Southampton’s Léo Scienza makes an interesting claim for the Saints’ promotion contention, which ought to have a say in Wrexham’s Premier League hopes.
The Championship is by far known for its “Anyone beats Anyone” nature. Who better than Wrexham fans to confirm this? Given they’ve been both on the giving end by outperforming pundit expectations and on the receiving end of it while losing to relegation battlers at times.
In a way, it’s this aspect of the league that has some fans believing Wrexham can throw former PL Champions, Leicester, out of the park in the upcoming game.
Now, should they manage it, they close in towards the playoff spots, but the flipside is sharp, too. That’s because a Leicester win can turn the mid-table muddle even messier, as it welcomes them into promotion discussions as well.
Factor in this Championship stat, and the real competition starts unravelling. In each of the last four campaigns, one team that has finished inside the play-offs has been in the bottom half of the table 25 games into the season.
That translates to the fact that despite less than 20 matchdays left, Wrexham’s competition hasn’t shrunk at all. In a broader frame, they still compete with 15 other aspirants for a possible playoff berth.
Little could complement this Championship competition better than a lower mid-table club still believing in their promotion. Listen to Southampton’s Leo Scienza as he details how they’re still not out of the race.
As quoted by the Saints Extra, Scienza said: “I think we can definitely still think about it [promotion]. We are not where we want to be, we have to improve. Sometimes we play like Barcelona, and no one can stop us, other times nothing goes as we imagine. That’s a great contrast.”
Scienza’s Barcelona claim concerns Wrexham’s promotion
While Léo Scienza’s hopes place Southampton as Wrexham’s promotion rival, there are interesting aspects of the Saints’ game that Dragon fans won’t deny.
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Tracking back to Wrexham’s Championship opener against Southampton FC, the Dragons were the dominant force in the game for a long time. Then came the stoppage time, and the Saints pulled off a Barcelona-style comeback to spoil Wrexham’s mood.
In another interesting observation, Southampton’s playstyle actually reflects some of Barca’s principles. Built on possession game and pressing, the Saints have been exceptional when it comes to creating chances.
As per Squawka, Southampton leads the league in big chances created this season. Ranking above even Coventry, the Saints have created 77 golden opportunities, though a poor conversion ratio has them ranked 15th in the table.
A bit of fine-tuning & finishing improvement, and Southampton can be the side contending right along with Wrexham for the 3rd promotion spot.
Topping all these factors is the timing of Southampton’s return clash with Wrexham. Scheduled in early April, the result of this tie can have a say on the two sides’ promotion contention.
Statistically, the Championship race picks up pace in April, with every game shaping the promotion battle. The Southampton game would leave Wrexham with a mere handful of games forward, making it a must-win contest.
One slip and Wrexham’s Premier League dream could be delayed for another season. While fans would pray against it, it remains to be seen to what extent Southampton will affect Wrexham’s promotion.
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