Southampton appear to be headed for the play-offs after Leicester’s crushing victory, leaving Leeds United and Ipswich Town to battle for second place.
Russell Martin claimed his Southampton side went into’self-preservation mode’ during their humiliating 5-0 defeat at Leicester City.
Southampton suffered a disastrous night at the King Power Stadium, falling six points behind Leeds United with only two games remaining. Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu was the night’s hat-trick hero, with Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy also scoring on a fantastic evening for the hosts. From Southampton’s perspective, all of Leicester’s goals were avoidable, and their lack of urgency resulted in a crushing defeat.
Southampton’s defeat effectively destroyed any hopes of finishing in the top two, with a substantially inferior goal differential making it nearly impossible to catch Leeds. Martin will be concerned about the style of the defeat, as he has seen his side repeatedly cut open. The former Swansea manager has frequently displayed genuine emotion following games and has been brutally honest with his own players.
“We were in the game at 1-0, started the second half well, but our moves didn’t come to fruition, and we defended pathetically after falling behind two goals,” Martin told Sky Sports following the setback. “I thought it was a high-level game in the first half, extremely tactical, with both sides pressing hard but struggling to develop a genuine rhythm with the ball because it was two aggressive teams without the ball.
“In the second half, I appreciated the enthusiasm we started with; we caused some serious problems, but the second goal took the sting out of it. You should have regrouped at that time, but we didn’t, and as a result, we went into individual self-preservation mode. The worst thing you can do in football is try to protect yourself and feel like you’re only doing your part rather than assisting your team. I don’t like that trait on my squad, and it really hurts.”
Southampton’s consecutive defeats have come at the worst possible time, as they also lost to Cardiff City on Saturday and will almost surely face the drama of play-off action. Martin faces a big battle in picking up his side after the setback, with two games remaining, the latest of which is at Leeds.
Leicester are now four points clear of Leeds in second place and five points ahead of Ipswich Town, with an immediate return to the Premier League looking increasingly likely. Victory over Preston North End on Monday would seal automatic promotion, and four points from their remaining two games would guarantee the championship at the King Power Stadium.
Leeds now appear to be in a direct race with Ipswich Town for the second automatic promotion spot, and the Whites can move four points clear of Ipswich Town with a victory at Queens Park Rangers on Friday, with Monday’s 4-3 win at Middlesbrough putting them back in second place. Kieran McKenna’s team will have two games in hand, but they face difficult road journeys to Hull City and Coventry with all the pressure on.
Daniel Farke’s men face Southampton on the last day, hoping for a performance similar to today at Elland Road. Ipswich welcome Huddersfield Town, who will most likely be fighting for survival.
