Deal Done : Russell Martin Fields a reserve team for Leeds United Trip

Russell Martin fielded a very much backup team against Stoke City,

and if the manager sticks with this lineup for Saturday’s away game against Leeds, the play-offs might be imminent.

The Saints game at Elland Road is no longer as important as it once was after Coventry’s victory against Coventry City last night.

The Tractor Boys currently lead Leeds by three points and have a plus six goal differential.

Now, some Southampton cynics may argue that Leeds will easily overcome this because

they are playing us and cite our recent trip to Leicester City as evidence,

but the simple truth forLeeds would still be dependent on Ipswich’s defeat of Huddersfield,

as their other Yorkshire team is virtually relegated and even a victory at Portman

Road would need to overcome a -15 goal differential against Plymouth.

While some could argue otherwise, these four were part of the starting lineup for the team that went so long without a win.

In order to prevent injuries against Leeds,

who will have to go all out for goals at Portman Road and then hope for a miracle,

does the manager choose to start his strongest team or does he wrap up members of

his squad in cotton wool once more this weekend?

The issue is that it might go wrong either way, but starting with his strongest lineup carries a higher risk than not;

if our best team loses badly to Leeds,

he runs the chance of not only injuring important players but also of further sapping our team’s morale and spirit.

They would receive a huge lift from this as both teams prepare for the postseason.

Because you can’t lose if you throw the game,

I believe Russell Martin would choose for a weaker starting lineup once more.

If we win, our confidence would also be much boosted.

However, if we fielded our best team and prevailed,

that might rekindle the season and give us a significant push heading into the playoffs,

at which point all of our engines would fire up again.

The manager faces a difficult choice; your preference will likely depend on how

much you trust Martin to organize and inspire his team in addition to selecting the top players.

Daniel Farke, who is in the other dugout, faces a similar situation to Saints’;

his team has also struggled recently; in fact, they are playing just as poorly as Saints; in the last seven Championship games,

they have only won twice, drawn twice, and lost three times;

their eight points are two fewer than our ten during the same span of games.

With Leeds having given up 13 goals in those 7 games—2 more than we had allowed in

the same span—that should offer us some optimism heading into the play-offs.

While Saints supporters complain about our team’s issues, Leeds is also experiencing chaos.

They will need to go for win or bust, do their job,

and then pray because they still have something to gain from this game—albeit a very slim chance of a Huddersfield triumph.

Therefore, it’s possible that Farke won’t start with his strongest lineup either.

Instead, he might decide to rest players rather than risk injury and keep his best players on the bench,

ready to come on if there’s good news from Portman Road.

There will likely be significantly more excitement at the bottom of the table,

so regardless of the line-ups, I imagine Sky Sports regrets choosing to broadcast this game.

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