Southampton: Hasenhuttl explains what’s changed for Saints recently

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl outlined exactly what has changed for his side after watching his players beat Spurs 1-0 on Wednesday.

A brilliant first-half strike from Danny Ings proved to be enough to secure Saints 10 points from the last 12 on offer and a climb up to mid table.

The recent turnaround has been superb for the club and results have really lifted the atmosphere around St Mary’s – and Hasenhuttl sees exactly what has shifted to cause this upturn from his position as manager.

Speaking to BT Sport after the victory over Spurs, the Austrian said:

"“This is the big difference to the beginning of the season or to our very difficult October where we lost without passion and without front foot defending. We lost our way a little bit, but what has happened since then has been amazing for me because of the reaction of all the staff and players to show up and show that we can do much better. At the moment we are playing like a very good team, and it’s enjoyable to watch them playing.”"

The change that has been seen recently is similar to the one that came about when Hasenhuttl was first appointed last December.

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Football under Mark Hughes had become tiresome and the fans had started to turn on the Welshman, so the injection of energy that a new manager brought a real lift for the players and fans.

For the first time in a long while, the players could play on the front foot and were able to trust themselves think positively to win.

However, the gloom returned in the early part of this campaign and Saints looked set for another scrap at the bottom of the Premier League.

The team lacked cohesion on a weekly basis and this all built up to the record breaking 9-0 loss to Leicester in October – the game that Hasenhuttl was looking back to in his interview here.

Now though, he looks to have got a huge reaction. He has a set starting 11 of players who are in their favoured positions, which has seen the likes of James Ward-Prowse and Danny Ings thriving.

He has also handed chances to Jack Stephens, Shane Long and Che Adams to come in and prove their worth, which has produced a competitive but now tight-knit group.

It has been a real struggle to get this far, but it could be worth it for everyone involved as Saints start to climb the top-flight table.