Premier League 2013/14: 5 Potential Underachievers

4. Southampton

Mauricio Pochettino was somewhat of a surprise appointment after Nigel Atkins was unduly sent his marching orders by the upper realms of Southampton's set-up. His stint started off fairly promisingly and ended with a 14th place finish, a successful end to a tricky first season. Many believe that the momentum built in the last campaign will be continued and the Saints have the potential to achieve a mid-table, possibly even top-half, finish in the upcoming season. I'm not entirely sold on the Saints, who have been linked with a who's who list of European talent and have signed a few too. Less encouraging to Southampton fans is the reports heavily linking Gaston Ramirez to Inter Milan, and Rickie Lambert to several clubs. Losing these two players would be crucial as Pochettino could find adequate replacements with the money he has at his disposal, but both have built themselves as fans' favourites. Thusfar, Southampton have brought in the likes of Victor Wanyama and Dejan Lovren for fairly large sums. Though both are talented, it could be argued that they are also overpriced and the Saints are building a reputation of being more than happy to spend millions. Not only do I think they will underachieve the claims of a top-half finish, it is to the extent that they will finish lower than they did last season. I also wouldn't be surprised if a string of poor results ends in the Argentinian losing his job and a replacement being shipped in. Expect a cash flowing end to the transfer window, with possibly one or two more big money signings on the way. However claims of The Saints being any more than relegation survivors are made in vein. I predict a 16th place finish and a great deal of disappointed fans. Position 2012/13: 14th Predicted position 2013/14: 16th