Even if Southampton’s season falls apart at the final hour, now, fans of the South Coast side will be delighted with how well their team has managed to come back from the brink.
Indeed, at one stage this season, the dark cloud that hung over proceedings in the Premier League looked as if it was going to engulf the relegated outfit in the Championship.
Winning just two of their opening 13 league games under Will Still, St Mary’s was a very toxic place to be.
Fast forwarding to the present, however, and the mood has completely shifted, with the home masses jumping for joy with their side’s 2-0 win over Oxford United, just before the international break handed the Saints a well-earned two-week rest.
Tonda Eckert entering into the dug-out has been a major catalyst for all this change, with the German’s record as a manager reinforcing how hopeless Still was in the dug-out, when collecting 15 wins from 26 games in charge.
It’s much the same group that struggled under the 33-year-old, too, with Eckert not acting as a magician, but just rather, a much better fit.
These improved performances haven’t gone unnoticed in the wider football world, either, with three Southampton players currently in FotMob’s team of the season, as Eckert’s men continue to deliver consistently brilliant performances.
The Southampton trio who has made the team of the season
The team of the season has been compiled when looking at the highest average ratings for players all across the competitive division, in their respective positions.
Unsurprisingly, Leo Scienza squeezes into the starting XI at the left wing spot, with the Brazilian an absolute revelation under Eckert, as he now sits on a stunning six goals and eight assists for the season.
Southampton have done well across recent matches to keep their lengthy unbeaten run going, as Scienza has been sidelined through injury.
The other two star personnel that have made this team of the season, from the Southampton ranks, are at the back, with the Saints becoming a tight-knit unit defensively, ever since relegation saw them ship an atrocious 86 goals.
Now, they have only leaked 48 strikes, leading to Ryan Manning making up the left-back spot, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis gets the nod as one of two centre-back warriors.
Manning’s six goals and four assists across the entire campaign helps him out here, but the Irishman has also been a brute when necessary, as seen in him winning a lively eight combined tackles and duels against Oxford.
Having been put through the wringer with relegation, this has been a nice return to form for the loyal St. Mary’s servant.
Likewise, Harwood-Bellis would have entered into the second tier season traumatised by the Saints’ bottom-of-the-table finish.
You wouldn’t know that now, however, as the ex-Manchester City defender has been a brick-wall all campaign long in the Championship, to be included here.
Winning 17 duels across March so far, which has seen Southampton only give up one league goal, Harwood-Bellis has rightly been lauded as a “different player” to the one that looked bruised and defeated after relegation was confirmed by his manager.
While the trio named will love this recognition, the ultimate prize will be sealing promotion, as the South Coast titans continue to chase down their dreams.
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