Southampton's relegation was coming
Southampton's 11 year stay in the Premier League came to an end on Saturday with their 2-0 defeat to Fulham sealing their fate. Their relegation had been coming and not just because of their form and the mess they've been in this season. It had been coming in the long term as well as the short term.
They've been a team on the decline for the last couple of seasons where they finished 15th on both occasions and were fortunate not to be in relegation battles on both occasions. Especially last season.
They've also lost so many of their best players over the years who they haven't replaced and their failure to do so has lead them to being in this situation. When it first started they were doing well as their recruitment at the time was on point. But in recent years the constant selling of their best players has caught up with them as they haven't been able to replace the big names they lost. Virgil Van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic and Danny Ings are the names that right to mind when it comes to that. The defence has looked vulnerable since Van Dijk and the attack has lacked creativity and pace in behind since Tadic and Mane left. Since Ings left a couple of years ago, they've lacked a consistent goal scorer and especially this season.
Their recruitment over the last few years has been poor and especially this season where they brought in a number of unknown young players and none of them really hit the ground running. The majority of their signings over the last few seasons haven't been good enough as the club have fallen from European contenders to mid-table strugglers before relegation this season.
Is Eberechi Eze pushing for an England call up?
Eberechi Eze has been in such good form since Roy Hodgson returned to Crystal Palace with Eze registering 6 goals since Hodgson returned. He's really relished the freedom he's been given in his new central role behind the front three and with the way he's ending the season; Could he be pushing for an England call up?
He'll be someone that Gareth Southgate will surely be looking at as he's a young player and Southgate likes to give young players opportunities. Another reason why Southgate will be looking at him is because he could be a key player for England in the future. He's 24 years of age and has a bright future ahead of him with the potential he has.
The only thing stopping him from being called up is the competition he'll be facing. The likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Mason Mount and James Maddison are ahead of him in the pecking order which makes his task of earning a call up very challenging. But if he keeps up the form he's in for the rest of the season, he's got a chance of making the next squad. Especially if someone in his position gets injured.
Gundogan becoming key player for City during crucial run in
Ilkay Gundogan has stepped up as a key player for City recently with the goals he's been scoring and the all round performances he's put in. He's not a player who starts every week but when he's given the opportunity, he usually steps up like he has done recently. City have had to rotate their squad a fair bit recently because of the schedule they have and Gundogan has become a key player for them during this schedule.
He's netted 4 goals and registered 2 assists in his last 3 games in all competitions and all of them have been crucial in City's fight to win the treble. They've needed squad players to step up during his run-in because of the changes they've needed to make and Gundogan has certainly done that with the contributions he's made.
Other parts of his game have caught the eye as well including his runs into the box from midfield and his range of passing. He can play anywhere in midfield because of him having these attributes whether that be as a no.6 or a no.8 and doing so has made him a useful squad player. With his contract up at the end of the season, Pep Guardiola will surely want him to sign a new deal.
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