Following their 2-0 loss to Fulham, Southampton are the first team in the Premier League to be relegated. As a result, this will be the first time the Saints will have to play in the Championship since the 2011/12 season. Unfortunately, this day has long been in sight because the club has consistently been at the bottom of the table throughout the season. Now that it’s official, here are the main reasons behind the downfall of the team that has called the top-flight home for the last 11 seasons.
Southampton Relegation – What Caused It?
Mismanagement
After winning only three games between the beginning of the season and early November, Southampton sacked Ralph Hassenhuttl who had been with the club since 2018. After a brief interim period, Nathan Jones became the new coach. His main Resume highlight included being named Championship Manager of the Year during his tenure at Luton Town, however, replacing a manager that has swerved the relegation path for someone with no Premier League experience certainly raised question marks.
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The hire proved ineffective and Jones got hooked in mid-February. When asking the question of why the saints got the drop, one must point to the ineffectiveness of the managers.
Consistently Inconsistent
Currently, the club ranks 19th in goals scored and 17th in goals conceded. Despite this, some matches proved that the players had quality and could compete with the rest of the league. These results included a 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge, and a 3-3 draw at Arsenal. They even managed to defeat Manchester City 2-0 in the EFL Cup. However, the team failed to follow up positive results with other positive results.
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When it came to chaining wins together, it never happened: the saints failed to win two consecutive Premier League games this entire season. To brutally put it, the squad had the potential to compete with every team, but failed to do so throughout the vast majority of their campaign.
Home-field Disadvantage
It is challenging for any team to travel and get a positive result away from home. This being said, clubs fighting in the relegation scrap must do well when playing at home. In Southampton’s case the opposite is true. Out of the 18 games they have played at home, they’ve managed to win only twice, scoring 15 times while conceding 33. The board must find a dependable manager that can lead the squad to consecutive victories. If this is achieved, the Saints will have the tools to create a foundation for returning to top-flight football while avoiding relegation in the future.
