LONDON — With just weeks remaining in the Premier League season, the pressure is mounting at the bottom of the table — and both Leicester City and Southampton find themselves staring down the barrel of relegation.
Leicester’s struggles have continued despite a recent change in management, and their 3-1 defeat to Newcastle over the weekend only deepened concerns. Once Premier League champions in their fairytale 2015-16 season, the Foxes now find themselves battling to avoid the drop, with confidence waning and defensive frailties being ruthlessly exposed.
“We know where we are, and it’s not where we want to be,” admitted interim manager Dean Smith. “Every game now is a final. We have to fight.”
Southampton, meanwhile, remain rooted to the foot of the table. A narrow 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace compounded their woes, leaving them needing a near-perfect run in their remaining fixtures to even stand a chance of survival.
Manager Rubén Sellés has urged his players to show resilience, but points have been hard to come by — and a lack of cutting edge in front of goal has cost the Saints dearly all season.
With other bottom-half clubs like Everton, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds picking up vital points, the margins are growing thinner. Both Leicester and Southampton must now rely not only on their performances but also on favorable results elsewhere.
As the Premier League heads into its final stretch, the race to stay up is proving just as intense as the battle for Europe — and for Leicester and Southampton, survival is slipping dangerously out of reach.
