Southampton would have been filled with excitement after winning promotion back to the Premier League but it’s soon been eroded by their disastrous start.
The Saints have collected just a single point from their opening eight games but perhaps more alarmingly, they’ve thrown away the lead in three of them, including last time out against Leicester City.
Southampton were cruising at 2-0 up in the 65th minute but once Ryan Fraser was shown a red card, Russell Martin’s men crumbled and the Foxes produced a stunning comeback, winning 3-2.
Martin’s men should have had a penalty in the match when Paul Onuachu had his shirt pulled by Jordan Ayew however, that still doesn’t excuse the second-half capitulation.
The result had significant importance at the bottom of the Premier League as Southampton are joint last with Wolves while Leicester have a seven-point buffer in 14th.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  IpswichIpswich | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 4 |
| 18 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 3 |
| 19 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 18 | -12 | 1 |
| 20 |  WolvesWolves | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 23 | -13 | 1 |
Ian Wright and Roy Keane think Southampton will be relegated
Although Martin is being backed by the Southampton board, despite a terrible start, there is a sense that whoever comes in would find it extremely difficult to keep them up.
Sport Republic would also have to pay £12m to relieve Martin of his duties and currently, they’re willing to assess the situation on a game-by-game basis.
Up next is the daunting trip to Manchester City before entering winnable matches against Wolves and Everton.
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For the South Coasters to stand any chance of salvaging their campaign, they’ll need to take at least a win from those two games, otherwise, it’s a long way back.
Speaking about Southampton’s relegation worries on the Stick To Football podcast, Ian Wright and Roy Keane both outlined their ‘fears’ for the Saints.
Keane said: “You fear for Southampton and Ipswich.”
Wright replied: “I do, especially Southampton.”
Keane added: “Even when they’re struggling, obviously that energy at the first few games, that looks to be going. And do you know what you find out as well, obviously, they look physically, they seem to get smaller. You know when the defeats are getting at them every week.”
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Southampton have a huge dilemma
Last season, all three promoted sides suffered relegation back to the Championship; Burnley, Luton and Sheffield United.
It was the first time in 26 years that all promoted sides dropped out of the Premier League at the first time of asking, and it won’t be the last time it happens.
Currently, you can put a blanket over the newly-promoted sides, from Southampton in 19th, Ipswich in 17th and Leicester in 14th.
It would be a huge surprise if one or two of those teams didn’t suffer relegation. At the moment, it’s looking like the Tractor Boys and the Saints are in trouble but the Foxes can soon get dragged into the mire.
With that said, it’s a situation that gives the Southampton owner something to ponder, as while paying £12m to sack Martin could be feasible, they know that keeping him in case they get relegated could be wise, knowing he can take them straight back up.