Southampton: Saints’ belief vs City points to a big future under Hasenhuttl

As kick-off approached at St Mary’s on Sunday evening, the pre-match talk was largely coming from one angle: how many would this fearsome Manchester City side score against mid-table Southampton?

Pep Guardiola’s side were fresh from handing out a thumping to Premier League champions Liverpool and, on paper, looked to have a starting line-up that could take apart the opposition in front of them at will. Even if the starters failed, surely the options from the bench could come on to help bag the three points on offer with ease.

From a Saints point of view, they knew they were basically safe from relegation with so many teams between them and the drop zone, so why not have a go and test themselves against one of the best teams in the country? That is what they had tried to do in two fixtures versus City back in the Autumn – battling defensive displays that eventually saw their opponent’s class tell as each game progressed.

However, a completely different team has emerged under Ralph Hasenhuttl’s leadership since those meetings.

This time around, City were facing a team that was transforming into something much closer to the ideals that the Austrian has – high-pressing football in a 4-2-2-2 as opposed to deep, defensive bus parking in a 5-3-2, a want to break on the counter instead of maintaining solidity and a club looking up the Premier League table rather than towards the Championship.

Hasenhuttl’s team is becoming a creation in his own personal style. A regular matchday sees him bouncing around his technical area and yelling encouragement whilst his players apply that same energy to their performances. Even after a club-record loss, Saints saw his belief in what he is trying build and put faith in the process.

Saints fans followed suit by placing their own faith in a manager they feel they can relate to, and now, on yesterday’s evidence, the growing collective positivity surrounding the club really looks to be transferring to the playing squad.

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Each player carried out their roles to near perfection against City. Forwards chased and harried from the front, and even around their own penalty box when needed. Full-backs Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Bertrand were effective at keeping out City’s threat from wide

In the centre, Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse were confident on the ball and trusted themselves to go toe-to-toe with City’s Silva duo, and as if to fit into the storyline of Saints pushing pre-match presumptions aside, Che Adams finally scored a memorable first goal for the club.

Stuart Armstrong gained possession just inside the City half and there did not look to be too much on as Adams picked up the play, but he put the previous part of his debut top-flight season behind him in one split second. His first time strike from around 40 yards took Ederson well out of the game and showed the decisiveness that had made Saints pay £16m for him last summer rather than the hesitation that had crept into his play – just the moment that a striker may need to start firing again.

Saints had to ride their luck at times as City tried to get back into the game but they also earned their win heroically. Alex McCarthy made six smart saves and the players in front of him defended his goal like their clean sheet was the only thing that mattered in life.

The numbers from their performance help to show just this:

–        20 successful tackles, with seven of those in the City half.

–        27 interceptions; 21 of which were in their own half.

–        57 clearances, with 12 of the 13 Saints players that appeared making at least one.

–        22 blocks, with 12 being made in their own penalty area

–        16 aerial duels won

–        21 losses of possession compared to City’s 30

(stats via whoscored.com)

A team only fights for a result like this if they believe in a project and the people that are coaching them. They literally fought for every ball and each City shot on goal was met with multiple players throwing their bodies in the way, with the best example being no less than four Saints players positioned in front of Bernardo Silva’s second-half effort from close-range.

Just imagine if they actually had something left to play for this season?

Hasenhuttl’s pride post-match was obvious. An interview with southamptonfc.com showed him trying to hide a huge grin as he came to terms with what his side had just done – an almost dazed expression on his face whilst recounting how his tactics had been carried out to perfection by his players against one of the toughest teams they are likely to face.

He has now transformed his players from a seemingly one-dimensional team to one that can win in multiple ways. Their natural style suits a game where they can counter-attack and Sunday’s performance shows an an ability to defend resolutely when they need to. Equally encouraging is recent success at winning with a bigger share of possession too, with wins over Norwich and Watford after the restart being examples of this.

The story is not finished by any means, and a 1-0 victory over Manchester City must only be considered as a marker of progress in a lengthy process. There are, however, plenty of reasons for optimism as fans watch this Saints team develop towards its full potential.