{"id":1437024,"date":"2026-03-07T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1437024"},"modified":"2026-03-07T15:57:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T15:57:18","slug":"tactical-analysis-southampton-why-promotion-premier-league-real-possibility-2026","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-southampton-why-promotion-premier-league-real-possibility-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Southampton analysis: Why promotion to the Premier League is a real possibility for the Saints"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>After ups and downs, Southampton have picked their form back up under Tonda Eckert and are looking like promotion contenders again.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2025-26 Championship season has been a true roller coaster ride for Saints fans. Following relegation from the Premier League last year with a whopping 30 losses and just 12 points, they were among the favourites to go straight back up &#8211; especially as a parachute team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the current campaign started giving off 2017-18 Sunderland vibes. They did deserve better luck under Will Still, but it just didn&#8217;t work and the board sacked him early in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tonda Eckert stepped up while they looked for a new permanent manager but turned things around to such an extent that he got the job himself. And then the Saints had yet another drop-off &#8211; which was the scenario when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-southampton-what-has-gone-wrong-under-tonda-eckert-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Squawka last did a deep dive on them<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was right after a 1-2 home loss to Hull City and the seventh straight game without a win in the league. However, they have gone unbeaten in eight matches since then, picking up impressive wins against Sheffield United (1-0), Stoke City (0-2), Leicester City (4-3) and Queens Park Rangers (5-0).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>What has changed for Southampton recently?<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-tactical-adjustments\" data-level=\"3\">Tactical adjustments<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-defenders-pitching-in\" data-level=\"3\">Defenders pitching in<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-ross-stewart-revival\" data-level=\"3\">The Ross Stewart revival<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-play-off-suited-football\" data-level=\"3\">Play-off suited football<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tactical-adjustments\">Tactical adjustments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Immediately after the Hull loss, Eckert went from his preferred 3-4-3 to a 4-2-3-1 &#8211; and has kept it ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also adjusted the lineup accordingly, replacing Ryan Manning with Welington to form a full Brazilian left-hand side alongside Leo Scienza. But Welington&#8217;s injury has given Manning an opportunity back in the starting XI and the Irishman has taken it &#8211; more on that later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Southampton once led the Championship in possession, but have seen their numbers drop while the results pick up.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/stakemate-bet-10-get-20-in-free-bets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stakemate Offer<\/a>: Bet \u00a310, get \u00a320 in free bets<\/h2>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/stakemate?q=gb-all-all-wof-s-spo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1422508\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-1024x489.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-1024x489.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-300x143.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-768x367.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-1536x733.png 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-400x191.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-419x200.png 419w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-126x60.png 126w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-150x72.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150-40x19.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/06122108\/image-150.png 1986w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><strong>How to claim:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>Go to Stakemate using <a href=\"\/en\/go\/stakemate?q=gb-all-all-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>this link<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>Download the app and create your account<\/li>\r\n<li>Place your first bet of \u00a310 or more (minimum odds of 2\/1)<\/li>\r\n<li>Once settled, receive 4 x \u00a35 free bets - minimum 3 selections and 2\/1 odds on each bet.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"sq-toplist\" data-bookmaker-id=\"1408906\" data-offer-id=\"1408908\">\r\n<div class=\"sq-toplist__items\">\r\n<div class=\"sq-toplist__item\">\r\n<div class=\"sq-toplist__item-tc\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>#AD 18+ New Customers Only. Place any \u00a310 bet to qualify, min 2.0 (1\/1) odds. Qualifying bet must settle, excluding cash outs. Bonus credited with 24hrs of settlement. 4 x \u00a35 free bets. Free bets min 3 selections and 3.0 odds. Returns exclude free bet stake. Expiry applies. Full T&amp;Cs apply.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>To start the current unbeaten run, they averaged 48% for the first four games &#8211; having more than 50% just once. The difference in their approach is clear. They don&#8217;t value possession as much and have been going long way more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the season, just 10.7% of the Saints&#8217; passes have been long &#8211; the second lowest percentage of the division. In the recent stretch, however, it has gone up to 13.3% (18.5% in the first four games to get rid of the bad run).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even when they faced opponents who sit deep in low blocks, Southampton managed to break them down. It was the case against Charlton (1-1), QPR (5-0) and Sheffield Wednesday (3-1). They also used possession as a way to defend in those games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-defenders-pitching-in\">Defenders pitching in<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s hard to talk about their current run of results without mentioning the impact defenders have had going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Six of their last 12 league goals have been scored by defenders: Ryan Manning (2), James Bree (2), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (1) and Jack Stephens (1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Saints also boast a Championship-high 16 goals from defenders. Millwall rank second with 11, for perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are also joint-third in set-piece goals this season. It&#8217;s an incredibly valuable weapon to have in any circumstance, but especially thinking about the play-offs later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1437025\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326-267x267.jpg 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326-40x40.jpg 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07153015\/CHSPG070326.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis leads all players in set-piece goals as well (5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-ross-stewart-revival\">The Ross Stewart revival<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When Wolverhampton Wonderers came knocking with an offer for Adam Armstrong, many may have thought that Southampton would struggle to score. The striker did end his stint at St. Mary&#8217;s on a 10-game goal drought, but he had scored 11 in the Championship up until that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Saints did sign Canadian international Cyle Larin on loan from Mallorca, but as an unproven player in English football. They took a gamble on that one.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2>SpreadEx Sign-Up Offer:\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n<p>SpreadEx are offering new customers the chance to get \u00a360 in free bets when they join and place \u00a310 in qualifying bets.<\/p>\r\n<p>To claim this offer, follow these steps:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Create your account by clicking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/go\/spreadex?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this link<\/a> or the image below.<\/li>\r\n<li>Register for your account by adding your details. It only takes a few minutes.<\/li>\r\n<li>Make your first deposit then place a \u00a310 single or \u00a310 each-way fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1\/2<\/li>\r\n<li>Get 3 x \u00a310 free fixed odds bets, 3 x \u00a35 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x \u00a35 Winning Favourites spread bets on consecutive days and a \u00a31 racing Race Index spread bet<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1393518\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-1024x523.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-1024x523.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-768x392.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-400x204.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-392x200.png 392w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-118x60.png 118w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-150x77.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86-40x20.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/08\/06142720\/image-86.png 1338w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"bookmaker-review\">\r\n<div class=\"bookmaker-review__bet\">\r\n<div class=\"warning\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Spread betting losses can exceed deposit. 18+ www.gambleaware.org. Place a \u00a310 fixed odds single or \u00a310 each-way bet at minimum odds of 1\/2 and get 3 x \u00a310 free fixed odds bets, 3 x \u00a35 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x \u00a35 Winning Favourites spread bets and a \u00a31 racing Race Index spread bet. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n<hr \/><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite scoring on his debut and finding the net twice in his first three games across all competitions, Larin has had a hard time in front of goal. He missed two big chances last time around against Sheffield Wednesday and is just underperforming his expected goals tally according to Opta data (1 goal from 1.03 xG).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luckily for them, Ross Stewart is starting to find his feet again. The Scottish striker has been in and out of the squad in recent years due to injuries. But when fit, at Championship level, there are few better goalscorers than the Loch Ness Drogba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1437028\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326-267x267.jpg 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326-40x40.jpg 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/03\/07154923\/ChampionshipG-AFrequency070326.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He has scored three goals and dished out two assists in his last eight league games &#8211; despite starting just four of them. It&#8217;s an average of one goal\/assist every 47 minutes. Before that, he had just two goals in nine games all season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-play-off-suited-football\">Play-off suited football<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, Southampton have been leaning towards a style that is better suited to the tense play-off environment. Taking fewer risks and looking for advantages on the margins are a safer way of competing even though it might not make for the best product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s what leaves teams alive until the end despite a lack of creativity going forward. For that, they have good individual skill with the likes of Leo Scienza and Finn Azaz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And when you have set piece prowess like they do, with goalscoring defenders and a specialist in Ryan Manning, gives them even more of an edge over opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-wrexham-keep-closing-the-door-championship-play-off-contenders-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wrexham have been closing the door on fellow play-off contenders<\/a>. But at the same time, Hull City look to have run out of the luck that pushed them high up the table early on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the teams chasing Southampton are clearly levels below them. Derby County, Bristol City, Watford and Birmingham City have nothing on them. Sheffield United would be the closest but their poor start seems to have doomed their season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are still 11 games for them to play and they are currently out of the play-off picture. But it looks more likely than not that the Saints end up in the top-six come the end of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After ups and downs, Southampton have picked their form back up under Tonda Eckert and are looking like promotion contenders again. The 2025-26 Championship season has been a true roller coaster ride for Saints fans. Following relegation from the Premier League last year with a whopping 30 losses and just 12 points, they were among&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3354,"featured_media":1437029,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Among ups and downs, Southampton have picked their form back up under Tonda Eckert and are looking like promotion contenders again.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1437024","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Southampton analysis: Why promotion to the Premier League is a real possibility for the Saints | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Among ups and downs, Southampton have picked their form back up under Tonda Eckert and are looking like promotion contenders again.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-southampton-why-promotion-premier-league-real-possibility-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Southampton analysis: Why promotion to the Premier League is a real possibility for the Saints\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Among ups and downs, Southampton have picked their form back up under Tonda Eckert and are looking like promotion contenders again.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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