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Saints Marching’s predictions for Southampton’s 2021/22 season

By Daniel Martinez

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 14: Adam Armstrong of Southampton celebrates after scoring their side's first goal during the Premier League match between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park on August 14, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 14: Adam Armstrong of Southampton celebrates after scoring their side's first goal during the Premier League match between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park on August 14, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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A general internal view of Southampton’s St Marys Stadium (Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images)
A general internal view of Southampton’s St Marys Stadium (Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images) /

We at Saints Marching are thrilled to see the 2021-2022 campaign get underway. To get in the mood for the season, we’ve done a little round table of our season predictions for the Saints. Read our predictions below!

Season Finish and overall predictions

Daniel:  9th

I’m predicting a 9th-placed Saints finish. Albeit, cheating a bit that I’m drafting this up as we play Everton to see how the squad performs thus far, but there’s a lot of fresh hope in this team despite losing a lot of depth and star players like Danny Ings and Jannick Vestergaard. Adam Armstrong and Che Adams up front have the potential to be a dangerous duo, if the defense can step up I think we have a solid shot of a top-10 finish.

As far as Cup performance, Saints have had a run of pushing for FA Cup success lately, but with a lack of depth, I could see us at most making a Quarter-Final run, and wouldn’t be shocked with another surprise loss early in EFL Cup play like last season.

Joe: 12th

With the likes of Danny Ings, Jannik Vestergaard, and Ryan Bertrand departing for pastures new this is going to be something of a crossroads season for the Saints. If new man Adam Armstrong hits the ground running then the club will have a good base to build upon. If the former Blackburn frontman struggles, on the other hand, he will need help from frustratingly inconsistent attackers. The likes of Nathan Redmond, Moussa Djenepo, and Mohamed Elyounoussi, need to step up to make the difference between a top-half finish and a scrap for survival.

Erik: 12th

Southampton could potentially finish anywhere from 8-18.  Ralph Hasenhuttl is shooting for a top-half finish, but the underlying goal of the club is to remain in the league.  Perhaps the team could be in for a relegation battle if goal-scoring or injury woes pop up, but the depth of the squad has been much improved.  I believe the lads are going to surprise a number of teams with their energy and style of play, so a finish just outside the top ten around 12 is my best guess. This team is always capable of a Cup run and even more so with depth addressed.  Last year’s FA Cup semifinal was intended to be the final drop on our roller coaster of a season, but it ended with the ride breaking down just before our turn.  A quarterfinal run in one of the two cups is realistic, with a potential giant-killing along the way.

Alastair: 15th

With some weak sides in the league this season, that should be enough for Saints to avoid the drop but expectations should be tempered due to the loss of Ings and Vestergaard. I fancy 15th place. Ralph Hasenhuttl has prioritized Cup play in the past so a run in the league cup is possible. How seriously the FA cup is treated with being dependant on league position in January. QF in the league cup and 4th round in FA cup.

Marc: 10th

Optimistic? Yes. Completely unachievable? No, I don’t think so. Despite the loss of some important players, I think Saints have done their business well this summer and, having been able to submit these answers after the Everton game, I think there was more than enough positives despite lapses of concentration for the three conceded goals and a loose second-half performance in general.

Get another defensive signing through the door and two to three more games under our belts and things should start falling into place more. Plus, Adam Armstrong looks a brilliant replacement for Danny Ings and will be a pest for every Premier League team to contend with.

Hopefully with improved squad depth we can also progress in both cups. A quarter-final in at least one of them would be nice.

Fully prepared for these predictions to come back to haunt me though…