Liverpool, Wolves, Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Aston Villa, West Ham, Fulham, Leicester, Man Metropolis, Everton, Arsenal.
These are the 11 fortunate Premier League groups who nonetheless get to play Southampton once more this season. With the race for Europe a particularly tight one this season and the Saints so wretchedly overpowered by all however their fellow relegation stragglers, it’s changing into a genuinely notable consideration in any calculations.
Do they nonetheless have a recreation in opposition to Southampton? It’s unhealthy information for Newcastle, Forest, Bournemouth and now Chelsea, who now not have these three rock-solid bankable future factors to depend on.
When Southampton received at Ipswich we’ll admit to disappointment on two counts. First it considerably dented the possibility of a significant relegation struggle and second it appeared to place paid to any hopes of Southampton’s bid to overtake Derby’s notorious 11-point season taking place to the wire.
We’re now not so certain concerning the second bit after watching this pitiful effort at Chelsea. Wanting once more at that record of remaining fixtures, you do surprise the place the three points they need may come from.
The banter reply is clearly Tottenham, however even they seem to have deserted the very gravest of nonsense in the interim, and never beating Southampton is at the moment an act of the very gravest nonsense.
Spurs’ most wretched run of a wretched season featured one win in 11 Premier League video games. That one win was, in fact, at Southampton, and it was 5-0 by half-time.
It actually is just that journey to Leicester the place you may now moderately count on Southampton to get something in any respect, and that’s not till Might and a time when each are more likely to already be mathematically consigned to subsequent season’s Championship.
Derby, for what it’s value, additionally had 9 factors after 27 video games when setting a report that appeared unbeatable.
There was mitigation for Southampton for tonight’s particular horror present with a defence that hardly even certified as makeshift.
However the sheer scale of the disorganisation was a humiliation and this can’t be thought-about in any approach a one-off. They’ve now scored six objectives fewer than anybody else and conceded six objectives greater than anybody else this season.
That threadbare defence may simply get near 100 objectives conceded now if a few the higher groups they nonetheless must play are in unforgiving temper. It’s an extended few months forward.
As for Chelsea, this was an enormously welcome night throughout what has been a deeply tough interval. How a lot it actually means, who is aware of. It’s no criticism of Chelsea to look at that it’s unattainable to have any concept whether or not any significant conclusions could be drawn.
There have been spectacular performances from Christopher Nkunku and Pedro Neto within the Chelsea assault, whereas younger substitute Tyrique George’s vigorous cameo from the bench was the kind of effervescent efficiency from a teenager that at all times warms the cockles of any fan.
If there was a priority for Chelsea on an evening of overwhelming positives it got here from one other sketchy Cole Palmer efficiency.
That’s now six straight Premier League video games with neither a purpose nor help for Palmer, and he appeared wanting confidence right here. Passes he would have made in his sleep just a few months in the past have been carelessly overhit, he shot early within the recreation when he ought to have handed to present Nkunku a tap-in and customarily seems out of types and not sure fairly the right way to treatment this.
It by no means, ever appeared prefer it was one thing that may price Chelsea tonight, however it has beforehand and will achieve this once more in what guarantees to be an ebb-and-flow battle for European locations.
This was a win that lifts Chelsea again to fourth, whereas the margin of it might but additionally show vital. Chelsea have, for now, the very best purpose distinction of anybody outdoors the highest two. It’s already value an additional level within the ultimate reckoning in opposition to Villa on the very least, with Unai Emery’s aspect solely 4 factors behind Chelsea however now 21 objectives worse off after large swings from each their video games tonight.
Chelsea did what was essential right here and did it with nice ease and minimal fuss. It was a completely passable evening’s work, even when they know they could possibly be in sixth place once more this time tomorrow, and the very fact it’s totally unattainable to know what if something it tells us about Chelsea’s present stage of efficiency or confidence or readiness for the months forward shouldn’t be remotely their fault or concern.
For Southampton, simply 11 extra video games to get by means of earlier than this complete sorry ordeal is over. Derby might be watching intently even when no one else is.
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