Last season Saints got into the Europa League courtesy of Arsenal winning the FA Cup, this season they may have to rely more on their own endeavours.
Of course Saints supporters would prefer their club to finish in the top five and therefore qualify for Europe under their own steam rather than like last season rely on Europa League places being put back into the Premier League positions after teams in the top four have won the two domestic cups.
They might prefer it, but it is still better to have all bases covered and therefore once Saints are out of the FA or Capital One cups, then sadly we have to root for the big boys.
Therefore in next weekend's Capital One Cup Final it is far better that Manchester City win it than Liverpool, at least as the League stands at present.
But after yesterday's pathetic showing by Manchester City at Chelsea where Pellegrini put out a side packed with kids and paid the price, added to by Tottenham Hotspur's cup exit to Crystal Palace and Arsenal's draw at home to Hull, not one top four side is definitely in the quarter final's of the FA Cup yet.
That is not good news for Saints although one good bit of good news is that should they both get through Arsenal & United both have home draws albeit against Premier League club's.
The other bit of good news is that seemingly Manchester City have given up on all competitions bar the Champions League and hopefully the Capital One Cup, Manuel Pellegrini made it quite clear with is team selection that yesterday's game at Chelsea was far down on his list of priorities, he is focused on winning a trophy in his last season and that trophy is not the FA Cup or Premier League, he will take the Capital One Cup as a small consolation, but his aim if the Champions League and go out in a blaze of glory.
This could help Saints who although are still 7 points behind City, could well still catch them, indeed our last 6 games saw us gain 8 more points than Pellegrini's side did in their half dozen, so given we still have to play them at St Mary's and this is not the City of old we could well overhaul them.
Perhaps yesterday showed that the FA Cup needs to be looked at, but not by watering it down and cutting out replays etc, but by upgrading it and making it truly a competition that is worth winning, put a Champions League place up for grabs for the winner, that will not only put the prestige back in the Competition, but strengthen the Premier League in that a lesser club winning the FA Cup would spread the Champions League prize money more evenly and allow the likes of Saints, West Ham, Everton etc to start to truly compete with the big clubs again.
Yes there are those who will say that Leicester are showing the way, but the stars all aligned for the Foxes in a way we won't see again for a very long time, I would not bet on this being a regular occurrence for them or any other club of similar stature, the rich clubs continue to get richer and unless this is addressed then the Premier League will continue to get less of a competition and more of just half a dozen clubs who only need the rest to make up the fixture list.