The festive period is behind us. It was a tough stretch that saw us play some of the top teams but now we look ahead to a nicer stretch.
Southampton currently sit 17th on the table, 2 points behind Newcastle, Burnley, and Cardiff City. As dire as it might seem on the surface, the mood is generally positive and the club and supporters believe we have nothing too serious to worry about.
From December 1st to January 2nd, the Saints played 5 of the top 6 sides and managed to get 5 points out of those matches and 8 points total for the month. That is an extremely tough stretch, especially for a new manager and Hasenhuttl managed it beautifully. Now, we do not play a top 6 side until February 24th when the Saints travel to the Emirates to take on Arsenal.
The next 5 league matches are crucial for survival and also winnable. In order, they are Leicester, Everton, Crystal Palace, Burnley, and Cardiff. All but Leicester and Cardiff are away from St. Mary’s. Let’s now quickly go over each match and what I expect the results will be and the total amount of points we will get before facing Arsenal again.