Kamara: Southampton will soldier on but top four places are taken

Southampton had been earning rave reviews for their exciting brand of football and eye-catching results earlier this season but a run of five straight defeats has pundits asking questions of Ronald Koeman’s side.

If the bubble hadn’t burst already, defeat to League One Sheffield United in their recent Capital One Cup quarter-final has certainly brought the Saints crashing back down to earth.

However, despite their current plight, Ladbrokes ambassador Chris Kamara doesn’t think Koeman has too much to worry about.

“Southampton are low on confidence and have lost their form but they haven’t become a bad team overnight. Football is so unpredictable and results like their defeat to Sheffield United in the Capital One Cup can happen.

But it’s a mere blip and they’ll come good again”, Kammy told Ladbrokes News.

Next up for the south-coast side is a Premier League home game against Everton, for which the Saints are priced at 29/20 for victory.

And despite their poor form the fact remains the hosts are still only two points off a Champions League place, a feat which Kammy argues is probably above what was expected of them at the beginning of the campaign.

“At the end of the day what were Southampton’s expectations at the start of the season? They probably expected to finish around mid-table and they’re still on course to do that.

“Their form prior to their poor run demanded respect and had us all wondering if they could maintain their challenge for a Champions League spot.

“But in all truth, when you think about it, the top four places are probably already taken.”

Ladbrokes agree that it will be a struggle for Southampton to breach the traditional stranglehold, with odds of 13/2 about them finishing in the top four.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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