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Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl admitted he was surprised at his side’s dip in energy following their second-half slump against Wolves.
Southampton squandered a 2-0 lead as Wolves came from behind to take all three points at St Mary’s, putting an end to the Saints’ impressive run of form.
While defeats in such a manner can occur over the course of an arduous Premier League campaign, it should still serve as a worry for Ralph Hasenhuttl. His side, who have proven to be the division’s hardest workers over the recent festive period, were outworked and outfought by a reinvogorated Wolves side in the second-half.
As with every manager, there are simple, non-negotiables as to what the man in the dugout expects from his team. Hasenhuttl’s aggressive, front-foot philosophy focuses heavily on his side’s reaction to a transition and in possession, utilising successful turnovers to break lines and exploit offensive spaces.
But for the system to be carried out to perfection, they must require one thing; energy.
Despite Southampton appearing to be safe with a 2-0 scoreline, in truth, they never really got going. Wolves were dominant for large periods of the first-half and could and should have opened the scoring. From the get-go, Hasenhuttl’s 4-2-2-2 seemed exposed by Wolves wide 5-2-3 system, who were constantly pulling apart a Southampton midfield that appeared to be badly gassing.
The comeback had an air of inevitability to it, as if it was a matter of time before Wolverhampton Wanderers earned their just rewards. Old habits die hard and Southampton were always never far away from this type of result. This season, Saints have only won 26 per cent of games when leading at half-time.
Southampton seemed a yard of the pace all around the pitch, losing individual battles and then becoming wasteful in possession – a severe contrast to their recent performances to Tottenham and Leicester. For a side that is not blessed with technical talent, each player must play at their maximum for the collective to shine; a certain “automatism” as Hasenhuttl prefers to say.
“Normally we should have more (energy) than the opponent because they played on Wednesday. They (Wolves) have shown this season they can often come back and we knew this” – Ralph Hasenhuttl.
While Southampton can be excused for their little reserves in the energy department, Wolves have had it even tougher. The match at St Mary’s marked the Midlands club 39th of the campaign, and only played in Manchester three days prior. If any team were going to be tired, it was supposed to be them.
In every tactical nuance or any football ideology, there are pros and cons. For Hasenhuttl and his own, the pressing vision he sets can be risky, where if his players quite aren’t at the races and are against a team that negates the press with direct play, they will often become exposed to counter-attacks and counter-transitions.
Raul Jimenez’s 75th minute strike which turned out to be the winner, epitomised Southampton’s risk-taking nature coming back to haunt them. Moments before the goal, the hosts were having a good spell of possession, pinning Wolves back in their defensive third and sustaining attacks.
But the moment they were caught in possession, they were punished immediately. Saints’ two centre-halves Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek were exposed to the physical presence of Jimenez and possibly the fastest player in the league, Adama Traore.
Despite the defensive duo’s obvious flaws, in the two-against-two situation they found themselves in, there is reason to sympathise. Given Traore and Jimenez’s physical capabilities in combination with Wolves notorious for their cut-throat counter-attacks that can rip through the heart of any defence, more could have been done from Hasenhuttl to protect them. “We must be a little bit better closing them down from the ‘number six position’, the Saints boss said afterwards.
The turning of screws began long before Wolves had even scored their first though. At half-time Nuno Espirito Santo tweaked his system, a small change which offered big rewards. The Wolves boss brought Traore in off the left and up-front, partnering Jimenez. Meanwhile, opposite winger Pedro Neto started the second-half as the number 10, operating just behind the front-two.
The increased amount of bodies in the central areas suffocated the Southampton midfield, with Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg – who has won the most turnovers of any player in the Premier League – and James Ward-Prowse becoming under enormous strain. With the amount of football the midfield pair have played over the hectic Christmas schedule, they did not quite have the energy to go up another gear.
Ran ragged by the Wolves electric front-three, the way Southampton fell apart may concern Hasenhuttl the most. Perhaps fatigue is the major factor, but the same should have applied to their counterparts, if that was the case. Instead, it could be down to his side’s old ways of failing to halt a turning tide.
“We have made good progress in the last weeks but we know we are still far from perfect and doing everything right.” Hasenhuttl said.
“Such games like today are important for us. In the end we need to take the positive things and do it better on Tuesday.”
While its important to not overreact to the result, especially after Southampton’s magnificent unbeaten run, it may just offer a stark reminder to the board that the January market provides an opportune time to freshen things up.
Hasenhuttl refused to be down in the dumps though, humorously insisting the outgrown beard that he kept during the run, was swiftly going to come off later in the evening.
