Southampton: Hughes wants Saints to ‘dictate the opposition’
By Marc Walker
Now permanent Southampton boss Mark Hughes has said that he wants his side to dictate matches next season and therefore improve their fate.
He was installed full-time in the Southampton dugout back in May and will lead the team into the new season in August.
The 2018/19 fixtures are released on Thursday and Hughes, the players and the fans will be waiting in anticipation ahead of a vital year for the club to get back on track.
Speaking to southamptonfc.com, the Welshman also called on his players to carry the positivity from the final stages of 2017/18 into the next campaign in order to avoid a repeat of their relegation battle:
"“That’s how I want may teams to play, I’ve always wanted my teams to be on the front foot and be able to dictate to the opposition they’re up against irrespective of what level people perceive them to be”“I always think you can affect the opposition if you’re positive in what you’re trying to do and we’ll make sure we get good fundamentals right through the team. A lot of that is already in place”“That mindset and thought process is already there and we will benefit from it next season.”"
Next: 3 underrated goals from Saints' 2017/18 season
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These words will be music to the ears of the Saints fans after two campaigns of defensive football and poor results. If the mentality from their recent relegation scrap is taken forward, it will provide a huge boost in many games.
It is true though that this style has to be put into action. Promises of attacking play and high tempo football came with the appointments of both Claude Puel and Mauricio Pellegrino but were not met.
Hughes also seems to be a manager that adapts his approach accordingly and is not fixed on the style he has been brought up on too much. This was certainly not the case under the leadership of the two former bosses who seemed to change too little when things were going wrong.
An improved mentality throughout the squad was clear to see as Saints avoided the Premier League drop. Previously disinterested players became more involved and the team were able to recover from bad results well instead of losing all hope.
New signings may also provide a much needed boost to both the attack and defence; adding competition for placed too to push the club back towards the higher mid-table area that they had worked so hard to maintain