Southampton 2-1 Tottenham: Premier League – Three Match Takeaways

Hasenhuttl deserves credit for his tactical changes

One of the biggest criticisms of the Hasenhuttl’s predecessors, Messrs. Hughes, Pellegrino and Puel respectively was that they were distinctly one dimensional in their approach. Hasenhuttl himself has not been immune to criticism but what was so impressive about the Austrian against Spurs was his willingness to make changes to shake up the team after a poor first half.

After witnessing his side be outclassed in the opening 45 minutes, Hasenhuttl wrung the changes by hauling off the ineffectual Charlie Austin as well as Oriol Romeu who had earned a yellow card early on. The introduction of Josh Sims changed the dynamic of the game (more on him later) and Southampton suddenly began to pose a real threat going forward. The enforced change of Stuart Armstrong for the injured Shane Long also caused Tottenham issues defensively as the Scot drove into the pockets of space between the defence and midfield.

In all honesty, Hasenhuttl (along with the majority of the Southampton faithful) cannot have been optimistic prior to the match against a Spurs team sat in 3rd place but what the new Saints boss has instilled in his team is a sense of belief. He deserves credit for keeping his team in the match, even after a poor showing early on and then for capitalising on some shoddy Tottenham defending by making positive substitutions.