'Play-off place' - Sky Sports pundit has no playoffs doubts over Southampton

Sky Sports pundit and former Reading winger Jobi McAnuff backs Southampton to make it to the playoffs come the end of the regular season.

Eight matchdays to go before the Championship campaign comes to an end. The fact that the upcoming March International break leads to the final four weeks of the regular season signals that the decisive stretch is now just around the corner.

In this regard, Southampton has started peaking at the perfect time. Despite a dismal start to their Championship campaign, the Saints have come all the way to the 6th playoff spot after an 11-game unbeaten run.

Not only has this turnaround seen them climb the Championship table, but the Saints are finally garnering pundit support, too. Recently, Sky Sports analyst Jobi McAnuff backed Southampton to secure a playoff spot come the end of the regular campaign.

As quoted by the BBC, McAnuff laid out his view of the playoff race. The Sky Sports pundit mentioned, “Watford are still in the mix. I feel like seven points feels a bit too big at this stage of the season. Birmingham feels a little far away. Southampton are the ones I believed would come through and get a play-off place.”

McAnuff is certain that Southampton will make the playoffs

Jobi McAnuff backing the Saints for the playoffs makes sense for a number of reasons. One is his first‑hand experience of Southampton’s mentality and big‑game temperament from his own playing days.

Notably, Jobi McAnuff was key to Reading’s title-winning Championship campaign in the 2011/12 season. While Reading clinched the title and automatic promotion, Southampton joined them as runners‑up in their journey to the Premier League.

Though Reading got relegated in their Premier League return season, Southampton achieved Top Flight stability. From then until McAnuff’s retirement, Southampton remained an established Premier League club.

Beyond McAnuff’s own history with the Saints, the club’s strong position in the Championship table explains the pundit’s point.

According to McAnuff, the 10th-placed Birmingham and all sides below them are practically out of the playoff race. Though the pundit was careful to keep Watford in the mix, their chances hang by a fine thread, too.

This effectively narrows the battle for the final playoff spot to three sides: Southampton, Wrexham, and Derby.

Here, Southampton’s 11‑game unbeaten streak and current 6th‑place standing give them a clear edge. If they win their run‑in clash against Wrexham, the Saints could very likely seal the playoff spot right there.

Southampton needs to be wary of bottom table clubs

Though Southampton are competing against playoff contenders for the final spot, their fate could eventually be decided by bottom table clubs.

Southampton’s struggles to put away Championship strugglers have been a recurring theme this season. Their last week’s tie at West Brom was a case in point, where the Saints needed a late equaliser to salvage a result.

Apart from West Bromwich, Southampton have struggled against sides like Oxford United and Blackburn, and have dropped multiple crucial points in the process.

It must be noted that Southampton’s Championship run‑in still features several such tricky contests. While they’ve fared exceptionally well against in‑form sides like Norwich and Coventry, they will face their real test against Oxford, Blackburn, and Preston.

Last time Southampton met these sides, the Saints returned empty-handed on each occasion. With a 1-2 defeat to Oxford United and Blackburn, and a 0-2 result to Preston, Southampton failed to capitalise on some of the best opportunities to boost their points tally.

Next up, Southampton hosts Oxford in the reverse fixture of their 2‑1 defeat at the Kassam Stadium. Needless to say, this game holds immense importance in the Saints’ playoff hopes, and they can’t slip up again.

Overall, it’s the bottom‑half sides that will determine whether McAnuff’s prediction holds true. While games against playoff deciders like Wrexham are crucial, the Saints should be far more wary of the struggling teams on their run-in.