Southampton numbers up: Forest data and strength show they are champion club

Southampton captain James Warne-Prowse faces imminent relegation for his team following Nottingham Forest Credit defeat: REUTERS/Carl Recine » Knotm Forest v Southampton PL 22-23 recap

Southampton's 11-year existence in the Premier League is nearly over and there will be no data or analytics to give Sport Republic owners hope to escape this mess.< /p>

This was certainly Southampton's goodbye to the top flight and the investigation into the season of ineptitude will be extensive and painful, with control of the majority stake sure to come under scrutiny.

The 23rd defeat of the season is almost over. Reuben Selles' weak hopes for survival: Southampton need to win the last three games and hope Nottingham Forest lose all remaining matches and Everton get another point.

Southampton remain at the bottom and the situation is bleak for the Sport Republic, whose approach has been so heavily dependent on numbers and intelligence since the completion of their takeover last January.

From managerial appointments to signing young inexperienced players with a high potential. Last summer is a gamble that will lead to championship football next season.

Selles has not won since March 4 and said: “We will work hard and the only thing I can ask my players to fight every day.

«We know where we are and we're going to keep fighting until it's mathematical.»

«The club will present an agenda for the coming days or weeks on how it's going to deal with this [relegation] if that happens.»

Forest hope they can avoid falling into the same trap as well, and two consecutive victories at the City Ground will go a long way for Steve Cooper.

< p>This Historic club has been waiting for a return to the top table for 23 years and is not going to give it up so easily.

In front of another rowdy crowd at home, Forest scored 27 of his 33 points at the City Ground.

Fireworks shot into the night sky after Danilo's all-important fourth goal, but Cooper had to endure an unbearable 11 minutes of stoppage time before confirming victory .

Cooper said: “I never doubted the group's cohesion. Everyone knows how many players we have attracted, but I never doubted that they all want to succeed.

“We just want to score as many points as possible. It could be one more, two or three points, maybe more.

“We can only influence our work, and everything else will follow by itself. In the end, you end up where you deserve to be."

It was an exciting meeting and in one of the most intense relegation battles in Premier League history, it's fitting to compare the two clubs. .

Evangelos Marinakis, owner of the forest, sat in the director's box despite the fact that his other club, Olympiakos, faced mortal enemies Panathinaikos in the Greek Super League play-offs that evening.

Marinakis kept his composure and watched his team win from the directors' box Credit: Marc Atkins/Getty Imag

Marinakis is one of two chairmen in the bottom half who haven't fired a manager this season, and while there were undoubtedly moments when his support faltered, his patience perhaps deserves more credit. . /p>

While his reputation in Greece is rather ruthless, at Forest his track record of manager layoffs is nowhere near as fruitful as many people think.

Compare Forest to Southampton, who fired two managers in Ralph Hasenhuttle and Nathan Jones . This season, Selles didn't seem to be able to stop the club's slide into the abyss.

Forest's support for Cooper would no doubt be rewarded, and in the 18th minute they were ahead thanks to Taiwo Avoni's first goal.

p>

Southampton's initial confidence faded, and four minutes later their defensive weaknesses were exposed by another fine Avoni shot.

the second part of the Forest. Posted by Mark Atkins/Getty Images.

You might assume it's game over. However, Southampton returned almost immediately, with Carlos Alcaraz scoring a goal from a cross from Stuart Armstrong.

Johnson was at the center of Forest's third goal when he was fouled by Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the box. Morgan Gibbs-White postponed the penalty.

Southampton responded again and substitute Lyanko headed past Keylor Navas six minutes into the restart.

Forest was now nervous, Southampton in control ball, but the home team added a fourth, and Danilo put the finishing touch to a good move.

Southampton are eight points behind the safe, and their number has increased: the championship awaits.

Nottm Forest — Southampton PL 22-23 lineups