Ralph Hasenhuttl will need a reaction from his Southampton side when they welcome West Ham United to St Mary's this Sunday in the Premier League.
The Saints have lost 11 of their last 15 matches in the league, and another defeat here could leave the Austrian's job in real jeopardy.
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After what seemed like a relatively promising start, and an encouraging transfer window in which Southampton invested in a number of exciting young players, their season has fallen off a cliff already.
Wins over Leicester City and Chelsea made it seem that their risk of investing in players without much experience had paid off, but four defeats in a row, three of which came against sides deemed direct rivals to them in terms of league position, have left Hasenhuttl under serious pressure.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Everton - three of the most feeble sides in attack so far this season - all saw off Southampton without much fuss, before the Saints were hammered by champions Manchester City last week.
Defeat at the Etihad was expected, but they barely laid a glove on City throughout, and that result has left them just one point and one place above the relegation zone going into the weekend.
Following the defeat to Villa, in which Southampton were widely criticised for how poor they played, Hasenhuttl made wholesale changes to the side for the visit of Everton, a match in which they then collapsed instantly after taking the lead and went on to lose.
Hasenhuttl has survived worse moments as manager down on the South Coast, but they are heading in the wrong direction rapidly and a win is an absolute must in front of their home support here.
Meanwhile, West Ham have gone in the opposite direction, following a very sluggish start, the Hammers are back in form after four straight wins in all competitions.
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Their season has arguably got back on track thanks to their excellent form in Europe giving confidence to some of their new players, such as Gianluca Scamacca and Lucas Paqueta.
Their 100% start in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stages has coincided with an upturn in league form, something which was vitally needed after losing their opening three matches of the campaign.
Consecutive defeats away to Chelsea and Everton were tough to take given the manner of those losses, but victories over Wolves and Fulham since then have moved David Moyes's side comfortably away from the relegation zone.
Scamacca finding his feet following his move from Sassuolo has been a critical factor in West Ham's improvement, as he has discovered a knack of scoring important goals, both domestically and on the continent.
The Italian forward got the only goal in their win at Anderlecht in the UECL, and he scored the opener against Wolves and the goal which completed the turnaround against Fulham, both at the London Stadium, in their two recent league wins.
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Hasenhuttl reverted back largely to the side he had been choosing regularly before the Everton game when they travelled to the Etihad last week, as Duje Caleta-Car, Juan Larios and Ainsley Maitland-Niles dropped straight back out of the team after disappointing on their full debuts.
Sekou Mara also lost his place in the side after failing to make an impact against the Toffees, with Romain Perraud, Mohamed Salisu, Ibrahima Diallo and Adam Armstrong all coming back in.
Given that their performance at Man City showed no real improvement, it remains up in the air what Hasenhuttl will do this weekend with his side, considering there is a midweek schedule on the horizon.
Tino Livramento and Romeo Lavia are to remain on the sidelines for this one, but the latter may make a comeback before the end of the month, while Livramento will not return until the New Year.
Moussa Djenepo may not return to the Southampton squad until the midweek fixtures up next after being taken ill this week.
West Ham are facing a potential crisis at centre-back as a number of their options have come down with injury and illness over the last week.
Thilo Kehrer was left out of the side against Anderlecht as a precaution, while Kurt Zouma was taken ill in the build up to the tie, so Ben Johnson started as a makeshift centre-back alongside Angelo Ogbonna.
Ogbonna lasted just 20 minutes before he had to be substituted with a hamstring issue, and his replacement, Craig Dawson, was also substituted himself in the second half with a dead leg.
As new signing Nayef Aguerd is still not ready to make a return, Moyes will be hoping that Dawson and Zouma can recover quickly enough to be involved on Sunday.
Michail Antonio was also left out due to illness on Thursday but should return to the squad for this one, however, given the form of Scamacca, he may have to settle for a place on the bench behind the Italian.
Maxwel Cornet's calf problem has not yet recovered, and the Ivorian is still around two weeks away from a return to the side.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Bella-Kotchap, Salisu, Perraud; Ward-Prowse, Diallo, Aribo, Elyounoussi, S Armstrong; Adams
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek, Bowen, Paqueta, Fornals; Scamacca
We say: Southampton 1-3 West Ham United
Jarrod Bowen has begun to hit the heights he enjoyed last season, and Scamacca has started scoring at will in West Ham colours, so a demoralised Saints' side may struggle here.
Hasenhuttl cannot afford to lose again for a fifth game in succession, but they do not look capable of being a threat to a West Ham side enjoying a very confident spell.
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Andrew Delaney
