When Andre Marriner blew his whistle at the end of four additional minutes during Southampton’s win over Liverpool in early January, the Sky pitchside cameraman made a beeline for victorious manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. Overcome by emotion, the 53-year-old dropped to his knees and began crying as the camera swirled around him in a dramatic fashion. In the Austrian’s eyes, he had climbed the highest of mountains and the toll that it had taken on his emotions was evident for all to see.
Clips of Hasenhuttl’s full-time reaction went viral on social media with the usual big football accounts peddling the same unimaginative captions along the lines of ‘great to see,’ accompanied by a host of clapping hands emojis.
An emotional Ralph Hasenhuttl sinks to his knees after beating Liverpool. That win meant everything ?
(via @footballdaily)pic.twitter.com/jucVT2NWsW
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 4, 2021
But there was a school of thought which suggested that Hasenhuttl’s reaction was in actual fact the furthest thing from aspirational and perhaps even slightly unambitious. Liverpool are of course a big scalp, but such an outpouring of emotion should be reserved for tangible accomplishments like silverware. Crucially, the Reds had just come off back-to-back stalemates with relegation-threatened West Brom and Newcastle. The signs were already there that this Liverpool team was a shadow of the Premier League winning one, which does make you once again question the wisdom of the Southampton manager’s response upon completion of the game.
In many ways, Hasenhuttl’s conduct at full time inadvertently sent a dangerous message to his players that the job had been done even though the reality was it was just another three points. The inescapable truth was that there were still 21 games left in the season and anything could still happen, the time for admiring the view was still months away.
Unsurprisingly, the Saints would lose their next six league games and concede 20 goals in the process while slipping into a relegation fight. Granted, their Premier League odds on relegation may still be at 40/1 but that may fall soon when you consider that the only team they’ve managed to beat since Liverpool is bottom of the table Sheffield United.
“Why don’t we get a penalty?”
A frustrated Ralph Hasenhuttl gives his thoughts after @SouthamptonFC‘s damaging 2-1 loss to @Wolves #PLonPrime #SOUWOL pic.twitter.com/DhxHGtYJXB
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) February 14, 2021
Indeed, this Saints side has gone from pushing for the top six to anxiously looking over their shoulders in the space of two months. The complacency that set in after the win against Liverpool has made them lethargic and unwilling to produce the effort required to win games of football in the Premier League.
There has of course been some bad luck along the way and Alexandre Jankewitz’s red card after only two minutes against Manchester United triggered a catastrophic collapse for the Saints at Old Trafford. The Red Devils ran riot and racked up nine goals on the evening to hand Southampton their second 9-0 loss in the space of two seasons. The psychological blow of another seemingly inconceivable and humiliating scoreline would have been severe.
Still, despite morale being low, Hasenhuttl has failed in his attempt to lift the spirit of the changing room given that his demeanour has been one of total deflation. If the Austrian’s post-match press conferences are anything to go by – and they’re an excruciatingly hard watch – you can understand why the squad’s confidence is so low.
“We can’t score, this is our problem.”
Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl reacts to his side’s loss at Goodison Park – they’ve now taken just 1 point from the last 27 available…? pic.twitter.com/VWkFIiKmpU
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 1, 2021
Historically, Hasenhuttl’s teams have been renowned for their aggressive pressing and work rate off the ball. Indeed, the 53-year-old is uncompromising in his philosophy of how football should be played, which can result in disaster if his team no longer has the will to run. It is very much a system that is dependent on the players’ unwavering intensity, without that, Southampton will always be in danger of sinking like a rock.
Unfortunately, when a team begins to plumb the depths like Southampton are currently doing, there isn’t a silver bullet to remedy the situation. Of course, a new broom sweeps clean but giving Hasenhuttl his marching orders from St Mary’s could also be seen as rolling the dice. It’s a complex job trying to revive the fortunes of a team towards the bottom of the Premier League table and so often we see it’s a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire.
The 2021 summer can’t come soon enough for many exhausted teams in the Premier League and, perhaps, the best thing the Southampton board can do is reassess the situation at the start of next season after the manager and squad have had adequate time to recharge. That is providing that Southampton start next season in the Premier League.
