McCarthy awaits Hasenhuttl jolt to take effect
New manager has given Southampton fresh belief for relegation dogfight, goalkeeper tells Sam Dean
There is a certain irony to the fact that, for Alex McCarthy, a year of personal progression has come amid months of collective regression at Southampton. In the space of 12 months the goalkeeper has evolved from unused substitute to Premier League regular, one of his side’s most dependable players and, as of November, a fully fledged England international. “It has been a very good year,” says McCarthy, who is also expecting a second child in the next few weeks. “Playing week in, week out takes care of everything else. I can enjoy my life outside of football.”
Then comes the inevitable caveat. “I would probably be able to enjoy it more if we were higher up the table,” he says, a knowing grimace flickering across his face. Here lies the crux of the matter for McCarthy, and everyone else at a club desperate to rediscover their identity. No matter how well he has done, the difficulties of life in a relegation scrap always take their toll.
McCarthy made his first appearance in the league last season on Dec 30, in a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. He has kept hold of the goalkeeping position throughout 2018 but Southampton have won only four of their Premier League matches since the turn of the year and their position in the bottom three is ultimately what led to the sacking of Mark Hughes.
The hope comes in the shape of Ralph Hasenhuttl, the new manager who has promised a fresh approach on the south coast. The former RB Leipzig coach has vowed to push his players “to their limits” and McCarthy is not afraid to say they were in need of a jolt.
“Everyone needed a kick up the a--- and in the short amount of time he has been with us there has been a big reaction from the boys,” McCarthy says. “He has got his different methods and they are totally different training sessions. The goalies are not as involved as much, but from what I have heard and seen on the videos in the analysis room, everyone is just pressing, pressing, pressing, once you lose the ball. And when we regain it, instead of turning around and playing back, it’s having that confidence to bring everyone up the pitch so we are a lot more attacking.”
It sounds exhausting but it is clearly enjoyable, too. McCarthy says the outfield players are more tired after Hasenhuttl’s longer sessions than they were, yet it is fun for him to watch and fun for them to learn. “He likes to play attractive football,” McCarthy says. “I would much rather play like that than like Cardiff City did at the weekend.”
That trip to Wales marked a disappointing start to the Hasenhuttl era, when an error from defender Jannik Vestergaard allowed Cardiff to snatch a 1-0 win. A home game against a more free-flowing Arsenal will today provide a different test, and a full week of training – Hasenhuttl cancelled their day off – will surely have helped the cause. The Austrian has trawled through footage of past games, but he has also showed his players videos of his old RB Leipzig side, holding them up as an example to follow. “He’s not left any stone unturned,” McCarthy says. “He’s very thorough.”
Given their start to the season, and a run of 12 league games without a win, the obvious target is for Southampton to simply stay in the division. But there is a wider feeling that Hasenhuttl’s arrival could trigger a return of Southampton’s sense of purpose.
McCarthy does not deny that it has been lost and says the players feel a responsibility to bring it back. “With this manager and the way he wants to play, that is what you will see,” he says.
It will help if Hasenhuttl’s methods can unite a squad that has been lacking togetherness. The new manager has been holding one-to-one meetings with his players and he is trying to forge a closer connection between them. “I think there will be a lot more team bonding sessions,” says McCarthy, the former Reading, Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace goalkeeper who told Hasenhuttl that this is the first “proper club” where he has felt like he has been at home. “As long as we are all together and we have that close bond, I think he wants more of that. With the results, everyone has been down and we haven’t sorted anything out. Everyone has been frustrated and so nothing has happened in that respect.”
At 29, and now a full international, McCarthy will be expected to be one of the club’s leaders. They have lacked senior figures since the departure of Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool and the goalkeeper’s appearance for England against the United States last month has no doubt enhanced his standing.
An upturn in results over the festive period would bring an encouraging close to a memorable 12 months for McCarthy, who speaks with sincerity when he says that a transformation is already under way. “We know we have a good enough squad. Everyone is pulling in the right direction; buying into what the gaffer is saying. I think you will see a change really quickly.”