Ralph Hasenhuttl needs positive results with a crucial set of fixtures ahead and the Saints still winless

To be winless after the opening seven league games of a season is underwhelming, yet there are surprisingly a handful of positives that Southampton can take from their opening fixtures, despite not recording a win to date.

It’s no secret that the Saints were handed a harsh set of opening fixtures for the 2021/22 campaign. However, draws against Manchester United, West Ham and Manchester City, who they kept a clean sheet against, have been impressive.

Currently, the South Coast outfit has more points (four) from the fixtures they’ve played thus far than what they collected in the exact same games last term (two).

Despite the positives, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are winless in a results business and the Austrian will be desperate for a win.

To be the worst team in the Premier League, excluding those relegated and promoted in 2021, is a humiliating statistic, particularly given that the Saints have won just four of their 29 league matches this calendar year and fortunes have to turn.

There have been Southampton fans who have turned to social media to express their sudden detest towards the 54-year-old with ‘Ralph Out’ tweets growing in numbers by the week.

A sacking in the Saints camp still seems unlikely with it being so early in the season as well as the fact that the manager has three years left on his contract. In two months though, it could appear clearer on where Hasenhuttl’s future is heading.

Simply put, the next five Premier League games are crucial in regards to predicting how the season will play out for Southampton.

Back-to-back home games against Leeds United and Burnley before a trip to Watford, now under Claudio Ranieri, end the month of October. The Saints then welcome Aston Villa to St Mary’s and travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich City after November’s international break.

You could argue that Leeds and Aston Villa are sides that will be clear of Southampton come the end of the season, but Burnley, Watford and Norwich all appear to be outfits that will be flirting with the prospect of a relegation battle and thus are must-win fixtures for Hasenhuttl and his men.

Should Southampton be winless going into the next international break, then yes, perhaps addressing who is stood in the dugout for the remainder of the season will be necessary.

In credit to Hasenhuttl, the Austrian has shown signs of improvement on drastic flaws displayed last campaign.

Earlier substitutions and tweaks in formation have been made at times, most recently the decision to replace Theo Walcott with Ibrahima Diallo at half-time against Chelsea. This saw Oriol Romeu drop into defence as a centre-back, with the Saints matching their hosts’ back-five setup.

There has also been obvious work on the defensive shape, with strong early performances from Jack Stephens and Mohammed Salisu, who has appeared to be the immediate replacement for summer departure Jannik Vestergaard.

Stephens’ long-term injury was certainly a major blow with the Englishman set for at least another eight weeks on the sidelines.

The Saints have conceded 10 league goals thus far, in the same fixtures last term they shipped 17 goals.

However, the rise in defensive strength has led to a decline in attacking output, with just four goals scored from the opening seven matches and Hasenhuttl certainly needs to find a system where the two aspects are balanced.

This campaign isn’t going to be one where Southampton are going to push for the top-half, despite that being the target set by the 54-year-old. It was always going to be a long, hard slog after another summer of little financial backing.

Albeit, the transfer window exceeded the expectations of most Saints fans, however, the squad on paper isn’t yet an overly competitive top-flight outfit.

There have been glimpses of potential, but those glimpses need to become regular viewing in the immediate future.

The next five matches will give a much clearer idea of where Southampton’s fortunes this term are heading and whether or not Ralph Hasenhuttl is at the helm.

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