Former Striker Gives ‘Hands Down’ Verdict On Southampton In Playoffs | OneFootball

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Former Championship centre-forward Cameron Jerome has tipped Southampton as the standout favourites for the playoffs, citing their strong recent form and the impact of manager Tonda Eckert.

The St Mary’s outfit finished in fourth spot in the Championship in the regular season, eventually ending up just four points off the top two.

Their reward for a strong end of season run will be a two-legged playoff semi-final tie against Middlesbrough.

Eckert, who stepped up initially as caretaker before becoming permanent boss, has overseen a remarkable run of form, going 18 games unbeaten in the Championship, with their last league defeat coming against Hull City, a surge that has placed him on Stuttgart’s radar.

Jerome underlined how the 33-year-old steered Saints into a position that once felt well beyond reach, with even a push for the playoffs seeming unlikely when they were languishing as low as 15th at the start of the year.

The 39-year-old stressed the scale of the turnaround, pointing to the players’ response and the growing cohesion within the squad, as reflected in their league-high 129 big chances created.

He also highlighted a style built on freedom in possession and high-energy movement, which he believes has unlocked the squad’s potential and transformed them into a formidable playoff threat.

When asked whether they are the playoff favourites, Jerome admitted on EFL All Access (21:04): “Hands down.

“The position he has got them into, to be anywhere near talking about automatic promotion, even the playoffs at one point looked such a far away thing for them to even be contemplating.

“But the job that he’s done there, the response he’s got out of the players, the connection that the players have, they are playing with so much freedom, so much energy, he’s really getting the best out of that squad.

“So they will be, for me, one of the most dangerous teams to come up against in the playoffs.”

Southampton finished off the regular campaign by visiting Preston North End and running out 3-1 winners.

They will head to Middlesbrough on Saturday, before then hosting Boro at St Mary’s just days later as they eye booking a trip to Wembley.

Attacking midfielder Leo Scienza, who has registered 17 goal contributions this season, is attracting interest from Everton, and could be on the move if Southampton fall short of securing top-flight football.