ALPINE KLOPP
Saints on the climb thanks to the
OuT on the pitch, ralph Hasenhuttl made a point of savouring the moment. He marched towards Southampton’s fans in the away end and responded to their applause by removing his cap and taking a bow.
Victories like these bond fans to a manager, and players to his methods. He wanted to recognise that. it was a move that chimed with his nickname as the ‘alpine Klopp’.
‘The way we defended with passion was unbelievable, i am really proud of this commitment,’ said the austrian.
‘i have a feeling the players enjoyed this. Such wins can be a very big boost for us in the following weeks and maybe that was exactly what we need.’
Southampton played for more than 45 minutes with 10 men after Yan Valery’s red card, and still claimed victory to give Hasenhuttl reason to think they can stay clear of the relegation zone. The win came without danny ings and Charlie austin, and showed a new level of resilience brought together by a coherent plan.
Southampton have collected 10 points from six games and Hasenhuttl’s influence is growing. James Ward-Prowse, who scored a penalty, said: ‘ The difference has been unbelievable, we have a clear structure and a plan of what to do with and without the ball.
‘The progress is there. We’ve done quite a lot of video work of the ideas he wants to implement. it’s good to have a manager who communicates well with you.’
Shane Long was Southampton’s outlet up front, winning the spot-kick and grabbing the second after alex McCarthy’s long ball. Long is an infrequent scorer, each of his last four goals have come under a different Southampton manager.
Hasenhuttl believes he is an important player. ‘ Shane was the best example of what we want: hard working, good defending and if you get the chance to kill then do it. i know he has been in the Premier League and scored in double figures. So i want to bring him back in that shape.’
Wilfred Ndidi scored for Leicester, who failed to create much else. ‘We beat the tough teams and come unstuck against teams who sit behind the ball,’ said Harry Maguire.