Despite picking up four points from their last two games, having beaten Leicester City and drawn with Manchester United, Southampton still sit bottom of the Premier League table.

We spoke to Jacob Tanswell, Southampton reporter for The Athletic, to get his thoughts ahead of Wednesday night's game at St Mary's.

It’s just over a month since the last meeting, but since then there has been a manager change, two wins and likely more positivity around the place. What have you made of the last month at Southampton?

I think it has helped that they have gone back to basics. The football is a bit more similar to the way it was under Ralph Hasenhuttl, in terms of the 4-2-2-2 and the high press.

The players are buying into it and they look more comfortable than they did under Nathan Jones, when the football was more direct and physical. Ruben Selles knows the players and they really like him.

In terms of the short-term benefits, going back to what they are used to and how they trained under Ralph will be beneficial to their survival hopes.

Would you say the Saints fans have taken to Selles more than they did Jones?

I think so - and I think it’s the way he carries himself that they like. I know he wears a turtleneck, which they like, but in press conferences, he hasn’t made any outlandish claims or statements.

He’s really trying to foster a togetherness in terms of keeping the fans onside, and he keeps repeating how he needs the players to work one way. It’s more of a team effort.

When they beat Chelsea recently and he won Manager of the Week, he wanted all the staff to have the photo with him, so it’s more of a collective now and I think that’s what fans like about him more than Jones.

The relegation battle has really got interesting over the last couple of weeks. Saints remain bottom of the Premier League going into Wednesday’s match, but there are nine teams separated by just five points. What’s the mood like on that front?

It changes every week! I know the Grimsby defeat came in the FA Cup, but there was a real feeling of, ‘This can’t go on!’

They then beat Leicester and, considering how bad they’ve been, I’d imagine they will see this as a real chance to drag as many other teams in as possible.

The mood is optimistic, particularly after the Manchester United draw, but they’ll be seeing the Brentford game as a must-win with a tough run of fixtures coming up.

They will know Brentford are a really good team, but they need to start winning games at St Mary’s and getting points on the board.

They will see the next couple of weeks as potentially defining in terms of having a chance to stay out of the relegation zone.

Which player should Brentford fans keep an eye on?

I will say Romeo Lavia because he might not score or assist very often, but he’s fundamental in terms of the way Southampton play.

Lavia is the only one that can play out from the back or allow the team to play out from the back, he likes to keep the ball, sustain attacks and, without him, they play completely opposite to that.

They try to hoof it a little bit more, they try to go direct. He wasn’t 100 per cent fit in the last fixture, but he’s now back to his best and probably the shining light in Southampton’s season so far.

How is Selles likely to set up at St Mary’s?

Selles likely to play with more width than Hasenhuttl, who liked to play more narrow, so they are likely to set up in a 4-2-3-1, with James Ward-Prowse and Lavia in a double pivot and a front four that will all interchange, with potentially Theo Walcott out on the right.

What’s your score prediction?

I think I backed a 2-1 win the last time around, but I was wrong on that occasion - I’m going to go for a 1-1 draw.