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#3 Southampton continue upward trajectory under Hasenhuttl
Prior to Friday night’s game against Liverpool, Southampton were on a positive run of form and placed eight on the form table. The former Leipzig manager has overseen an upturn in fortunes for the Saints as they continue their quest for survival in the Premier League. Southampton secured wins against Brighton and Tottenham prior to the clash against Liverpool.
Hasenhuttl went into the game with three at the back as Southampton set up in a 3-4-1-2 formation. The Austrian got his tactics spot on in the first half as his side did not allow Liverpool to play their natural game. Liverpool found themselves on the wrong end of the counter press as Hasenhuttl’s side made life difficult for the Reds. Southampton regrouped quickly whenever they lost possession and forced the likes of Fabinho, Wijnaldum and Keita to concede possession in some important areas of the pitch.
The back three of Yoshida, Bednarek and Vestergaard performed their tasks well and marshalled Salah, Mane and Firmino to great effect. Southampton looked dangerous during the first half and again, from the restart as they tried to take points off Liverpool.
One of the few flaws in Southampton’s game was to leave Long isolated against the duo of Matip and van Dijk. A little more support up the pitch could have worked wonders for the home side as they kept Liverpool’s defence on their toes for the majority of the game.
The 3-1 scoreline was not reflective of Southampton’s performance on the night as they made Liverpool toil for the three points. Despite the loss, Southampton find themselves five points from the relegation zone, with their remaining fixtures against sides outside the top six.
With a few tactical tweaks, Southampton look well positioned to survive in the Premier League as they continue to progress under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
