Are Southampton now genuine play-off contenders?

When Tonda Eckert was appointed interim Southampton boss in November the club were 21st in the Championship table and pre-season expectations of a swift return to the Premier League looked fanciful at best.

After Tuesday night's exhilarating win over Leicester, having recovered from a 3-0 half-time deficit, they are now ninth and one point off the top six.

Under Will Still, thoughts of the play-offs were a distant dream, but Eckert now appears to be getting the best out of his players with his team playing football more befitting of their talent and reputation.

However, as thrilling as it was, the victory at the King Power Stadium still showed the vulnerabilities that exist defensively, conceding three goals in the first half with one coming via a familiar pattern.

But with 14 league games to go in their season, could Saints repeat their achievement's of the 2023-24 season where they won promotion via a successful play-off run?

Eckert had a bright spell during his time as interim boss that ultimately saw him land the job permanently.

From of his opening seven matches the German coach won six, which had supporters and the club heirarchy encouraged after such a poor start to the campaign under Still.

Saints then entered into a period where they appeared to be over the "honeymoon phase" following Eckert's ascension from the Under-21s to the top job.

In the six Championship fixtures that followed a narrow loss to Norwich at Carrow Road, they failed to win a single one, drawing three and losing three.

But the turning point that has since got them back on track appears to be scrappy 1-0 victory over Sheffield United at St Mary's where a Leo Scienza deflected goal was the difference.

Saints have since gone on to win three on the bounce after a derby-day draw against Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

When he was handed the job permanently, Eckert immediately put on record that his goal was to take the club back to the Premier League, could he seriously do it?

Southampton have plenty of quality in their squad for the Championship and invested well in the summer, splashing out in the region of £50m on signings.

When at their best they have some of the finest attacking individuals in the league, with Finn Azaz and Leo Scienza already showing their qualities and contributing a combined 22 goal involvements.

Winger Tom Fellows has also been a creative spark, registering five assists this season over on the right-hand side.

The level of talent stretches into midfield with Caspar Jander making a positive impression since joining, and the like of Flynn Downes and Shea Charles both solid options.

England international Taylor Harwood-Bellis remains a key part of Saints' defensive line, and attracted Premier League interest in January, while James Bree has impressed since his return from Charlton on loan.

Eckert seems to be getting the best out of the group, particularly in attack, with Scienza in particular becoming something of a hero amongst fans since his arrival in the summer - his derby day goal and subsequent celebration at Portsmouth probably helped.

Under Eckert, there is more freedom to how they attack with greater pace and variety and, as Tuesday emphasised, they are always capable of scoring and remaining in games.

The players have been incredibly complimentary of Eckert since he came in and both the coaching staff and playing group appear to be pushing in the same direction.

The schedule could play into their favour to an extent as well.

Southampton's overall home record does not initially stand out, they have won six of their last nine fixtures at St Mary's and eight of their remaining 14 games to close the 2025-26 campaign are on home soil.

Of their remaining six away fixtures, Coventry City and Wrexham represent obvious challenges but matches at Sheffield Wednesday, West Brom, Swansea and Preston on the final day of the season - which could end up being a play-off decider - appear more agreeable.

While Southampton undoubtedly possess enough talent on paper to make the top six, there is still a level of concern around some defensive frailties that continue to appear.

Their 44 goals conceded is the most of any side in the top half while only five teams have fewer clean sheets that their seven this term - although four have been earned in their past eight games which indicates Eckert is starting to address this particular issue.

On Tuesday night, Saints conceded a second goal from an error, with Fellows under-hitting a back-pass which was pounced on by Leicester for Patson Daka to score.

These kind of individual mistakes have been an unfortunate theme of the season and at times it has even cost them points, like in their loss against Hull in January when Ryan Manning was at fault.

In the Championship this season, Saints rank second overall for unforced errors leading to a goal (nine) and are joint worst in the division for errors leading to shots (23).

Set-pieces have also been a consistent strength and a troubling weakness.

Attacking-wise, only Coventry (21) and Millwall (15) have scored more than their 14 but in defending corners and free-kicks, only Sheffield Wednesday (17) and Oxford (16) - the two lowest-ranked teams in the division - have conceded more than their 14.

Losing top scorer Adam Armstrong to Wolves in January was a blow for Saints, someone who at the time was their top scorer and appears to thrive at this level.

That regrettable decision may have been mitigated to an extent by the returning Ross Stewart who has looked assured since his return from injury.

But as his Southampton career has shown so far, they have not been able to rely on him because the amount of injuries he has had.

Since signing two-and-a-half years ago from Sunderland, Stewart has made just 35 appearances, scoring five goals - four of which came this season.

He offers plenty as a starting option when healthy, good at holding up the ball, is mobile and can be a threat in and around the box.

Eckert will be hoping the centre-forward can see out the rests of the campaign with a clean bill of health.

Cyle Larin has had quite the start to his Saints career, scoring just seconds into his debut over the weekend while Cameron Archer has struggled to make an impact this season.

If Saints are to make the top six then they must stamp out some old habits and have their best players available to them for the rest of the campaign.