The Ralph Hasenhüttl effect: Fact or fiction?

When Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhuttl took over at Southampton, the excitement was tangible. A contender for the FC Bayern job in the previous summer, he only left RB Leipzig due to stylistic differences. He’d helped the club to progress massively in a short space of time, establishing them as a reputed force in the Bundesliga when there was a talent vacuum from other top sides. Arriving at Southampton, then, everyone expected to see the Saints go marching on. Have they?

Many fans from other clubs will notice an upturn in performances and often payer performances, too. The South Coast outfit look more energetic, they have a more impressive style of play and they look much more tactically cohesive. However, results aren’t actually that great. Indeed, in 16 games so far, there’s a very even feel to it all: 16 games, 5 wins, 5 draws, 6 losses. They’ve scored 23 goals, but conceded 24. These are somewhat alarming stats.

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It would be harsh, though, to say that the Ralph Hasenhüttl impact has been negligible. Under Mark Hughes, Southampton were almost certain to go down. Under the Austrian, hey have every chance of staying up.

How has Ralph Hasenhüttl helped Southampton?

For one, there’s been a significant improvement in performance from some of their better players. The likes of Jan Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard have formed a decent partnership. Alongside Matt Targett and Mario Lemina, they’ve probably been the best players for the Saints. It seems odd to have a team in such trouble have three defenders as their best players, though.

It does let you know about the general creative deficit at the club, though. While Nathan Redmond tries, he’s still a frustrating and inconsistent player to watch at 25. Danny Ings works hard and feels like a fine Hasenhüttl striker – but he has just 7 goals so far this season.

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The club has suffered in quite a few ways, not least the fact that there’s such a shortfall in performance for some of their players who we would expect more from. Oriol Romeu and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg should be a good duo in the middle of the pitch. However, they have often flattered to deceive. As have other players like Maya Yoshida, and younger players like Jack Stephens.

There’s a big lack of quality in the Saints side. Given that Hasenhüttl came in so late, though, it’s important that they simply stay up this year. We could easily see the Austrian being a huge asset to the club if he gets the chance to reshape their side in the summer. Until then, though, he has to make do with a side that, for the most part, do not play anything like the football that he would normally go for.

That’s a problem. If the poor results continue to arrive, it might be hard to see them staying up. While they are mostly in a fight with Cardiff City for safety, all it takes is one poor result to shift the dynamic entirely. For us, though, it’s a fact: Ralph Hasenhüttl has made a difference at Southampton. Will it be enough, though?

Featured image: Thomas Rodenbücher – Flickr: IMG_3616.jpg (CC BY 2.0)