Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has labeled the goals his side conceded against West Ham an “absolute joke”.
The Saints lost 3-1 to West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday and Hasenhuttl has lamented the way in which they lost.
Speaking to BBC Solent, Hasenhuttl said:
If we played like this against a team that is in a relegation battle, then you are also very quickly back in the relegation battle, so pay attention.
For me, simply not good enough.
I think we conceded goals that were an absolute joke.
READ SOUTHAMPTON VERDICT
The defending was poor for all three goals and Hasenhuttl looked puzzled on the sidelines as Southampton failed to make any notable impact on the game in any of the thirds. It can be easy to blame the players in the back four for the three goals Southampton conceded, but the midfielders were just as culpable.
Will Smallbone and Pierre-Emile Hojberg offered little to no protection in front of the defence and the wingers failed to track back and help their fullbacks out, allowing West Ham plenty of space in wide areas.
This allowed West Ham to break quickly when they won the ball back, as too many Southampton players stayed high up the pitch and did not do their part defensively, which left the back four exposed against the Hammers’ front four.
So, when Hasenhuttl says that Southampton’s defending for the three goals was a joke, he should be referring to the entire team. It does not mean that he was just singling out the back four, or just the centre-backs. It is a team game and the midfield failed to help out the defenders, resulting in West Ham attacking at will.
