Southampton are still in with a shot at winning automatic promotion, and they are helped by the sheer quality that Russell Martin has at his disposal.
Southampton enter the international break nine points behind second-place Leicester, who for a long time were running away with the Championship title.
With two games in hand after beating Birmingham City and Sunderland, Russell Martin‘s men will be confident of bridging that gap and gatecrashing the league’s top two.
Although the relentless pace being set at the top raises doubts over their chances, the Saints shouldn’t be discounted as they’ve still got to play Ipswich Town and Leicester as well as Leeds United on the final day.
Southampton’s promotion challenge is also made easier by boasting players who can change a game.
Martin has the luxury of selecting a talented starting XI that is far too good for the Championship, including Stuart Armstrong in midfield, David Brooks on the wing and Adam Armstrong up front.
Those three players, along with several others, are the main reason Southampton are in with a real shout of returning to the Premier League.
Adrian Clarke hails Southampton trio as ‘real class’
In a star-studded Saints squad that includes the likes of Che Adams, Jan Bednarek and Kyle Walker-Peters, Martin has a plethora of talent to choose from across the pitch.
This makes it difficult to single out just a few players for credit, but speaking on the What the EFL?! podcast, pundit Adrian Clarke has been most impressed with Stuart Armstrong, Brooks and Adam Armstrong.
He believes those three players can win matches single-handedly and shouldn’t be completely ruled out in the race for promotion.
“They’ve also got some real class individuals like David Brooks,” Clarke said. “I think Stuart Armstrong has been brilliant this season, Adam Armstrong too. In these big matches, they’ve got players who are capable of winning it on their own. So, I wouldn’t completely rule them out yet.”
Southampton’s attack is clicking into gear
Southampton are right not to be discounted out of the promotion race.
The Saints have two games in hand and have every chance of collecting maximum points to go right behind their rivals, but any dropped points would feel like a massive blow at this stage of the season.
After putting four past Birmingham and Sunderland, Southampton’s devastating attack has clicked into gear.
A two-week break from action now gives the players a rest and a chance for Martin to emphasize his style on the training ground ahead of an action-packed schedule.
Southampton face nine games in the space of 29 days and while that will be taxing on the players physically, if they can carry their clinical edge into that period, the Saints will be a side that many teams will fear.