Hasenhuttl revitalised The Saints with his modern outlook on the game.
Overview
Southampton finished the Premier League campaign with 39 points, 2 places above the relegation zone in 16th. After just 1 win in their first 14 games, manager Mark Hughes was sacked with former RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhuttl the man chosen to replace him.
The Austrian would eventually save Southampton from relegation, bringing his trademark pressing style and counter attacking play to the south coast.
Highs
The club made a number of astute signings in pre-season. Scottish midfielder Stuart Armstrong proved to be a bargain at £7 million, joining from Celtic.Giant Danish centre-back Jannik Vestergaard was brought in from Borussia Monchengladbach and also had a fine season.
Performances changed drastically after the introduction of Hasenhuttl. Mark Hughes’ negative and old-fashioned tactics were replaced with a much more modern approach allowing many players to flourish under the new regime.
Southampton picked up memorable home wins against Arsenal and Tottenham and managed impressive away draws at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford.
Stand out performer
Nathan Redmond played in every single Premier League game last season, netting 6 times and picking up 4 assists. In an often bleak season, the pacey forward shone bright, linking play well and proving extremely effective on the counter. His efforts have also earned him a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s Nations League England squad.
What went wrong?
Their wretched start under Hughes didn’t set them up well for the season. It was always going to be tough for a side who had only won once in their first 14 games to climb up the table.
Having only won 9 games throughout the campaign, they will look back and be thankful that they managed a league high of 12 draws, 3 more than any other club in the division. If it wasn’t for so many draws, Southampton could’ve quite easily found themselves in the bottom 3.
One to watch
At just 20 years old, French right-back Yan Valery featured 23 times in the Premier League for The Saints last season. A firm favourite with Hassenhuttl, the young defender is speedy, great at going forward but also does not forget about his defensive duties. Expect him to be in the starting line-up a great deal more next season after some eye-catching displays.
Next season
With 3 wins and 3 draws in their final 10 games of last season, Southampton will be hoping they can pick up where they left off and continue that sort of form into the new campaign.
Under Ralph Hassenhuttl the south coast side look like an exciting young outfit and a mid-table finish would be more than satisfactory in his first full season.