This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
It’s been a topsy-turvy campaign for Southampton so far.
A 4-0 thrashing of arch-rivals Portsmouth has arguably been the highlight, while wins over Sheffield United and Brighton are up there as some other decent moments.
However, there have probably been more lows than highs.
The Saints have lost their last three Premier League games, conceding nine goals in the process as Bournemouth, Tottenham and Chelsea have swatted Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men to one side.
The Austrian? Well, he could deservedly come in for some criticism.
Here are two reasons why the former RB Leipzig boss should be questioned…
Powder-puff backline
Hasenhuttl’s side have conceded far too many goals, and at this point, the finger could justifiably be pointed at him rather than those in his backline.
The Saints have shipped 15 goals in eight Premier League games, the third-most out of all 20 teams.
Managers of teams who the Saints are arguably competing with, such as Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson and Burnley’s Sean Dyche, have allowed their side to ship just eight and nine goals respectively, spending considerably less on their defences – £18m Jannik Vestergaard cost more than £400k Joel Ward, £1.5m Martin Kelly, £14m Patrick van Aanholt and free transfer Gary Cahill combined.
Burnley’s defence – consisting of Erik Pieters, Ben Mee, James Tarkowski and Matt Lowton – also didn’t cost anywhere near Vestergaard’s fee – it’s all down to the coaching.
Strange substitutions
Hasenhuttl continues to make substitutions at the wrong moments in matches.
Against Spurs, he waited until the 79th minute to bring on his first sub, despite the fact that the north Londoners had Serge Aurier sent off in the 31st minute – Stuart Armstrong, Michael Obafemi and Shane Long all had barely any time to make an impact.
Then, against Chelsea, the Austrian watched on as his side went 3-1 down, and once again waited until the latter stages of the game before bringing on his first sub – Obafemi was introduced in the 73rd minute, before Sofiane Boufal and Che Adams entered the fray in the 81st minute.
His substitutions are coming far too late when his side are chasing the game – Southampton are paying for these decisions with some poor results.
