Southampton presently holds the third position in the Championship, trailing the impressive Tractor Boys by only three points. Russell Martin’s team has made commendable progress in narrowing the gap to the automatic promotion spots, particularly as Kieran McKenna’s squad has faced a winless streak in their last five matches.
The primary concern for Matt Le Tissier, however, lies in maintaining their position above Daniel Farke’s Leeds United, currently trailing Southampton by four points in the fourth place standings.
In a discussion on BBC Radio Solent’s Saints and Sinners podcast, Matt Le Tissier shared his perspective, stating, “There’s only three points in it at the moment. That’s nothing over the course of another 20-odd games. I’m very optimistic that we can catch Ipswich.”
However, Le Tissier acknowledged his slightly heightened concern about maintaining a higher position than Leeds. He added, “I’m probably a little bit more concerned about staying above Leeds. I think we will catch Ipswich, but staying above Leeds come the end of the season will be the crucial factor.”
“We play Leeds on the last day of the season. That is shaping up to be quite some game. If it is the crucial one that means one team goes up and one team into the playoffs, then you will find me at my second away game of the season alongside two of my brothers, who happen to be Leeds United fans.”
Despite Ipswich securing a 1-0 victory at St Mary’s earlier this season, which occurred during Southampton’s four-game losing streak, Matt Le Tissier has observed a shift in the club’s atmosphere since they embarked on an impressive 18-game unbeaten run.
“There is definitely a different feel to the crowd (this season). There is an optimistic vibe that goes around the stadium before every game.”
“The way that we have started matches, where we completely dominate possession at the start of the game – the opposition have struggled to get out of their own half. It makes you feel pretty comfortable as a Saints fan. It’s a very different feel from last season when you were going to games hoping we could keep it down to two or three.”
Southampton’s upcoming schedule includes a trip to Ipswich’s Portman Road on April 1, following a clash with the current league leaders, Leicester City, two weeks prior.
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