In preparation for the season’s last push, the Championship promotion race is starting to heat up, and Southampton has benefited greatly from Kyle Walker-Peters’ injury.
the right-back was a constant in the league. However, a knock kept him out of the match against Birmingham, which made fans fearful that their finest players would be needed to make a late automatic promotion push.
However, his earlier-than-expected comeback will probably provide them a lift and might even help Leeds United and Ipswich Town.
Although Kyle Walker-Peters has played most of the season in the Championship to keep the Saints in the running for an early return to the Premier League, he is unquestionably a player of Premier League caliber.
With 115 top-flight appearances under his belt, the South Coast team will feel the impact of any absence from the Tottenham academy product at every level, including the top division. Fans feared the worst for their long-serving hero when Walker-Peters sustained an injury against Liverpool in the FA Cup fifth round midweek, especially because the promotion battle was drawing to a close and every point mattered.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis starting at right-back for the Saints during their victory over Birmingham on Saturday wasn’t a major problem for the one game, but with a run of upcoming games that will surely have a significant impact on Southampton’s future next season, supporters would have been begging for Walker-Peters to return to action soon.
Additionally, Russell Martin’s update prior to the weekend’s game helped allay those worries. With Leeds and Leicester dropping points and the Saints pulling off a last-minute victory, the Saints boss has confirmed that Walker-Peters would miss the match in the west Midlands but will be back for the remaining games. This is a significant blow that could significantly influence the race for promotion.
Walker-Peters is playing in his debut season away from the Championship, and it’s safe to say that he’s performing about as well as most people anticipated. Martin plays a style of game that is appropriate for teams competing at the highest levels nowadays, and since the former Spurs youngster has been playing well at St. Mary’s, he is an important part of the team’s strategy.
With only three fewer assists than he had during his four-year Premier League tenure with Southampton, he has already tallied as many goals this season as he did during that time. The Manchester City loanee is not to blame for the significant improvement in quality between Harwood-Bellis and the 26-year-old.
If they maintain their current good performances, Leeds and Ipswich can afford to keep the Saints in the back of their minds in the promotion fight; nevertheless, any slip-ups might create a true three-horse competition.
Southampton has a reasonable chance of finishing the season with a solid run-in based on the previous six games they have played.
Travels to Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff, who probably have nothing to play for at that point in the season, are interspersed with home matches against Coventry and Watford, who might be in a similar situation.
They play Stoke City in their penultimate match of the season, which might have a significant impact on the season’s outcome given the Potters’ poor play at the bottom of the table. But the match on the last day, which is away to Leeds United, has supporters all throughout the country tingling in anticipation. That might be a game for the ages if it goes to a shootout on the last day.
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