Southampton: Saints making late push for automatic promotion
When Southampton beat Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night it stretched their remarkable unbeaten run across all competitions to 18 games.Having played one more match than second-placed Ipswich Town, they sit just two points behind the Tractor Boys and look well positioned for a charge at the automatic promotion spots in their remaining four league outings.In the past 18 matches, players have stepped up for Saints and they have developed into a quality side peaking at just the right time in the season.But this upward surge and late push for automatic promotion seemed a long way away at the start of the campaign when they were sat near the other end of the table under Will Still.When the club parted company with Still they were sat just three points above the relegation zone, the hierarchy then took somewhat of a gamble on Tonda Eckert, giving him the full role after impressing on an interim basis.That gamble has hugely paid off, with Saints now playing their best football of the season and having a great chance of bouncing back to the Premier League.Saints have top players across the pitch at the moment and look solid in defence as well as dangerous in attack.The three players behind the striker - Leo Scienza, Finn Azaz and Tom Fellows - are playing their best football of the season and look able to hurt any defence, including Premier League leaders Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals.That attacking trio have scored 17 goals and registered 23 assists so far in the league this season.Shea Charles has really stepped up in midfield and is playing the best football of his Saints career since signing from Manchester City in 2023.Similarly is Taylor Harwood-Bellis, someone who has established himself as one of the standout defenders in the division and has become a real leader for Saints on the pitch.Southampton have scored the second most goals in the Championship this season and look unstoppable right now, scoring ten in their past three matches with players chipping in from all positions.Something that will encourage Saints fans too is that even when the squad is rotated in games, they find a way to maintain the levels of performance.Young academy graduate Cameron Bragg has played plenty of minutes this season and not looked out of his depth, even in big games.Cyle Larin and Cameron Archer played in Tuesday night's win over Blackburn and both scored, Archer putting in a man-of-the-match performance after appearing to be out of favour earlier in the season."I think automatic promotion is on, it's definitely on," said former Southampton midfielder Jo Tessem."Two or three months ago I didn't even think Saints would get close to the play-offs, yet here we are."Saints just have to keep winning. The side does not drop in quality when the players change and that's the encouraging thing - the players know what's expected of them and it's working."Getting rid of some deadwood and getting a tighter and more streamlined squad has benefited Saints, and it means everyone can get more game time and work with the coaches."BBC Radio Solent's Southampton commentator Adam Blackmore:It's been quite the turnaround for Saints from three months ago when they lost at home to Hull in January, were booed off, and we all pondered whether Tonda Eckert could survive a derby loss at Pompey eight days later.What happened was Eckert saw the need for change, acted, and they haven't looked back since. So what did he change?The formation crucially is one and also the partnerships on the pitch. They went on to secure a narrow home win over Sheffield United and draw at Fratton Park.It all stems from the head coach. Eckert is humble, preaches humility, and this shows in the way they play.Nothing is taken for granted, there is no room for complacency, and the humility shows up off the ball - as Tonda says, work hard, heads down and on to the next game.It's a mantra that serves them well. Every player I speak to has that mindset, they know they aren't going to presume anything, and that's a huge credit to Eckert and his staff that everyone is pointing in the same direction finally at Saints. It hasn't always been the way.And the other key factor to what they've done is Eckert's clarity - clarity of messaging, clarity of tactics, and clarity of mission.Since day one the squad have lapped up his detail and his ability to gameplan - and they love executing his gameplans.And when he makes four or five changes to the side, they carry on. It's plug-and-play football that all comes from hard work and clear messaging on the training ground.Now having said all that, they haven't achieved anything yet - but that doesn't worry me because I honestly can't see them falling apart.They may not win the FA Cup and they may not get promoted but what I don't envisage is a collapse in the season at the final hurdles, they're just too focused for that.In Tonda we trust, as the fans say, and while he won't look further ahead than Swansea, I think they can absolutely make the final home game against Ipswich at the end of the month a game where they might just be playing for automatic promotion.It's going to be fun, whatever happens. It's been quite the ride since January.
