It’s amazing how even after just a couple of games the pressure of the Premier League can begin to crank up.

Take a look at Saints.

The size and manner of their opening day loss at Burnley was of course a concern, but the fact it was a defeat away from home was hardly the kind of stuff to panic about.

Then they face Liverpool, the Champions League winners. It’s a first home game of the campaign, but it isn’t really one Saints go into expecting to take three points from.

They put in a spirited display and were beaten. Again, hardly seems anything to be too concerned about.

But, suddenly, you feel the pressure is on.

It’s two games down with zero points on the board.

All the talk becomes about where the first point is coming from. And Saints know they cannot wait too much longer to get it or a situation which is currently treated with calm descends into something darker.

And, so, suddenly there is huge pressure on the game at Brighton with Manchester United at St Mary’s after that.

It’s not as if United are the kind of team Liverpool are, even given Jurgen Klopp’s men did appear somewhat jaded by their midweek extra-time Super Cup exertions in Istanbul.

But they are still good, and there is no getting away from the fear that if Saints go into that match without a point on the board then it gets very nervy ahead of the international break.

Pressure is never far away in the Premier League, and the unkind fixture list and a few individual errors – not to mention it’s no wins in seven if you go back and include the disappointing end to last season as well - have it circling St Mary’s at the moment.

The good news is that it’s all fine margins at this level, and it doesn’t take a lot to get on the right side of it.

The mistakes at the back are killing Saints right now. Many goals come from defensive errors, but these seem to be endemic no matter who is selected.

Whether Kevin Danso can help end these problems we wait to see, but he is still only a fairly inexperienced 20-year-old coming to the Premier League for the first time, so it is unfair to heap too much on his shoulders.

Saints also suffered missed chances against Liverpool, which didn’t aid their cause, though they probably squandered a similar number of presentable opportunities to their opponents.

There is more reason for positivity than after Burnley, but Saints will know what they need to do now - get on the board before the pressure ramps up even further.