Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas is impressed with Southampton’s recent form and although Chelsea also performed well in their last outing, he has suggested that the Saints will get a result.
What did he say?
The performance against West Ham a couple of weeks ago was one to forget, but with the club climbing out of the relegation zone, there have been positive signs recently.
A switch to 4-4-2 has allowed support for Danny Ings and he and the team seem to be thriving as a result, with three wins from their last five games.
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Nicholas has been impressed by that, particularly the striker’s ten goals in 12 league games, with a double against Aston Villa last time out proving crucial against their relegation rivals.
Chelsea returned to winning ways with a convincing display of their own, and though they have impressed under Frank Lampard and sit fourth in the table, the pundit has made a bold prediction ahead of the Boxing Day clash.
For his Sky Sports predictions, Nicholas wrote.
“Danny Ings is in the form of his life and if he gets a half chance he will take it.
“There is lots to like about Southampton, things are promising after their huge win at Aston Villa. They are much better away from home and Chelsea may be the latest team to realise that.”
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Chance for a surprise?
As Nicholas suggests, the Saints do far better away from home. This term they have managed 11 points on the road compared to seven at St. Mary’s, and that should bode well.
Chelsea too have struggled at home of late, losing their last two Premier League fixtures each by a goal to nil, and they came up against teams that were struggling like Southampton – West Ham and Bournemouth.
The comfortable victory over Villa should fill the team with a lot of confidence and they should know that if they keep things tight they should return to the south coast with some points.
That’s because, as Nicholas says, Ings is deadly at the moment. He often finds himself in the right place at the right time and has the finishing skills to match. His turn and strike with his weaker foot at Villa Park was an exemplary example of just that.
The 4-4-2 formation seems to have caught teams by surprise. Ings and Shane Long up-front provide tireless running and with Moussa Djenepo possibly back fit Ralph Hasenhuttl suddenly has a variety of options to make things interesting, and possibly move the Saints further away from the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, a BBC pundit has predicted less positive news for Saints fans, in regard to what could happen should they suffer relegation.
