Southampton’s revival justifies decision to stick by Ralph Hassenhüttl

While they are not out of the woods yet as far as potential relegation is concerned, it must be immensely satisfying for Hassenhüttl that he has weathered the storm and come out the other side still standing. The trend in the Premier League these days is to sack managers at the first hint of peril, but Southampton have shown what can happen if you place trust in a manager to turn things around.

It was over the festive period that Hassenhüttl’s side kicked into gear, going on a run of four wins in five matches in all competitions, which included victories over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and Tottenham Hotspur at St. Mary’s. There was also a win against Leicester at the King Power Stadium, which will have been especially sweet for Hassenhüttl – to get one over on the side that thrashed them so mercilessly earlier in the season.

It’s an upturn that hasn’t been marked by drastic changes in terms of tactics or personnel. Instead, Hassenhüttl is a coach who believes in the fundamentals of football, and who trusts in the prior success he had in Germany with Red Bull Leipzig. He has managed to eke out an extra few percentages from his players in terms of performance levels, and across the board, Southampton seem to be a team with more fight and urgency in the way they play.

Of course, much of their improvement is down to the goalscoring heroics of striker Danny Ings, who is enjoying a fine season having been dogged by injuries in recent campaigns. For any Premier League manager, strikers who can be relied upon to score double figures in a season are like gold dust, and Ings has scored 14 of the Saints’ 31 Premier League goals – proof of the Englishman’s importance to the side.

Sacking Hassenhüttl may have seemed like the obvious thing to do following the 9-0 hammering at the hands of Leicester. But it seems that the Southampton hierarchy have had enough of the chopping and changing of managers. It’s refreshing to see a board stick by their man and for that coach to ultimately bring about a change of fortunes.
Hassenhüttl battled the tide that threatened to engulf the Saints earlier in the season, and he and his team have come out the other end a more competent collective unit. That kind of redemption is one of the most satisfying feelings for a manager, and Hassenhüttl deserves immense credit for instigating Southampton’s return to form.

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