Every word Southampton manager Martin said ahead of Brighton

What is the latest on Lallana and Onuachu injuries?

RM: Adam Lallana is out, which is a shame because I think he would have loved to have been back on the pitch at a place where he had a really good time.

Adam's out and Paul's being assessed, so fingers crossed that Big Paul will come through all right. It's not a bad injury at all, which is really good news for us.

Just a niggle, so hopefully we can manage that and he can be involved. I think Adam's going to be a couple of weeks, so probably the next couple of games.

What have the players been like since Sunday?

RM:  don't think anyone would have taken a loss before the game. If anyone would have taken it, I think we're in the wrong league, in the wrong business.

I think their reaction to disappointment on the whole this season has been great. We've had too much disappointment, but they train so well, they train like beasts

They're so together, they enjoy what they do. I think we enjoy working with them, so I like their reaction, I like their reaction a lot.

I see so much the way they're growing despite a tough result and in a tough manner as well in the end against the best team in the league at the moment. 

There's a lot to be positive about. The team is growing a lot and they're showing real adaptability in certain moments, but we have to manage other moments better.

That's what's really cost us. On the whole, they're good and they're in a good place and they give us a lot of confidence in what we're doing.

What sort of conversations have you had about ensuring those goals don't happen again?

RM: Every goal is different. The second one is a real moment of quality from Salah. We shouldn't allow someone that time to put their head up and hit the ball. 

Alex will maybe be disappointed with his positioning. For the first one, I said after the game that I took responsibility for it because I asked them to play quickly.

At that point, we defended for a few minutes. All of Liverpool's players were around our box. We played quickly a few times to a real advantage to us. 

But at that moment it's not an advantage so I just have to make it clearer. There are times to do it and times not to do it. 

It still shouldn't end up how it ends up. But yeah we scored a beautiful goal from the lads showing real composure defending a set play.

If they just clear it, we don't score, so it's risk and reward and all that. It's what's got us to the Premier League the lads' willingness to play and show courage.

It just wasn't quite right, the detail of it, the timing of it, the way Mateus Fernandes received the ball. He wasn't ready to receive it.

Flynn was under real pressure there to make that decision. It's just unfortunate but I never criticise the players for a mistake if the intention's right.

The intention at that point was to try and play quickly to upset Liverpoo but it was just the wrong time. The process is the same.

I have to show them why it's not the right time and make them understand why and to try and avoid the same mistake again.

Do you think they are getting it? Do you think they are learning?

RM: Yeah, I think we play some brilliant football. I think they show brilliant courage. Some young players who are growing and improving all the time.

They have to play in a certain way to really achieve their potential and maximise what they have. Results and outcomes will dictate that at some point. 

What I'm seeing from them is the willingness to still do it and be themselves and to keep doing it and actually have a lot of success against the league's best team.

I can be really happy about that. I can be disappointed with the goals. But yeah, and the third one is a penalty that Yuki's just really unfortunate with.

As a local, what do you think of Brighton's incredible story?

RM: They obviously had a very good purpose at the beginning about the stadium and trying to get to the Premier League in a sustainable way.

Chris Hughton did an amazing job to get them there. The club is very different to the one I supported as a kid and played out for a very brief time as a kid.

But the one thing they have done is they're so clear in their strategy and their plan and what they want.

I think the best part of that football club is their talent ID, whether it's staff, players and the model of what they want to be.

Graham Potter inherited a brilliant group from Chris and did it in his own way. Then Roberto De Zerbi inherited a brilliant platform and bases from Graham.

Fabian Hurzeler has an incredible platform to build from with what Roberto's left and has put his own spin on it. They never deviate too far.

They have a really clear plan, they stick to it and they keep growing and keep building. It's a brilliant model.

I think so many clubs try and emulate and copy that without really understanding what gets them there because every club is different.

They've done it in a way and it's been a long-term thing now. It's not like a short, knowing a lot of people that work there.

It's not a short-term plan that's all of a sudden come together in the last few years. It's been a very long-term process with a lot of good people and players.

They can just keep adding and building and it's not surprising how well they're doing with the quality they have in the squad.

You say that clubs try to emulate and copy what Brighton has done, has this club?

RM: No, we're doing it in our own way. We're doing it in our own way. We're trying to build from last season. There's been a lot of change in leadership.

We're at very, very early stages of our process. Very different to Brighton in terms of where the clubs were when the owners took over and all that stuff.

We're very, very different. We're trying to do it in our own way. We're trying to be different. And it is a long-term plan. 

I really believe that I came in at the start of a long-term plan as the guy who was asked to bring something short-term to get promoted to the Premier League.

But it is a long-term plan in terms of the academy, player development, what comes through, staff development for people to go on and do better things.

Maybe they then come back and be ready to be in bigger roles. I'm really enjoying being part of that process but we are very early on in that process.

Brighton are a long way down the line so of course you can take good bits from everyone and anyone and try and put your spin on it.

The plan is for the owners and myself with the football and the guys around that. I'm enjoying that and the plan hasn't deviated despite the disappointment.

We're still really trying to work hard on building the football club and giving it a really solid platform, whatever the results are.

What does Brighton as a city mean to you?

RM: Yeah, I love the place. It's my hometown, I'm biased. I think it's one of the best places in the country. I think it's diverse. I think it's multicultural. 

I think it's inclusive. I think it's very different to a lot of places. And I think when the sun's shining in particular it's beautiful.

When you were a kid, back then you had two teams and when I went to Swansea I understood that they had that as well.

So you supported your local team and we were there in League 2 at the time and they had a Premier League club. 

But I used to go and watch them at the Goldstone and at Withdean. I think I ventured up to the Priestfield when we were playing there once or twice.

I couldn't afford a ticket at Withdean so a lot of the time I ended up in the trees and being told to get down by the police. 

You just have to sit up there for 90 minutes to get a sore bum. Of course, it's a dream but I love going back there as opposition and as manager - I did it with Swansea.

I'm really looking forward to it now because I have a lot of people in the crowd that I'll know that will no doubt shout some abuse at me.

My kids are desperate for me to win because they all go to school for Brighton fans and they'll be in their Southampton shirts and their tracksuits. 

I split my time between there and here because I love being part of this club and being part of this city and being part of all of this.

But my kids are in Brighton and they go to school there so, of course, I have to have a home there as well. It will mean a lot to a lot of people around me.

It's a game we're desperate to win and all the rest will come after I'm sure. I enjoy going back and as I said we're just desperate to go and win a game.

Have you been surprised by where they are in the league?

RM: I don't think so. I think they recruited Fabian for a reason and they have a good plan and it seems to go seamlessly whenever they change something.

I think he would be the first one to give a lot of credit to Roberto and what he left with that team, the squad, the belief in what they were doing.

Fabian's put his spin on it as well with a lot of high intensity a bit quicker. They counter-press relentlessly. It must have been a beautiful job to take on.

With the ingredients he already had and then to put your own spin on that, he's done incredibly well. They have seasoned Premier League players.

They have recruited very, very well as I said and they have a lot of threat but so do we and I think we're off the back of a really good performance.

Andy Crofts is a very good friend of mine, he's one of his assistants, speaks very highly of him.  We haven't spoken this week or last week because we have a game.

Does it make it harder to take on new managers at clubs?

RM: No, I don't think so because there was a back catalogue at their previous clubs. We played against Enzo last year, we've watched some of Fabian's stuff.

It was the same with Arne Slot and then you have to have a look at their most current games and what's really relevant and their most recent performances.

It's all different, every team is different but there are obviously key ingredients and key patterns with certain managers that will be the same throughout.

We have a brilliant analysis department and we spend a lot of time working with them on opposition, how we can try and hurt them and how we can stop them.

How do you take yourself away from the intensity of the Premier League?

RM: Maintain perspective and gratitude all the time at the job we're in. Football is really important, it's meant everything to most of us since we were very young.

But also to understand it's not everything that defines who you are and what you are. If that was defined purely by outcome and media noise it would be a pretty sorry existence

You have to maintain perspective, spend time with the people you love and enjoy what we do, to do something you believe in and enjoy and feel proud of.

I think it's important. I try and run as much as I can and switch off. I'll run along the seafront tomorrow at some point and maybe have a dip in the sea if I have time.

What is your reaction to the fan perception of you at the moment?

RM: I don't know. I'm reliant on Jordan (head of communication) a lot to tell me what their narrative is on social media and stuff like that.

My feeling is inside the stadium they've been brilliant and the people I bump into in Southampton and Winchester and even on the run yesterday.

Someone took the time to stop their car and say they really believe in what we're doing and they really enjoy it. I feel like they're with us, I think they understand. 

I think they're seeing a team that is fighting, working hard for each other and is desperate to give everything for the shirt. I think that's all you can ever want.

There will always be some people who disagree with playing style or substitutions or personnel who are playing and some aren't.

That's football isn't it, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the fans, I can only speak from my experience and my interactions with them they've been immense.

They have been brilliant for us and hopefully, that will continue and I hope we give them, it's a local game tomorrow, we have a lot of people travelling.

They travel so well, our supporters, so I hope we can give them another moment and another night to celebrate and remember.

What is it you need to take to Brighton to be competitive again? 

RM: We have to respect that we were playing against the best team in the league at the moment as well last time and we had some moments where we affected them.

We looked really strong and I think that was the thing we asked for most after Wolves was that improvement, the willingness to run to goal and make things happen.

To test the goalkeeper and make them defend, and our second goal was testament to with the running power of Tyler Dibling, willingness to run and take the ball.

It was a really good goal. We have to bring all of it, you can't bring one thing in the Premier League and not have another, we have to bring everything to the table. 

Aggression with the ball, ball speed, willingness to take the ball, whatever shape we play, we tweaked the shape for Liverpool because we thought it would help us.

It might look different again tomorrow but I think whoever's on the pitch it will be a performance of courage and intensity and that's always what we'll be based on.

If we do that, honestly we have a good chance of beating anyone in this league, I think we've come so close against the best team so far, it's a brilliant challenge.

Will you feel fragile about your job if you don't get the result you want? 

RM: It's a good question, in terms of job security and all that stuff, I think when you become a manager at this level as well you understand the precarious nature of it.

I have to trust the feeling inside the building, the people and the owners and the conversations we have and the communication we have.

I don't feel anything but support from everyone, the supporters, the staff here, the ownership, they've been brilliant so I think I have to go off that feeling.

If that feeling changed at some point maybe I would feel a bit more fragile, a bit more concerned. We know who we are, we know what we're here to do.

We are trying our very best to do that and we try and manage it with the love and care as it is ours, if the boys were our own, the players, and give it everything we've got.

It is hard work and you do have sleepless nights but you just have to trust that eventually that will pay off and it will come good and it always has done so far.

It's Rainbow Laces Weekend - has football's culture changed to be more accepting?

RM: I think so, I hope so and it's our job to make sure whatever type of discrimination it is that we call it out as dads and coaching staff here and all that stuff.

I think there's always going to be differences of opinion and cultural differences and all that stuff and I remember arguing with players in my career.

Arguing about certain comments that were made, especially being from Brighton and being from a city where you grow up being used to seeing certain things.

I think it's changing but I think there's still so much work to do. I think last week we wore a white ribbon during a game for domestic violence.

This week we'll wear the rainbow flag for homophobia and all of that. There's always work to do and there's always stuff to do.

I feel lucky to be where I'm from because I feel like it's a lot more accepting and diverse than a lot of places and hopefully we'll keep moving forward and keep progressing.

How has Paul Onuachu reacted this week and how is he feeling?

RM: I didn't see the no-look pass until afterwards. He did brilliantly and he seems to be fine, recovering quite nicely.

We had it scanned straight away because it was a bit of a worry but yeah it's not anything serious at all. So he will hopefully be involved tomorrow.

If not then we'll assess him for Wednesday but yeah we're all hopeful that he can be involved with the big man and that he had a brilliant impact.

He brings something completely different. He's had to work so hard to get used to what we want from him and with Paul a lot of it was trying to get him to do a bit less.

We want him to be really effective in what we were asking him to do and he's so willing to work and work hard and improve.

It's just it's been a shame how it's worked out for him so far here but he's desperate to make an impact. I love the way he trains and his attitude and he has tools that can help us.

I think we just have to accept that we're playing against one of the best teams in the league at that point but there'll be games where he will really come into his own.

There'll be games where we need something different and we have a few different options now and he's given us another one to really consider.

He has to just stay where he's at and what's got him in the team is his willingness to train, how hard he works in training, how many goals he scores in training.

He's been desperate to play so I'm pleased for him but now we need to try and get him on the pitch tomorrow if we can and if not as soon as we possibly can.