Saints have mountain to conquer
RALPH Hasenhuttl breezed in promising “mind-blowing” ideas.
But this defeat was an eye-opener for Southampton’s new Austrian manager, dubbed the ‘Klopp of the Alps’.
His doppelganger at Liverpool is now enjoying life at the top. Hasenhuttl, the same height and age, is off the bottom of the table only on goal difference.
Hasenhuttl admitted learning a lot from this defeat. Not least that defenders like Jannik Vestergaard cannot afford the schoolboy error that gifted Callum Paterson a 74th-minute winner.
Hasenhuttl made six changes and introduced a 4-2-2-2 formation focused on high pressing. His side enjoyed more possession but had only one shot on target and looked vulnerable to the counter.
Cardiff could have been two or three up at the break before the Saints hauled off full-back Yan Valery and moved the ball quicker.
Stuart Armstrong appealed in vain for a 59th-minute penalty when he beat Victor Camarasa and went down. But the visitors still slumped to a defeat that extends their winless run to 12 league games.
Arsenal are next up and however good Hasenhuttl promises training will be, he has to have the right personnel.
Defender Matt Targett, a Saints academy graduate, has promised to embrace the new regime.
“Everyone needs to buy into his tactics and we need to stick together as a team,” he said. “He demands a lot from you, otherwise
CARDIFF SOUTHAMPTON
you’re out. It’s a clean slate and if you impress then you will start. He likes to get his hands dirty, really full on. He’ll tell you if you are doing it wrong.
“You can see straight away that he is going to ask a lot from each position. It will be a journey but we have to stick together and buy into it. I’m confident we can get out of it.”
So is Cardiff boss Neil Warnock, who said: “I’m glad we’re playing them now because he has a decent squad there.
“He will have seen enough to know he has a good chance of getting them out of trouble.”
Warnock said Chris Sutton will have to eat humble pie after calling his prediction about them distasteful. TV pundit Sutton expected the club to go down with a record low points total.
Warnock said: “To say we’re probably the worst team who have ever been promoted, I found that a bit distasteful. I spoke to him on the radio last week and he did say, ‘I’m beginning to think I made a mistake there’.”
CARDIFF (4-4-2): Etheridge 7; Manga 7, Morrison 7, Bamba 7, Bennett 7; Mendez-Laing 7 (Hoilett 67, 6), Arter 8 (Ralls 90), Gunnarsson 7, Camarasa 7; Murphy 7 (Harris 85), Paterson 7.
Booked: Morrison, Bennett. Goal: Paterson 74. NEXT UP: Watford (a), Sat PL. SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-2-2):
McCarthy 7; Valery 5 (Stephens 46, 6), Bednarek, Vestergaard 4, Targett; Romeu (Ward-Prowse 80), Lemina; Armstrong, Hojbjerg; Redmond, Austin (Gabbiadini 75). Booked: Valery, Romeu. NEXT UP: Arsenal (h), Sun PL.
Referee: J Moss (W Yorkshire).