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Southampton: The Saints are in dire need of an ‘Everton victory’

By Chris Hughes

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MARCH 03: Mauricio Pellegrino, Manager of Southampton, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Southampton and Stoke City at St Mary's Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MARCH 03: Mauricio Pellegrino, Manager of Southampton, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Southampton and Stoke City at St Mary's Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) /
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Two full months into the calendar year and Southampton are no closer to Premier League survival. They haven’t won in the league since they demolished Everton in November, and they need another victory like that in the coming weeks.

Aside from the surely-relegated West Brom, no Premier League side looks as dejected and void of confidence as the Saints do. Thanks to Crystal Palace’s last-minute loss to Manchester United earlier, Southampton remain out of the relegation zone but you really wouldn’t think it.

The Saints are clear of the bottom three by just a single point and are currently in the thick of perhaps their ‘easiest’ stretch of the season. Having already drawn against an out-of-form Burnley and a 19th-placed Stoke, Southampton have Newcastle, West Ham and potentially Swansea all in their sights before the month is out.

If the Saints were to somehow pick up seven points from those three league games, they would see themselves on 35 points and therefore would only really need a win or a couple of draws to all-but secure survival.

This is, however, no easy task at the best of times – that’s why the Saints need to produce an ‘Everton victory’.

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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 03: Mauricio Pellegrino, Manager of Southampton looks on during the Premier League match between Southampton and Stoke City at St Mary’s Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 03: Mauricio Pellegrino, Manager of Southampton looks on during the Premier League match between Southampton and Stoke City at St Mary’s Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images) /

The feeling around the club and the players following the 4-1 demolition of the Toffees was the best it’s been this whole season. Players looked proud to be wearing red and white and Charlie Austin started what was the only consistent goalscoring from any Saint has shown this campaign.

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Irregardless of when the Swansea tie is rearranged for, the game against them, the Magpies and West Ham are all winnable.

Some may have more resilient defences than others, but with the quality Southampton have they could easily win three or four nil against any of them on a good day.

The Saints have only run away as comfortable victors on that one occasion all season, but at this stage it could do absolute wonders for their confidence.

Seven points from nine seems improbable based on previous form but with an emphatic victory it becomes a lot more achievable.

After the win against the Toffees in November, the Saints faced Manchester City and Arsenal in a ten-day stretch, leaving them with hardly any room to reap the rewards of such a confidence-boosting win.

Whilst Pellegrino’s side have some tough matches to come in April and May, they could all-but confirm league survival before the tougher matches roll back around. A big victory like that over Everton in November is the key to that.