Will Southampton Break Derby County’s Record?

At the weekend, Southampton’s defeat to Tottenham meant that they were officially relegated from the Premier League. Everyone knew that this was going to happen eventually, however this has ended up being the earliest relegation in the history of the league. Southampton have played 31 games and managed just 10 points this whole season, with just two wins. That means that they have seven matches to earn just two points to avoid becoming the worst team, or joint worst team, in Premier League history.

The Rest Of April

The rest of April doesn’t look too promising for Southampton fans, however there are a couple of fixtures that have the potential of becoming interesting. Their next match is a home fixture against European chasing Aston Villa. It is unlikely that there will be points for Southampton in that match, however their opponents do have a Wednesday match against PSG in the French capital prior to that game, so fatigue could play a part for the Villains.

After that is a trip to East London to face West Ham, who are on a four game winless run that will likely be extended to five after their next match against Liverpool. The Hammers don’t have a lot to play for, so this match could be an interesting one for the Saints. Teams often perform better with no pressure on them, so against an opponent like West Ham, they could see their team earn at least a point at the London Stadium. The last time they faced each other, West Ham were under a different manager and were only able to get a single goal. Things haven’t improved massively under Graham Potter and so this match could end up being close as well.

"We had two, three clear chances that we should have scored" 😤

Marco Silva was not impressed with Fulham's finishing in their 0-0 draw with Southampton. pic.twitter.com/m2SDDVuTJe

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 22, 2024

Southampton’s final game of the month is a home fixture against a team that they have managed a draw against already this season. Just before Christmas, Southampton travelled to Craven Cottage and battled hard for a 0-0 draw and a valuable point. Come April, that point is irrelevant to their position in the table, but it could still be a massive two points dropped for Fulham, as they are chasing European football. The West London club are in mixed form at the moment, however their most recent win over Liverpool could give them the confidence to push on and start a winning streak. Southampton have recent history on their side, but Fulham have it all to play for.

A Must Win Fixture

Even though they bottled a 2-0 lead against Leicester earlier this season, when the two clubs face each other at the beginning of May, Southampton will be looking at it as a must win game. Leicester are just seven points ahead of Saints having not won a Premier League game or even scored a league goal since January. That means that they have failed to score in their last seven matches, including in games against the likes of West Ham, Everton and Manchester United.

I do feel for Southampton fans because genuinely Leicester are the worst side I’ve ever had the misfortune of watching and yet somehow they must be worse.

— Sam Martin (@SamMartinFPL) April 6, 2025

Their last victory was over Tottenham where two goals early in the second half were enough to over turn a first half strike from Richarlison. The Foxes have been appalling since they replaced Steve Cooper with Ruud van Nistlerooy, with the Dutchman only earning the side an average of 0.41 points per game, compared to Cooper’s 0.83. It was Cooper’s changes that gave his side the win over Southampton back in October, so without him in charge of Leiceter in this game, the Saints have a chance to earn some points here.

A Difficult Run In

Southampton’s last three matches are a lot more difficult. Two of their last three matches are home games however they have to play both Arsenal and Manchester City at St Mary’s before the conclusion of this campaign, and while they managed to put up a little bit of a fight against City in their away fixture, the ‘run in’ City is a different monster to the ‘early season’ City.

When they faced Arsenal earlier this season, Cameron Archer scored first for the Saints, but Bukayo Saka single handedly wrestled the game back into the Gunners’ control with a goal and two assists in the second half. Southampton actually have a pretty decent record against Arsenal, having lost two of their last seven home fixtures against them, but this Southampton team is record breakingly bad.

Bukayo Saka v Southampton:

⚽️ 1 goal
🤝 2 assists #ARSSOU pic.twitter.com/bnf3mgLmHY

— Premier League (@premierleague) October 5, 2024

Their other game left in this season, sandwiched between two giant home matches, is an away trip to Goodison Park, which will be the last match held at that ground ever. This may look like one of Southampton’s easier games, as when they met twice earlier this season, the Saints were victorious on both occasions, however Everton have had a big shift since then and lost just five league games. That match was in November, and the Toffees have recorded draws against Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool since, and big wins over Leicester and Wolves. David Moyes is at the helm now, and he looks as if he has steered the club in the right direction.

Life Without Juric

With Juric having left the club this morning, Southampton will struggle to find a replacement for the rest of the season. We will likely see one of their first team coaches take the reins for the remainder of this campaign before a new man comes in. It is unlikely that much of the playing style will change until the start of next season, but it is obvious that the club wants to give whoever the new coach might be the best chances of leading them back to the top flight.

One of the strangest decisions ever made by Southampton ends in disaster. ❌

They've been rewarded with the earliest ever Premier League relegation & a manager who has walked out on them before the end of the season. ⬇️

🤔 Should've just kept Russell Martin, surely? pic.twitter.com/HWtua7fMPH

— Football Park (@thefootballpark) April 7, 2025

None of the players believe that others will jump ship this summer, but if big money moves come in for their best performers, then the club is unlikely to turn them down. Tyler Dibling and Aaron Ramsdale’s name have already been mentioned by Premier League clubs as possible signings and I’m sure Mateus Fernandes and Armel Bella-Kotchap will also move on.