Key decisions proved vital for Hasenhuttl in Southampton win vs Wolves

Ralph Hasenhuttl proved he has the tactical nous to impact proceedings both before and during the game. His decisions against Wolves have put the south coast side on the brink of Premier League safety, with games to spare.

The style of play and atmosphere around the club has hugely improved, which has contributed immensely to Hasenhuttl’s status amongst Southampton fans as one of the most exciting managers at the club in recent years.

Although, you would be excused as a Southampton fan if you raised your eyebrows at the team sheet against Wolves, as Ralph Hasenhuttl opted to leave Oriol Romeu on the bench, with Josh Sims replacing the Spaniard in the starting XI.

Romeu had previously started every league game under the new regime, offering a sense of calm and leadership in midfield. The form showed by the defensive midfielder in recent weeks has garnered special praise from fans as they come to realise the importance he has on the team, something that clearly bypassed Mark Hughes.

In fact, Romeu has been pivotal to the Southampton midfield since the departure of Victor Wanyama. Despite being a less talented footballer than his predecessor, the desire, commitment and work ethic shown by him is second to none and a staple of what is to be expected at St Mary’s.

But another thing Southampton as a club and a fan base pride themselves on, is the progression of those who come through the academy. This value has been taken on board by the managerial staff and Hasenhuttl has expressed his desire to utilise the famous youth setup on the south coast.

So the inclusion of Josh Sims was never going to be derided, but it may have been met with some confusion. Wolves sat in seventh place at the time of kick off and comfortably dispatched of Southampton 2-0 at The Molineux, three points were wanted but not essential against one of the better Premier League sides. Yet Hasenhuttl opted for a positive, tactical change.

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The result would have pleased everyone involved with Southampton FC.

Sims started the game with a point to prove, his role in the opening goal just two minutes into proceedings encapsulated what we have come to see from the youngster. Blessed with immense pace and the want to attack defences with direct running, the Yeovil born winger got the down the right hand side and crossed low and hard towards the penalty spot where Nathan Redmond stole a march on Romain Saiss to finish high into the net.

Josh Sims influence on the game was evident, his pace and threat on the counter put the Wolverhampton Wanderers defence at unease, despite the winger only managing 19 touches in the hour he was on the field.

His efficiency on the ball is something Hasenhuttl will be starry eyed at, even if his finishing does need some fine tuning. A key part of the system implemented at his former club Rassenballsport Leipzig was to use the ball effectively when in possession, ensuring everything done has a purpose. Sims completed 100% of his 11 attempted passes, including that assist for the opening goal.

The work ethic in chasing the ball down was also a key part of the win, giving Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves little time to dicate the play from deeper positions. Between the two supporting forwards, they recovered the ball 12 times, (Sims 7, Redmond 5).

At 2-1 up and with 30 minutes to go, Sims was replaced by Oriol Romeu as Hasenhuttl opted to try and protect what he had and use the pace of Shane Long, who replaced Danny Ings, to maintain the blistering pace at the top end of the pitch.

It was another decision by the Austrian manager which proved fruitful. Wolves started to impose themselves on the game by dominating the ball and the introduction of Romeu saw the midfield become more compact, more resilient and forced the visitors to try and force the issue.

Whilst up the other end, Shane Long took advantage of poor defending from Wolves and Adama Traore in particular to put the game to bed with his second in as many games. The Irish forward has struggled for an extended period to find regular goalscoring form, but has begun to find the net at a key time for Southampton as they look to pull away from the relegation zone, the gap now at eight points.

This win was the fourth Southampton have managed in 2019, and Hasenhuttls eighth win in 18 games as the manager, which is one more than the Saints managed in the entirety of the 2017/18 season.

There is a buzz on the south coast, the optimism for next season is evident to see, to hear, to feel and it is largely down to one man.

Welcome, to Ralphampton.