A HUTTL REBUTTAL FOR PEP’S HOPES
SOUTHAMPTON manager Ralph Hassenhuttl has warned Pep Guardiola he faces an uphill task to catch Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.
Austrian Hasenhuttl can do his old pal Jurgen Klopp a favour by sending Manchester City crashing to a third defeat on the spin at St Mary’s tomorrow.
The Saints chief, who did battle with both Guardiola and Kop boss Klopp in Germany, said: “It won’t be easy to win the Premier League against a team like Liverpool – they haven’t lost a game. It is not easy to be ahead of a team that never loses. It’s a long journey until the summer but Jurgen Klopp showed with Dortmund that it’s not easy to catch him when his team is in the lead.
“Liverpool have a lot of quality.”
Hasenhuttl (right) was dubbed the ‘antiPep’ during his time in the Bundesliga because of his counter-attacking style – a stark contrast to Guardiola’s possession-based approach. The Austrian said: “I don’t know if he enjoys playing against my system.
“He is a fan of ball possession and moving you around. We can expect to run a lot without the ball so I need a team that is brave.”
Hasenhuttl will pave the way for Cedric Soares to leave Saints next month by picking 18-year-old rookie Kayne Ramsay ahead of the Portugal Euro 2016 winner.
Cedric, struggling with a hamstring injury, is now fully fit. But Hasenhuttl said: “Our philosophy is to give the youngsters a chance. They have to be in the squad and Ramsay may get a chance against Man City.
“I’m looking to build something here and young players are the future.”