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Two second half goals condemned Southampton to their ninth Premier League defeat of the season against Newcastle at St. James’ Park on Sunday, with the Saints remaining firmly in trouble as a result. Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side face fellow strugglers West Ham United and Aston Villa before Christmas, encounters that could potentially define their season. So, can Southampton rediscover their top form and move out of the relegation places ahead of the new year?

Danny Ings scored his ninth top-flight goal of the season in handing Southampton the lead against Newcastle, however the visitors once again demonstrated their fragility, eventually going down to an 87th minute goal from defender Federico Fernandez. What will have been even more frustrating for manager Hasenhüttl is the fact that his team largely had the better of things in the North East, coming out on top when it came to important statistics including shots and possession.

Southampton are certainly keen on giving Hasenhüttl the time needed to turn things around at St. Mary’s, with many having felt that the writing was on the wall following their 9-0 home defeat against Leicester City back in October. The coach recently celebrated one year at St Mary's, however with just four wins from their opening 16 matches, the Saints must record positive results against West Ham and Aston Villa, with the latter sitting on the same number of points following a run of just one win in their last five.

The likes of Ings and James Ward Prowse have been among the few positives for Southampton in the first half of the campaign, with the team having picked up where it left off from last season, where they ultimately finished just five points clear from relegation. Popular betting app Betway now have Southampton priced at odds of just 3/1 to finish inside the bottom three come the end of the season, with the likes of Watford and Norwich City being priced lower at present.

Hasenhüttl has earned plenty of plaudits for the way in which his side play the game, however this will come as little consolation if they do not beat the drop. The former RB Leipzig boss made a negative comment about Steve Bruce and his Newcastle side at the weekend, eluding to their tactic to play long balls into Andy Carroll.

Southampton travel to East London in order to take on Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham on Saturday evening, before hosting Aston Villa four days before Christmas. The two fixtures could well have a significant impact on both the future of Hasenhüttl and Southampton in the Premier League.

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