is the "ultimate goal" for Southampton.

The Saints are currently ninth in the top flight after a mixed campaign to date under Claude Puel, winning five and losing five of their 16 games.

Southampton were dealt a crushing blow earlier this month when exiting the Europa League at the group stage, but Long retains hope of kicking on in the second half of the season and replicating the sixth-place finish of last term, while also overcoming Liverpool in the final four of the EFL Cup in January.

"A bit of silverware would be nice and we want to push again for Europe by pushing up the table as far as we can," he told Sky Sports News. "We are in the semi-final of the EFL Cup now and we have a big enough squad to deal with those competitions.

"It is a great opportunity for us to get some silverware. It's a long way away to think about it, we have a lot of games between then and now, but that would be the ultimate goal.

"We have come on so far over the last six or seven years as a club and it's the only thing missing at the moment. Last year [the club's best league finish since 1985] was a big achievement but to bring a cup back to the club would be a big achievement too."

Long, without a goal since May, is expected to play a part in Southampton's meeting with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

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2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
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10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
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16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


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