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It was painfully obvious Saturday’s defeat to Crystal Palace came too soon for Ralph Hasenhuttl and his men.
Wilfred Zaha’s first half goal proved the difference as Southampton’s curtain-raiser hoodoo continued. Defeat at Selhurst Park has now meant Saints have only recorded six opening-day victories in the past 40 seasons.
Afterwards, Hasenhuttl was reticent in his critique of the side, describing the performance as ‘not good’ – a rather polite while lukewarm response coming from a man known for his demanding and confrontational style of play.
“We are not quite on the same level yet,” said Hasenhuttl. “Today was not the easiest day and after Zaha’s goal it was tough. We were too slow. We had a lot of possession but we were not stressing the opponent.”
When Hasenhuttl talks about “stressing the opponent,” he is referring to his men performing their physical and tactical capabilities at their maximum, where they revel in chaos and seize upon any hesitancy or uncertainty from their opponents, because of this.
This, in turn, places a high physical and possibly mental burden on the players. Being set-up in a structural system which demands relentless running and the ability to provoke incessant turnovers, requires a greater amount of psychological fortitude than what would usually be the case. If you are to play regularly in this side, you simply have to embrace Hasenhuttl’s kamikaze, ping-pong style of play.
But what transpired on Saturday was ostensibly different to the Southampton team during Project Restart. Instead, they appeared sluggish and undercooked, despite the personnel largely remaining the same. Their running metrics back-up the optics, with the team dropping alarmingly in this area.
From the eight sides to play on the opening day, Southampton recovered the ball the third-fewest times. Southampton were below the average team recoveries per 90 (62), with just 54. To illustrate the comparison to last season, Saints made the fourth highest, only averaging one recovery fewer to Liverpool.
Of course, there are clear mitigating factors. The principal one being that there had been only 48 days between the Palace game and Saints’ final game of last season against Sheffield United. The squad also returned to pre-season on August 17, meaning they had just 26 days to prepare.
This Wednesday evening, Southampton turn their attentions to the second round of the Carabao Cup.
For the vast number of Premier League sides, the Carabao Cup is the little brother no one wants, particularly this season, given the congested fixture schedule. Just like the undesired little sibling, the competition was loosely planned in the first place and doesn’t especially seem to offer much, although it can be alright in spots. Its embryonic stages are laborious and frustrating, and you seem to spend a lot of time wondering why it was ever created in the first place.
But every once in a while, the little sibling is viewed differently. It’s instead seen as an ally, someone that can be utilised and prove advantageous, all for your benefit.
Saints’ home game against Brentford is just that. The team needs to get up to speed fast and reconfigure any tactical or technical facets that are in need of being altered. Without the pressure of getting points on the board early, the openings rounds of the Carabao Cup – hardly the season’s masterpiece – can be tremendously handy for the season ahead.
Make no bones about it, Brentford are a talented outfit, whom are perhaps still suffering the after-affects of last season’s play-off heartbreak. Despite also losing their first game of the season, the Bees are a youthful, vibrant side that are bound to examine where Southampton’s fitness and form levels are at.
While it would be fruitful to progress into the next round, the game grants Ralph Hasenhuttl ample opportunity to correct the wrongs of Saturday’s performance and a further 90 minutes of his players practising what the Austrian’s alludes to as “automatisms” – small rehearsed sequences that respond in a certain way depending on what the opposition do.
Hasenhuttl makes no crux in disguising that his team were not ready for the new season. Yet, at the same time, underlines the imperative need for Saints to continue their momentum on from last season. “I think it is important that we begin to find a rhythm,” Hasenhuttl said at Tuesday’s press conference.
“We hope to do well in all competitions and, after a not so good start, it’s a chance to make it better on Wednesday. This chance we will take.”
Perhaps the game against Brentford, the little brother competition that no one seemed to want, may be exactly what’s needed after all.
Southampton welcome Brentford to St Mary’s in a 7.45pm (19.45 GMT) kick-off. Our reporter Jacob Tanswell will be at the game, providing all team news, updates and fall-out after the match.
Follow on Twitter – @J_Tanswell
