Leeds United couldn’t muster even a draw from three separate meetings with Russell Martin’s Southampton last season as they won playoff promotion, but the Saints have now ditched the failing manager in the Premier League.
Over the summer, Leeds were looking on jealously at the three sides that pipped them to promotion in 23/24, all celebrating and rubbing the Whites’ noses in it along the way.
Reality has set in for all three since, though, finding the transition incredibly hard to go from being the best in the EFL to competing in the top flight.
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Southampton sack Russell Martin after 5-0 Tottenham embarrassment
Of all three clubs that beat Leeds to the Premier League, Southampton have found it the hardest to get to grips with the jump in standard, unwavering from their extreme style of play under manager Russell Martin and paying the price for it.
From 16 games this season, they’ve collected just five points, and such a rate for the rest of the season would have them barely scrape past Derby County’s record low points total of 11 points.
Their latest outing was a 5-0 drubbing at home to Spurs, all five goals coming in the first half and Martin’s fate was sealed fairly promptly after full-time, sacked from his position:
We can confirm that we have taken the difficult decision to part ways with our Men’s First Team Manager, Russell Martin.
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 15, 2024
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Daniel Farke frustration as Martin gets sacked amid tactical and quality gulf in Premier League
There has to be some frustration for Leeds fans watching on, seeing how Martin’s Southampton have been put to the sword so often since Martin took charge at the start of last season, and Leeds haven’t been one to take advantage.
Farke has faced his former Norwich City centre-back three times, losing all three including at Wembley when Leeds had no counter to the Saints’ first-half goal and change of formation to the back five.
Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca totally schooled Martin twice with Leicester while Kieran McKenna did the double over them too, as well as last season’s hapless Sunderland side sticking five past them as well.
Leeds’ counter-pressing has been very strong under Farke, but Martin’s Southampton were the one team Farke couldn’t bring about that same energy and pressure, and ultimately, that was the one team he really needed it to work against.
Seeing how Martin’s tenure at Southampton has panned out this season, having been unable to call upon a vastly superior squad to his opposition most weeks, does show what a missed opportunity that playoff final turned out to be with the likes of Archie Gray, Georgi Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto, Dan James and others all to utilise.