Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl on borrowed time after losing the trust of his players
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Ralph Hasenhuttl is ‘on borrowed time as Southampton manager after losing the trust of his players’, who are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the Austrian amid run of 11 defeats in 14
- Southampton were hammered 4-1 at Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day
- Saints have been on a terrible Premier League run stretching back to last season
- Players were left ‘surprised’ that Ralph Hasenhuttl did not leave in the summer
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Southampton stars have reportedly become disillusioned with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl and were surprised he was not axed in the summer.
The Saints got off to a dreadful start to the Premier League season, losing their opening game 4-1 at Tottenham Hotspur in a dismal display in north London.
According to MailPlus there was ‘unrest and dissent’ following the Tottenham loss and the Austrian has become ‘increasingly detached from his squad’.
Ralph Hasenhuttl saw his Southampton side beaten 4-1 at Tottenham on the opening day
The report also states players spoke to members of the club’s hierarchy at the end of last season, which ended with the south coast side losing 10 of their last 13 games.
Hasenhuttl’s management was said to be of a concern among players and there was much surprise and disappointment when the 55-year-old was kept onboard while there was nearly a full scale change of his coaching staff.
A poor start to the season will have not eased those fears, although Hasenhuttl does have a contract that runs until 2024, and there is already thought to be tension behind the scenes over the direction the club is heading in under the Austrian.
Under pressure Hasenhuttl has reportedly become detached from figures inside the club
A MailPlus source said: ‘Ralph just doesn’t really talk to people anymore,’ said one source. ‘He drops players without any real thought and has no relationship with them if they have an issue.
‘There is a real defensive focus and they’re going into games just trying not to lose. Players are used out of position and there is no consistency – a lot of them are very unhappy.
‘When they sacked the coaching staff, there was a feeling it should have been Ralph who went. The club say they have full faith in him, but it looks like he knows the game is nearly up.’
Stuart Armstrong (left) and Jan Bednarek react during the 4-1 hammering at Tottenham