Southampton’s 5-0 loss to Leicester City on Tuesday night will leave them deeply unhappy.
They would have been hoping to derail the Foxes’ title challenge and recover from their loss to Cardiff City going into this game at the King Power Stadium.
However, they utterly collapsed in the Midlands, giving up five goals and damaging their confidence before the season’s last two matches.
The Saints still have a strong chance of getting promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt, but automatic promotion is now looking incredibly difficult, therefore the team will need to prepare for the play-offs.
Even if they lost a few important players in the summer, such as Romeo Lavia and the seasoned James Ward-Prowse, they still have the players to go to Wembley and win the entire play-off round.
Even still, Russell Martin’s team won’t be feeling very upbeat right now.
The Saints’ squad would have vowed that this surrender at the Stadium of Light wouldn’t happen again this season after losing 5-0 at Sunderland earlier in September.
Even if there isn’t a significant difference in quality between the two sides compared to other matches between certain clubs in the Championship this season, they were humiliated in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
What lies ahead for Southampton?
They play Stoke City at home next, and given how bad the Potters have been for the majority of the season, they should win there.
Then, on the last day, they go to Elland Road to play Leeds United, which should be a very tough match given how successful the Whites have been at home this season.
For the 2023–24 season, Daniel Farke’s team has only dropped one league home game, which came against Blackburn Rovers earlier this month.
One may legitimately claim that Leeds should have won the match, if not drew.
Southampton could get genuine impetus from the Leeds United match.
The Tractor Boys still have a game to go, and the promotion fight might come down to the very last day, with just one point separating Leeds and Ipswich Town at this time.
On the penultimate day of the season, Leeds will be overwhelming favorites to defeat Queens Park Rangers, which will put a lot of pressure on Kieran McKenna’s team.
Even with their stellar home record in mind, Leeds will still need to defeat the Saints on the last day of the season if Ipswich can win their next two games. This won’t be an easy challenge for Farke’s team.
Although they have an excellent home record, they recently lost to Blackburn at Elland Road, proving that they are not unbeatable. As a result, the Saints won’t likely face much pressure in the end.
They are not only unlikely to receive automatic promotion, but they also cannot place worse than fourth, meaning they will host the play-off semifinal second leg at home.
Martin’s team should be able to maximize their performance levels as a result of having the freedom to play and express themselves.
The Saints may be able to keep the Whites from finishing in the top two and gain a psychological advantage before the play-offs if they can defeat Leeds on the last day—something they could accomplish in spite of recent defeats.
Leeds won’t meet them in the play-off semifinal, but they might play each other again in the championship game.
Knowing that the Saints recently defeated them may instill anxiety in Leeds ahead of a potential match at Wembley.
Martin’s team would gain even more momentum because they would be playing at a neutral venue this time.
This means that the outcome of the West Yorkshire final-day match might significantly influence who advances into the play-offs.
Leeds won’t meet them in the play-off semifinal, but they might play each other again in the championship game.
Knowing that the Saints recently defeated them may instill anxiety in Leeds ahead of a potential match at Wembley.
Martin’s team would gain even more momentum because they would be playing at a neutral venue this time.
This means that the outcome of the West Yorkshire final-day match might significantly influence who advances into the play-offs.