Sitting fourth from the bottom of the Premier League, Ralph Hasenhuttl, Southampton Football Club’s manager has some serious thinking to do. Luckily, he will be given time to put that thinking cap on.
The next international break is now in session. It runs from the 7th of October through to Tuesday the 15th. During that time the English national team faces two away games. The first is against the Czech Republic at the Sinobo Stadium in Prague on Friday the 11th and the second is against Bulgaria at the Vasil Levski National Stadium, in Sofia on Thursday the 14th.
Back at club level and following the disappointing 1-4 home defeat against Chelsea last Sunday, manager Hasenhuttl said that Saints must be very honest with themselves during the recess and he is surely right about that. This was the Saints’ heaviest defeat since he took over the reins.
Southampton’s performance against the South Londoners was more than disappointing; it was completely unacceptable. We won’t dwell on the detail, that has already been covered in the media more than enough.
It’s what Saints and Hasenhuttl can conjure up when play resumes in the Premiership that is all-important. Remember that the last time Saints lost five of their opening eight games, they were relegated.
The problem is that Southampton have a really tough spell coming up. Their first game will be against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. Wolves are basking in the sun, savouring a 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad in their last game. The best Saints could probably hope for would be a draw.
After that they entertain 4th placed Leicester at St Mary’s, followed by two visits to the Etihad to face Manchester City; once in the Carabao Cup and then three days after, in the Premiership. On the 9th of November, they are home to Everton, with a trip to North London to face Arsenal afterwards. It’s a really tough program, for anyone, let alone a struggling Southampton.
The problem for Saints and Hasenhuttl is the squad. There is not a lot of bright talent there. They do have one or two good players, and it is down to them to find their best form and lead by example. This is certainly true of both Nathan Redmund and Dany Ings.
Another key player for Southampton is James Ward-Prowse, as acknowledged in a recent interview given by Joleon Lescott. Ward-Prowse has made appearances at all levels for the England national team.
At club level, he had a disappointing start to last season under the previous manager Mark Hughes. He made only three starts in the first 15 weeks. However, his fortunes changed when Ralph Hasenhuttl replaced Hughes. The 24-year-old scored seven goals and was Saints’ best midfield creator.
But last Sunday even Ward-Prowse was found to be lacking against Chelsea, and he rightly picked up an awful lot of criticism from disgruntled fans. But, the truth of the matter is that the 24-year-old has a lot of potential. If Southampton are to avoid relegation, James Ward-Prowse’s return best form is crucial.
