It's crazy, but Southampton could still have their best season yet, says Francis Benali

INTERVIEW
Paradox | Southampton face relegation but could be celebrating an FA Cup final spot on Sunday
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There are few who know Southampton as well as Francis Benali, and few who will be suffering as much as the club fights for Premier League survival.

Benali, 49, made 389 appearances for the Saints during his career and, despite the club being written off time and again, was never relegated from the top flight during his time there.

Now under the guise of Benali’s former teammate Mark Hughes, the club lurk four points from safety.

It is somewhat surprising, therefore, that they also find themselves just one win away from the FA Cup final. A win that would feel sweeter than most.

The Saints face Chelsea in Sunday’s semi-final, having thrown away a two-goal lead to Antonio Conte’s side just eight days prior, losing 3-2.

Following Thursday’s lifeless draw at Leicester things are looking rather bleak for all at St. Mary’s, however, Benali knows a change of mind-set on the south coast could lead to something remarkable.

“Looking at it from a complete flipside and a positive sense, it’s natural to get bogged down with the negativity and disappointment but, we could find ourselves come mid-May winning the FA Cup and staying in the Premier League,” Benali told Standard Sport.

“As long a shot as that sounds, and as difficult as it would be, it is still possible. Who is to say that can’t happen, in a month’s time Southampton could have had their best season ever…which is crazy.

“If they win the Cup and stay in the Premier League it will be looked at as the best season ever, given the circumstances.

“Yes it’s a tall order, I fully get that,” he continued.

Benali (right) challenges Dan Petrescu of Chelsea in 1997
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“With the teams left in the Cup how big a task and challenge that is but to just focus and look at it in that sense is a shift in the mind-set I feel, rather than focus on the negativity, frustration and disappointment.

“It’s a little shift, but having that faith, belief and confidence, not just in your own ability as a player but your teammates.”

The shear optimism of such a statement is not lost on Benali, though he’s been there before, winning relegation battles year after year at The Dell.

This current crop may not have Benali’s experience of fighting the drop, but they’re no strangers to the big stage in cup competitions.

In Cedric the Saints have a European Championship winner, in Mario Lemina a Champions League finalist with Juventus and their captain in recent weeks, Ryan Bertrand, a Champions League winner with Chelsea.

Furthermore, most of the side which will take on Chelsea this weekend went through the strain of losing last season’s EFL Cup final to Manchester United, having put in arguably the performance of the season.

Pain | Sofiane Boufal trudges back to the halfway line after Manchester United's EFL Cup winning goal last season
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That game will be vivid in the minds of many at Wembley on Sunday, and Benali feels it’s something they can harness.

“I genuinely believe that, amongst the supporters and the players, there was a sense of injustice following that final in a sense that everyone from a Southampton view felt they deserved better on that day,” Benali said.

“They were largely again the better side and there was an element of feeling that the Cup was snatched from our grasp that day.

Spirit | Southampton know they have what it takes to turn up at Wembley Stadium
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“I know that pain the players experienced that day, they won’t want to feel that again so hopefully that will materialise in the performance they put in on Sunday.”

The greatest season in the club’s history may seem a long way off for now, but in the one-off amphitheatre of an FA Cup semi-final, Southampton must not be underestimated.

Francis Benali continues to work alongside charities such as Cancer Research, you can keep up to date with his work at www.francisbenali.com and follow him on Twitter @FrannyBenali

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