Southampton

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Southampton and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Southampton fans:

Freddie: It felt as if we've resolutely condemned ourselves to the Championship already. A distinct lack of quality, aside from Mateus Fernandes, makes me concerned we'll be in a League One relegation fight next season. Onwards and upwards!

Glenn: Ivan Juric used the Nathan Jones, Ruben Selles, Russell Martin tombola number picker rather than player picker. Did not play our best players in best positions! Defending abysmal and the match went pretty much as us Saints supporters predicted! The players must be pretty much devastated and depressed as I know I and many Saints fans are! Sports Republic is responsible with dire recruitment of managers and players!

James: In short, not clinical enough. I will say that the chances of Southampton staying up are slim at best. If Juric had been the manager from the start of the season, then he would've been able to form his own identity in regards to the team, then in terms of the season it might've been a different story and they could've had more of a chance of beating the drop.

Ryan: Another toothless performance. Professional display from Bournemouth but we didn't really give them too many problems to think about. Allowing the opposition to go 2-0 up early on never gives us the best platform to compete and our poor starts are just one of the things that need to be eradicated if we're to seriously bounce back next year at the first time of asking.

Bournemouth fans:

Mark: Wow, the Cherries dream of Europe continues. The spirit, the never say die attitude continues. The atmosphere was brilliant from the away fans - we all have the belief we will do this. It's no longer a dream, it's becoming a reality. Bring on European nights at the Vitality! Well done, Andoni, Bill and everyone connected to AFCB! What a time to be a Cherry.

Matt: A convincing victory over local rivals, and a welcome first double. Not too shabby for a side lacking any recognised striker. Players coming back from injury can only reinforce our European football credentials.

Simon: Brilliant to do the double over Saints for first time in our club's history. Christie was magnificent. It's great he scored one and got an assist too! Christie's shooting more recently but has been very unlucky with hitting the post. Cherries were clinical up top and did well to get a third when a short period of sloppy play in second half let an otherwise poor Saints back into the game. Important three points to keep the European football possibility alive!

Ben: The first half was all Bournemouth and we should have made even more of the chances we had. For 20 minutes in the second we seemed to take our foot off a bit and suddenly it was Southampton winning the second balls. When they scored it was a little nervy. But our third was well deserved and killed the game off - impact off the bench yet again. Being a Cherries fan at the moment is a bit of a dream.

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Former Southampton player Jo Tessem believes the academy is not producing talent of the same quality as it used to, falling behind Bournemouth and Brighton.

Speaking on BBC Radio Solent's Goin' Home With Adam And Jo podcast, Tessem said: "Southampton used to have one of the best academies in terms of producing talent - I'm not seeing that any more.

"Luke Shaw is still the last one who came out of it. [Tyler] Dibling is the next one - but it's 10 years later.

"We used to have it on a yearly basis, a new talent coming through from the academy.

"Sports Republic has also learned a lesson about what the Premier League is about. You have got to invest."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Brighton and Chelsea.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man City 4-0 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton

The latest episode of BBC Radio Solent's Goin' Home With Adam And Jo podcast has landed.

Listen to Adam Blackmore and Jo Tessem discuss the increasing gap between Southampton and Bournemouth as well as the need for fundamental changes at the Saints after suffering a 3-1 defeat at home to the Cherries.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Southampton manager Ivan Juric has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day after today's defeat: "They were much better first half, second half we did better. but it wasn't enough to take a point.

"The first goal we were two-v-one in the area and then we play and create and I think in the first half they were much better than us.

"When you are bottom of the table you have a lot of problems and this is one of them. Today they gave everything but it was not enough.

"We have good spirit and we scored the goal and created opportunities and played like I want my team to play, with lots of aggression and winning the duels and flair but it wasn't enough.

"It is not just mentality. It is everything. We are missing a little bit of everything. We have to believe and try to play more like the second half and we will see."

Joe Nelson
BBC Sport journalist

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When Bournemouth beat Southampton 3-1 at St Mary's on Saturday, the gulf in quality between the two sides was clear.

Dango Ouattara and Ryan Christie struck in the first half and despite Kamaldeen Sulemana getting one back late on, the Saints were hit by a Marcus Tavernier sucker-punch.

The Cherries are dreaming of European football. Southampton are staring at the Premier League trap door.

Put simply, Bournemouth were just more clinical on the day.

Ouattara's glancing header gave Aaron Ramsdale no chance and Christie's shot had the former Cherries keeper well beaten. Tavernier's late effort similarly gave Ramsdale no chance.

Sulemana's goal was a tidy finish but such shows of quality were few and far between for a Southampton side who lack confidence.

Paul Onuachu did well to assist Sulemana but other than that, he struggled to hold the ball up against Bournemouth's defenders.

Second-half substitute Cameron Archer offered more penetration in the latter stages but even then, when he had got beyond the Cherries backline, he was denied at close range by Kepa.

Southampton's lack of cutting edge was juxtaposed by the devastating finishing on display by their south coast counterparts on Saturday afternoon.

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After 25 games of a top-flight season, only Sheffield United in 1975-76 (eight - 3 points/win) have accrued fewer points than Southampton's nine in 2024-25.

Bournemouth are unbeaten in each of their past seven away Premier League games (W5 D2), with their 22 points won on the road in 2024-25 their joint-most in a top-flight season (also 22 in 2015-16).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Southampton's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Leicester City v Arsenal (12:30)

• Aston Villa v Ipswich Town

• Fulham v Nottingham Forest

• Man City v Newcastle - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary

• Southampton v Bournemouth

• West Ham v Brentford

• Crystal Palace v Everton (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here.

I'd be shocked if Bournemouth don't win this.

Even in the FA Cup against Burnley, Southampton could not give their home fans anything to cheer about. Dear me, what a depressing season this has been for them.

Saints would be better off finishing the campaign now - just packing up, shutting the ground down and looking forward to next season, or looking ahead to it, anyway - why would you be looking forward to it after such a dismal few months?

Bournemouth are well organised, have a good balance to their team and Justin Kluivert is on fire. They have quite a few injuries but you don't hear them complain do you? They just get on with it.

Sutton's prediction: 1-3

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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How does young Southampton star Tyler Dibling react to the transfer speculation surrounding him?

"I don't really change. I don't see how people change from that. I don't really see any difference. I'm just being me," the 18-year-old told BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore.

Listen to the full interview

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Southampton boss Ivan Juric has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Taylor Harwood-Bellis is unavailable for this weekend. Adam Lallana has "a little problem with his hamstring" so he will be assessed again tomorrow. Jack Stephens is still out but he will start first team training again next week.

• Flynn Downes will not be involved this weekend because the pair haven't resolved their problem.

• On the Downes situation, Juric said: "I agree that everything is resolvable, but it has to be that he really wants to resolve it. Of course I want to resolve it."

• Juric says this game doesn't have more significance for Premier League survival after the win over Ipswich Town because "every game is a must-win" for the Saints at the moment.

• Juric added: "I feel like we are more full of courage that we can win games. We might suffer during the match, but we can win the games. It has been a very good week and I think we are ready."

• He saw "lots of chances, domination and good things" in the FA Cup defeat to Championship side Burnley, adding: "It's not good to lose any game but I'm feeling that we are getting better and we are improving."

• Bournemouth will bring "lots of pressure and intensity" to St Mary's Stadium, with Juric warning: "They like playing forward and they are perfect at that. When they steal the ball and play it forward immediately, they create lots of chances."

• Juric said he likes watching Bournemouth games as they are "very interesting" and added: "What I feel about Bournemouth is that the boss wants to play his kind of football and the club buys him those kinds of players. It's like every player is in the right spot. If they need two specific midfielders, they will find them - such as Justin Kluivert. I feel the players are connected, they are all working in the same way and doing well."

• On Aaron Ramsdale's comment that Premier League survival looks impossible but all the players believe it is still possible, he said: "I think the players are really believing. They are feeling that they can win the matches. We have to be focused and work hard on our things that can be good."

• Kamaldeen Sulemana has spoken out about feeling misunderstood at the club but Juric confirmed he has "never had a problem" with the forward: "I've had experiences with lots of different players - French, African and ex-Yugoslavian. They are all different and you have to find a way to work with them. He is training hard. He is a funny guy, always laughing. For me, he is professionally perfect."

• He praised 20-year-old Mateus Fernandes for being "extremely professional" when regularly called on this season: "He is like living for football and thinking about football. When you are working with him and showing him videos, he is wanting to improve himself. He is a really motivated guy. He wants success so he is working really hard."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

The Premier League's bottom two Southampton and Ipswich using the highest number of players this season - 33 and 31 respectively - does not come as a surprise.

Both are newly-promoted sides with relatively limited budgets who began the campaign with managers that had never previously led teams in the division.

Saints suffered an identity crisis under Russell Martin who refused to his possession-based approach for the top flight before replacing him with Ivan Juric who is still attempting to find his favoured starting XI.

Ipswich have fought admirably in their first Premier League season but manager Kieran McKenna is learning on the job. Back in October, BBC Radio Suffolk's Graeme McLoughlin wrote he was "not sure McKenna knows his best line-up yet" and, although things have settled, the Town boss is still adapting from game to game.

When contrasted with high-flying Nottingham Forest - who have used 23 players, the lowest in the division- it is clear the impact a settled, consistent starting XI can make.

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Following their 3-1 win at Vitality Stadium in September, Bournemouth are looking to complete the league double over Southampton for the first time, in what is the 15th different campaign in which they have met.

Meanwhile, the Cherries have won possession in the final third more often than any other Premier League side this season (146), while Saints have lost the ball more often in their defensive third than any other team (154).

Is there something you want to ask about a Premier League club?

Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha is ready to answer your burning questions and give his thoughts on some of the biggest talking points for a special Q&A.

Submit your questions here and come back on Thursday for his answers

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Flynn Downes' "attitude" has come under fire from Southampton manager Ivan Juric, but we wanted to know whether you would continue to leave the defensive midfielder out of the team.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Kev: Flynn Downes has acted like a petulant child, if what Juric says is correct. In life and work we all have situations which we are unhappy about, but we are paid to do a job. If we don't like it and are unable to leave, we have to carry on and work hard and prove ourselves. If we all took Downes' attitude, we would be sacked. Stop being an idiot, knuckle down and try to help the team at least restore some pride in one of the worst seasons in Southampton's history!

Antoine: He should have gone to Ipswich when he had the chance.

Kris: This isn't a new phenomenon - an underperforming player thinks the grass is greener elsewhere, won't take responsibility and agitates for a move. The club would be better off without him. He should have been red carded for his elbow to Morgan Gibbs-White's face and they looked a lot better when he was substituted. Well done Juric, no time for divas.

Noah: I personally think he is a great player and we really need someone like him. We should definitely keep him until 2026 and then go from there.

Lee: Yes, absolutely he should leave. His performances on the field have been below par and, at this point, all of the players should be doing whatever it takes for the club. If you don't like it, move on.

Sam Ashoo
BBC Final Score

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This was always going to be a tricky one to navigate for Southampton. The Premier League's lowest scorers simply could not out-think a Burnley defence that just do not concede goals. Dare I say it was the perfect game for Saints forward and West Brom loanee Adam Armstrong, who got on the scoresheet for his new club instead.

Despite a pretty abject performance, I thought Kamaldeen Sulemana had a good game for Southampton. He was lively, tricky and one of the few players who wanted to get on the ball and play.

With Premier League relegation almost an inevitability, keeping hold of players like Sulemana will be imperative if Ivan Juric's side are to mount an immediate promotion challenge next season.

There were no points at stake on Saturday, but you feel that this was a missed opportunity to gain some momentum following that win at Ipswich last week.

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We asked for your views on Southampton's FA Cup match against Burnley.

Here are some of your comments:

Mark: Although I think the manager has improved the way we play, for me he is playing the wrong players to have any success. The defence is still shambolic and we still have no cutting edge in attack. It's the same players making the same mistakes over and over again.

Graham: Another poor effort. This is the worst Southampton squad I've seen in 60 years of supporting them. The owners are clueless, the managers are not Premier League standard and now we can't buy people because they don't want to come here.

Ian: Four full-backs on the pitch. Bella-Kotchap on the bench. Dreadful team selection and a wasted chance to advance and perhaps enjoy a cup run. And then afterwards Juric tells us how good we played. Sack him!

Clauss: Absolutely rubbish for the entire 90 minutes. Definitely one of the worst performances of the season. The manager must have watched a different game. His substitutions were far too late to influence the game. Both he and the side were clueless.

Noah: I thought it was a tight first half but Burnley came out stronger in the second. We had so many great chances but couldn't get past their strong back line. If we didn't keep passing it backwards we would have won.

Ray Hunt
Fan writer

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We took on another defeat to compound more misery on this horrible season, as Saints limped out of the FA Cup fourth round to Championship high-fliers Burnley.

Saints were unable to breakthrough Scott Parker's stubborn defence. It was the top-flight's worst attack against the best defence in the country, so was it really a shock?

Ivan Juric fielded a strong side with one notable absence - Flynn Downes, who was left out of the squad for the second game running.

Juric was coy on his omission last week but the manager has since broken his silence on the situation, revealing that the defensive midfielder was the subject of a late bid from Ipswich Town.

Downes wanted that move, but the transfer was reportedly blocked and Juric has been unhappy with his response. He said: "It is an ugly situation because his attitude was not good. It is a little bit of a club problem, but we will see."

Downes was a pivotal member of Russell Martin's promotion-winning side last season, while on loan from West Ham United, and he made the move permanent by penning a four-year deal in July.

But his performances have been below par in the top-flight since then, with many fans now questioning his fee.

So what is next for Downes?

Juric insists the situation is resolvable, but it is plain to see he wishes his future is elsewhere and we will be adding his name to a long list who will be out the door in the summer.

He has a long way to go to earn back trust. If he is unwilling to give his all in the remaining 14 games, then he should continue to be ousted by Juric.

The only thing he has succeeded in doing is alienating himself from the fanbase.

Would you continue to leave him out?

Have your say on Saints here

Find more from Ray Hunt at the In that Number podcast, external

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On the latest episode of BBC Radio Solent's Goin' home with Adam and Jo podcast, former Southampton midfielder Jo Tessem shared his thoughts on Ivan Juric's comments on Flynn Downes' attitude:

"As a former player, I would have liked this to be kept inside the dressing room. I don't think it belongs outside. We see players often talk to the media which sometimes doesn't go down well."

BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore added: "We can understand players not wanting managers to leave and showing blind loyalty, but the real football world is not like that. You are a professional football player who is paid by the club, not Russell Martin.

"You might not like the manager but that is irrelevant - we don't all like our managers. I understand him being frustrated at the situation, but It's not like he was playing out of his skin before this happened.

"Ultimately, there is only one way that this should end; with him knuckling down. Be humble and get back into the squad. Apologise if you have to, it doesn't cost anything."

What do you think of the Flynn Downes situation, Saints fans?

Tell us here

Listen to the interview with Juric as well Adam and Jo's full discussion on BBC Sounds

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Ivan Juric spoke to BBC Radio Solent about Flynn Downes, who was left out of Southampton's squad for their FA Cup defeat on Saturday: "During the transfer window we have lots of players who are always professional. Some players make mistakes. His attitude was not good [during the transfer window].

"[Jan] Bednarek refused a big offer for his life; he was still training and playing the games. That is what I expect from all players.

"It's a little bit of a club problem."