Two south-coast clubs will be battling to remain in the Premier League in the 2022/23 season, although they had contrasting fortunes on the opening day of the campaign. Southampton picked up where they left off last season, suffering a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham to start the new term on a low note. On the other hand, newly promoted side Bournemouth sprung a surprise on Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium, securing their first win of the season at the first time of asking to kickstart their bid to remain in the top flight.
The fortunes of both clubs will be worth monitoring over the course of the campaign, with potentially huge ramifications ahead for football on the south coast, which has seen Portsmouth cut adrift in League One for too many years. The region can ill afford to see Southampton struggle, albeit against one of the leading contenders in the Premier League winner odds, Tottenham, who simply outplayed them on the day. Bournemouth will have their bad days ahead as expected with any side that is promoted to the top flight, and Scott Parker has not been able to make too many additions to his Cherries team. We’ll look at which side should be more concerned.
Southampton
The Saints have huge cause for concern as their issues from last season reared their head once again on the opening day. Ralph Hasenhuttl was booed by a section of supporters last term, notably in a humbling defeat to Brentford, but the sentiment has been brewing for a period of time. He famously survived a 9-0 drubbing at the hands of Leicester to steer Southampton into a respectable 11th place in the Premier League in the 2019/20 season.
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 6, 2022
But, those frailties remain and for one reason or another, the Austrian has not been able to tighten his team up at the back. When it goes wrong for Southampton at the back, it goes wrong spectacularly. It resulted in a dismal end to the 2021/22 season, winning only one of their last 12 matches and losing four on the bounce to end the term. Hasenhuttl is under immense pressure, and the quality of the squad does look suspect despite the signing of Joe Aribo. The season could well be a difficult one for the Saints in a competitive battle at the foot of the table.
Bournemouth
The Cherries had a perfect start to the season, and will need to sustain that level of commitment throughout the campaign to survive. They’ve been tipped as one of the top candidates for the drop because of their lack of spending in the transfer window. Parker will be relying on a lot of the players who won promotion from the Championship to keep his team in the Premier League. Their win over Villa was down to pure effort and graft on the pitch, they simply wanted it more than their opponents on the day.
The boss ✊
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) August 6, 2022
There is a lot of emotion that is poured into the opening day of the campaign, and that can lead to surprising results. They don’t necessarily define the season, but Parker will be hoping that it embodies a spirit that his side can take forward. Defensively his side look weak at the back, while there is not a lot of quality in the final third. Teams of their ilk have been relegated before, despite their passion and effort.
