A worrying Southampton statistic has just emerged and it doesn’t make for pretty reading heading into the Championship run-in.
It seems a distant memory since Russell Martin‘s side were on their incredible 25-game unbeaten run, as they’ve failed to win any of their last three games.
A top-two finish was the goal at the start of the season and that was very much still a possibility heading into the March international break.
But, two draws and a defeat have ensued after returning and it leaves them 12 points behind second-placed Ipswich Town.
Having said that, for much of 2024 they’ve been below par, as a concerning statistic surfaces.
This Southampton statistic will concern Russell Martin
Southampton are now resigned to a play-off campaign, with Leeds United, Ipswich and Leicester City jetting off into the distance.
That’s because, in 2024, they’ve picked up 24 points from a possible 42, which would place them 10th in the table this calendar year.
Such a revelation shows how drastically their form has curtailed since the turn of the year and it will come as a real concern to Martin, who must now get his side back to winning ways.
With Saints expected to compete in the playoffs next month, they need to gather momentum as their potential opponents are flying and full of confidence.
As it stands, they’ll be heading into a two-legged semi-final clash against West Bromwich Albion, who currently occupy fifth place.
Russell Martin needs to find new motivation for his players
Southampton are in a difficult position now, as they have no real jeopardy in any of the remaining seven games.
Their automatic promotion hopes are all but over and there is no real danger of them dropping out of the play-offs, as they lie 12 points clear of seventh-placed Coventry City with a game in hand.
So Martin needs to find a new way to motivate his players, which perhaps may come from his team selection.
By dropping some of the below-par performers for young and hungry talent, it may light a fire underneath their bellies.
Further, it gives some of Southampton’s exciting starlets the chance to impress ahead of the play-off campaign.
Anyhow, Martin must find a way to stimulate his squad, who at the moment, seem to have lost their edge.
They need a reaction tonight as they play host to play-off hopefuls Coventry City at St Mary’s.