3 major Wrexham talking points following the Reds 5-1 Championship humbling at the hands of top 6 rivals Southampton.
Wrexham knew the Southampton game can go a long way into deciding their playoffs ambitions. Well, it does. A 5-1 humiliation suffered at home against a ruthless Southampton team has now virtually dashed Wrexham’s chances of making in the playoffs.
The Saints got the win to go 2 points clear of Wrexham with a game to spare. Further, the manner in which they put 5 past Arthur Okonkwo’s net is a tough one to forget for Phil Parkinson’s men. Wrexham were already on a pathetic streak of losing games at half-time, and Southampton perfectly exploited that weakness.
The Red Dragons have 5 more league games ahead of them although it might not be enough to catch upto either of Southampton or Hull City. Knowing that, let’s head over to the 3 major talking points from Wrexham’s 5-1 embarrassing defeat to Southampton.
Wrexham 1-5 Southampton: 3 major Wrexham talking points
Can Wrexham still reach the playoffs?
Realistically saying, it’s almost impossible for Wrexham to reach the playoffs. Hull City are 4 points ahead of Wrexham with same number of matches played while Southampton are 2 points ahead with one game less played than the Reds.
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With only five matchdays remaining, it’s tough for Wrexham to close the gap on them. More so, when Wrexham don’t have a direct meeting with either of Hull City or Southampton, and the defence struggles a lot in the first half.
If that wasn’t enough, the biggest task for Wrexham is to get back to winning ways with only one winnable Oxford United clash left. Being real, winning atleast three out of five remaining games will be the best last-gasp effort for which Wrexham can be proud of. Rest, let’s see.
Matty James return is huge positive for Wrexham
Since going down injured in February’s 2-0 Millwall defeat, yesterday was the first time Matty James took to the pitch for Wrexham. At 3-1 down, it was not the desirable scenario in which James would have hoped to mark his comeback.
Still, the 34-year-old’s availability is a big plus for the Reds. With James on the pitch for the final twenty minutes, Wrexham looked more stable in midfield with two goals coming purely due to defensive errors.
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Ideally, boss Phil Parkinson might have opted to take it easy with Matty James’ return and manage his minutes wisely. However, Wrexham are left with no other choice than to start James and every key player in the remaining games in a bid to save their playoff dreams.
Should Wrexham change the centre-back trio of Hyam, Cleworth and Doyle?
Dom Hyam, Max Cleworth and Callum Doyle were key reasons behind Wrexham’s top 6 surge in late January. All three of them have dropped stellar performances week in week out for the club but their drop in form is quite noticeable in recent weeks.
Callum Doyle and Max Cleworth get easily beaten by rival wingers while Dom Hyam has now struggled to defend against Sheffield United, West Brom and Southampton forwards in a row. It might be down to a long Championship season itself, at the end of the day.
Still, Wrexham can’t afford to stay patient in the centre-back department. Players like Lewis Brunt and Dan Scarr should be taken into consideration for the upcoming games. Also, Zak Vyner is another defender whom Wrexham should try playing in the backline in the hope of seeing better results from now on.
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