Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier has claimed that the club’s 9-0 defeat to Leicester earlier in the season was a huge wake-up call.
The Saints were on the wrong end of a Premier League record-breaking defeat at St. Mary’s, as Leicester set the new record for the biggest away win in the division’s history.
Le Tissier believes that it was a wake-up call for the Saints and that the performances have been much improved since the horror show against the Foxes.
Speaking to The Guardian, Le Tissier said:
Going down to 10 men and losing a goal in the process on this horrible evening weather-wise was like a perfect storm. It was one of those nights, but looking back on it, I think it was a real wake-up call for our team. I think they were embarrassed and most of their performances since then have been much, much better. I think the players let the club down that evening, if I’m honest.
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Including the defeat to Leicester, Southampton had only won two of their opening 10 Premier League matches. In the subsequent 15 games, Southampton have won seven – a dramatic upturn in form. The best example is possibly the reverse fixture against Leicester, which Southampton won 2-1 at The King Power last month – with Danny Ings scoring a later winner for the Saints.
It is clear from these stats that Southampton have turned their season around since the drubbing against Leicester and they are starting to look forward, rather than look behind them.
Whilst you can point to player motivation as a possible reason for it, the Leicester defeat was one of the last times Hasenhuttl deployed the 3-5-2 system – opting for a 4-2-2-2 since. This allows for Southampton to utilise their pressing game, but also have a solid base at the back to allow them to build their play.
The 3-5-2 left too many gaps in central areas and meant that the pace of Southampton’s centre-backs was exposed due to them being spread apart and counter-attacked on with speed.
Hasenhuttl deserves great credit for that change as it has clearly worked with the incredible form following the introduction of the 4-2-2-2. It shows that he is able to learn from his mistakes and adapt to the Premier League, which bodes well going forward for the club.
