I have to admit I am not a major fan of Southampton boss Mark Hughes. For me, the Welsh boss is one of those middle of the road British bosses that never really does anything spectacular, as his teams produce average results.
He was sacked as Stoke boss earlier in the season with the Potters fighting for their lives. Neither Stoke nor Hughes’ current situations are any better. Stoke are 19th place and Hughes new club Southampton are just a place above them, three points away from safety.
An improved display at Arsenal
The Saints showed a lot of spirit in Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at Arsenal. They made have suffered defeat, but the team from the south coast produced a much-improved display.
Hughes side conceded three goals, but they looked more of an attacking threat. The team from the south coast have struggled for goals this season, which has contributed to their current brown undies situation.
Portuguese full-back Cedric has the ability to provide cutting edge down the flanks. Playing as a wing-back at the Emirates he created two goals, while Ryan Bertrand is at his best when going forward, rather than when asked to defend.
Hughes needed to change his system after a disastrous 3-0 defeat at West Ham in his first Premier League game in charge.
Charlie Austin a crucial player
Saints forward Charlie Austin has experienced such bad luck when it has come to injuries in his football career. Prior to starting against West Ham, Austin had missed the previous 11 Premier League games.
The team from the south coast have missed him massively. The former QPR star came off the bench to level the scores against Arsenal, which was his seven top-flight goal in 18 appearances, most of which have come from the bench.
The 28-year-old is the sort of striker that every club needs, especially down the bottom of the table. If the Saints can keep him fit, then he is capable of scoring enough goals to keep his team in the top-flight.
Republic of Ireland forward Shane Long started against Arsenal and opened the scoring. However, his record is now two goals in 48 appearances for club and country. He is certainly not prolific by any stretch of the imagination.
Long is a completely different sort of striker to Austin. Hughes may decide to play the pair together, as he did for a period of the Arsenal game. It is vital for the Saints survival chances that Austin is fit and firing.
Tough fixtures on paper
On paper Southampton, have some tough fixtures remaining in the Premier League, including facing last season’s champions Chelsea and Manchester City, both on home soil.
However, the majority of the Saints remaining opponents have little to play for but pride. The only opponents that may have something to play for are Swansea, who the south coast outfit play in the penultimate game of the campaign. The Swans may even be safe by then.
The Saints are now third favourites to suffer relegation this season at evens. Considering Hughes’ side are currently 18th place in the table that is little surprise. The perceived difficult fixtures will have played a part in those odds too.
In reality, though, Southampton are far from dead and buried in the race to avoid relegation this season. The Saints have a game in-hand on 17th place Crystal Palace. A win at home against Chelsea on Saturday would be enough to lift them out of the relegation zone, temporarily at least, with rivals Crystal Palace hosting Brighton later in the day.
The relegation battle could be one of the fascinating factors of this season’s Premier League, but only if Saints build on a decent display at Arsenal. If not, then the team from the south coast will be plying their trade in the Championship next season.
Can Southampton save themselves from relegation this season?
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