Southampton are very much up against it when it comes to Premier League survival this season.
Southampton were very much on a high after Russell Martin guided the club to promotion in his first season as manager of the club.
However, that has soon turned to despair as Southampton have started the Premier League season with six defeats and one draw from their seven matches so far.
A record that makes dismal reading, only Wolves have endured a worse start to the season as the Saints sit 19th in the table as we head into the second international break of the season.
Clearly something needs to change at Southampton or it will be a very miserable campaign.
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Danny Higginbotham blames Russell Martin for poor Southampton start
Despite doing a fine job last season, Martin will be starting to feel the pressure at Southampton after such a difficult start to the season.
The Saints’ only point came against fellow newly-promoted club Ipswich Town, where they were cruelly pegged back by a 95th-minute deflected strike to draw 1-1.
The 3-1 defeat against Arsenal was no embarrassment as Southampton battled well, but Leicester City at home in the first game after the international break now has so much riding on it in terms of Premier League survival.
Former Southampton defender Danny Higginbotham feels the club will ultimately be relegated as he revealed he believes the Saints, Leicester and Wolves will face the drop on The 2 Robbies podcast.
Higginbotham explained his verdict on Southampton, saying: “There’s a stubbornness there, or you could say it’s a belief in the philosophy that Russell Martin has.
“You have to adapt when you get promoted, it’s as simple as that.”
Martin will not change at Southampton
Martin is a very principled manager who believes vehemently in his possession-based style of play.
That has seen him progress from League One with MK Dons to the Premier League with Southampton in just five years as a manager and Martin will not change.
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This is seen by many as naive – and perhaps it is – with huge question marks over whether you can be successful in the Premier League playing such a way with inferior players to the majority of your opponents.
The evidence so far would suggest you can’t and Martin may not have too much longer to prove he can turn things around if Southampton lose to Leicester at St Mary’s in a fortnight.