Southampton head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl must wonder what he has done to deserve such bad luck when it comes to big defeats. The Saints boss famously saw his side suffer a 9-0 home defeat against Leicester back in October 2019.
Some believed that the Austrian boss would not survive the defeat. However, the Saints hierarchy stuck by Hasenhuttl and he has turned the team from the south coast into a very solid Premier League outfit. The Saints even look contenders for a top-six spot.
Ralph Hasenhüttl gives his reaction to tonight's game:— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 2, 2021
Ralph Hasenhüttl gives his reaction to tonight's game:
The team’s form has dipped of late because of an injury crisis. A trip to Manchester United on Tuesday night was always going to be a difficult one.
It turned out that lightning could strike twice for Hasenhuttl and his team, as they left Old Trafford on the end of another 9-0 defeat.
A second-minute dismissal of 19-year-old midfielder Alexandre Jankewitz opened the floodgates for the Red Devils, who mercilessly took the Saints apart. A controversial red card for centre-back Jan Bednarek late in the game just added injury to insult for the visitors.
Many have criticised Hasenhuttl for the defeat, but in truth, there was very little he could have done about the defeat mainly due to a hefty injury list and some awful luck.
Hasenhuttl will now likely be remembered for the two heavy defeats, when in fact he is a hugely respected head coach. The dismissals in both games certainly didn’t help the Saints cause.
Southampton will be attempting to move on from the result as quickly as possible, as the Saints are still just six points off the top-five and the European qualification spots.
Their head coach has done a good job on the south coast and it would be harsh to judge his work with the club on two freak results.