Southampton had a 4-2 lead against Liverpool at some point in their final Premier League match of the season at St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday, but it turned out to be an eight-goal thriller which was a resounding reminder of how good they were in all their years in the English top-flight.
The Saints are down to the Championship after a torrid season that had three managerial changes; Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and then Ruben Selles.
Afrosport reviews the ups and downs of the team in the 2022-23 campaign.
Best Player: Romeo Lavia
The former Manchester City U21 midfielder was a shining light in Southampton’s abysmal season, putting in some commanding displays and attracting interest from the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool.
Flop signing: Paul Onuachu
Signed in January as the top scorer in the Belgian Pro League where he scored 16 goals, a lot more was expected from the 6’7 Super Eagles striker.
After scoring a total of 81 goals in five seasons for Genk, Onuachu has failed spectacularly to reproduce anything near such form as he had no goal contributions for the saints in eleven matches.
Best Game: 3-3 vs Arsenal at The Emirates
Southampton landed a major blow on Arsenal’s title hopes in April in an entertaining six-goal thriller and they led 3-1 at some point in the game which pitted the leaders against the bottom-placed team in the standings.
Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott got on the scoresheet for the saints alongside Argentine youngster Carlos Alcaraz and Croatian defender Duje Caleta-Car.
Worst Result: 4-1 loss against Manchester City
The damning result was a bad omen, representing what was to come. The Saints were utterly dominated by the champions in October who failed to muster any real threat as they had five shots and none on target while City customarily dominated possession at home.
Top Scorer: James Ward-Prowse
The English midfielder finished the season with decent numbers for the saints; nine goals and four assists mean he contributed to more than a quarter of goals scored by the league’s bottom-placed team.
