Pressure is building on Southern as the team seeks its first win of the season at Rugby Park.
Coach Luiz Uehara preaches perseverance, as he attempts to instil the pattern of play he wants Southern to adopt.
The target is laudable in the long run, but dangerous in the short term, if Southern is left stranded at the bottom and an increasing gap develops.
The Brazilian coach is not advocating anything too unusual. His ideas conform to basic football principles that apply whether teams play 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or any other formation, and what he calls ''perception'' is all about making correct strategic decisions on the field.
But the reality is that Uehara's squad, composed of predominantly University players, lacks experience at national league level, and can only gain that experience through game time.
Some say time is already running out, after two pre-season matches and three league games have brought no reward. Yet there is no need to panic. Last year, a vastly more experienced side took six games to earn its first win, a 1-0 victory over Wellington, after Joel Stevens raced through to score the game's only goal.
In a pre-season match in Timaru, Canterbury beat Southern 5-1. Both sides made several changes, as is the norm in those games, and while individuals were assessed, there was little consistent pattern to play.
Frustratingly for Southern, that lack of pattern has continued into the ASB Premiership. There have been some clever moves followed, as play breaks down, by a defence struggling to reform.
Against Wellington last week, there were a couple of swift counterattacks that actually had five of the opposition attacking three Southern defenders.
So there is no silver bullet for Southern. Uehara and his team need game time, and 90 minutes of smart concentration and hard tackling to win the possession required for a win.
''The squad continues to improve at training, and we have had some very good spells at Tahuna Park,'' the coach said.
''Our hope is that the team can carry its best form forward into this match - and if they do, we can earn a win.''
All Southern's frontrunners have lived on crumbs of possession so far, yet the team has scored three goals in three matches. More controlled ball possession should equate to more chances and more goals.
That is why the vast experience of former Cameroon professional Ebanda could introduce stability. His calm control sets high standards in ball retention and there will be a few crossed fingers among United supporters hoping he can start in Invercargill.
Canterbury, with two competition points from three games, has also had a sticky start, but will take confidence from a hard-working 0-0 draw with the talented Auckland side last week.
The return of midfielder Aaron Clapham from All Whites duty has also lifted morale in coach Keith Braithwaite's camp.
ASB Premiership: Invercargill, tomorrow, 2pm
Southern United: Tom Batty, Nicholas Hindson, Peter Overmire, Matt Joy, Aajay Cunningham, Regan Coldicott, Taylor McCormack, Peter Rae, Jefferson Potrich, Henrique Alves Viana, Morgan Day, Patrick Ebanda, Geordie Mansford, Daniel Morris, Campbell Higgins, Jacob Schneider, Andrew Ridden, Campbell Attwood.
Canterbury: Adam Highfield, Danny Boys, Julyan Collett, Tom Schwarz, Chris Murphy, Aaron Clapham, Russell Kamo, Stu Kelly, Federico Marquez, Pablo Moya, Kris O'Neill, Steve Morrison, Shawn O'Brien, Ken Yamamoto, Cory Mitchell, Pieter Bierma.
