Former Southampton hitman Charlie Austin has taken aim at his former manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, claiming the Austrian tactician must shoulder more of the burden for the club’s poor form.
A late capitulation against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United saw the Saints suffer their 18th defeat of the season, with the Saints having won just two of their last five games.
Southampton find themselves assured of another season of Premier League football ahead of their final game of the season against West Ham, though an inquest has surely already begun as to how any hopes of a top-half finish have slipped away.
Recent wins against Crystal Palace and Fulham have buoyed the Saints in recent games, but Austin nonetheless believes plenty of cracks are rupturing around St. Mary’s.
Speaking to talkSPORT [via HampshireLive], the ex-Saints poacher declared:
“I think he needs to come under a bit of pressure, if I am honest,” he said.
“They had a good start but they fell away so much, didn’t they. Let’s not forget that they got beat 9-0 again and they’ve got good players.
“They’re going to lose Ryan Bertrand, he is going to leave the football club and he has been there for so long.
“Danny Ings has got one year left and there is every chance he is going to move on,” claimed Austin.
“Someone might take Vestergaard. Jan Bednarek is going to the Euros with Poland, he could go on and leave.
“And let’s not forget James Ward-Prowse. He has been there for so long and must be looked at by other clubs.
“But I think if you look at the manager, he gets so much praise for his pressing but he almost passes the buck onto the players. I think it needs to come from him, he needs to take some accountability.
“He celebrated being top of the league at the start but the second half he has been poor. They do not win for so long, the bottom three get relegated, the pressure is off and then they win two and they’re swanning around like they’re the best thing,” he said.
Read Southampton Verdict
Given that Austin found himself frozen out of the side by Hasenhuttl, it is improbable that the home-grown talent would be the Austrian’s biggest cheerleader.
Nonetheless, Austin has succinctly laid out many of the problematic conundrums facing Southampton this summer.
Both Vestergaard and Ings have been linked with high-profile switches away to Premier League rivals in recent months and retaining their services could prove to be a Sisyphean task for the south coast side.
Ryan Bertrand – a mainstay this season – will also need replacement following confirmation that he will be leaving upon the expiration of his contract this summer.
If any progressive and ambitious vision for the club is to be fulfilled, confining this season’s relative malaise to history will be front-and-centre on Hasenhuttl’s mind.
