Hasenhuttl has belief Saints can down Gunners
Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl believes his side can “cause everybody problems” ahead of taking on tabletopping leaders Arsenal.
Saints eased pressure on their under-fire manager in midweek by moving out of the relegation zone following a win over Bournemouth.
Hasenhuttl’s side have a tough task to build on that overdue success – a first in six outings – as Mikel Arteta’s high-flying Gunners visit St Mary’s.
The Austrian has urged his players not to be daunted by the challenge.
“Every game when you win is crucial for the belief to stay in this fantastic league,” he said.
In-form Arsenal have won 13 of 14 fixtures in all competitions this term.
The north London club have lost just three of 21 games since being narrowly beaten on their last visit to St Mary’s.
Hasenhuttl concedes his side will be forced to ditch the ultra-defensive tactics deployed on that occasion due to the Gunners’ impressive upturn, which has been spearheaded by summer signing Gabriel Jesus.
“They had a lot of chances against us. We defended quite deep against them in this game,” he said, reflecting on a victory secured by a Jan Bednarek goal.
“They have a massive upgrade in their attack with Gabriel Jesus, he has made a big difference.”
Elsewhere, Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has urged his players to follow the lead of England’s other top clubs and use gamesmanship in their bid to become genuine title contenders.
Ahead of today’s visit of sixth-placed Newcastle, he said: “When you are suffering, you take the ball and you put it outside the stadium, so that you can breathe.
“Or if you have an injury you stay down. I see many, many teams in England, they understand the moment when they are suffering.”
Meanwhile, Aston Villa first-team coach Aaron Danks wants a response from the players after their 3-0 defeat at Fulham brought an end to Steven Gerrard’s reign.
Villa have not yet appointed a replacement, with Danks leading the side into their match against Brentford at Villa Park and the coach wants his side to move forward.
“I’m looking for a response,” he said. “We all know results and performances have not been to the levels we wanted. The players know that more than anyone.”
Danny Ward insists Leicester must harness their momentum to pull away from the bottom.
The Foxes go to fellow strugglers Wolves after climbing off the foot. Ward has kept three clean sheets in his past four and said: “We know they’re having a bit of a troubled time, Wolves. We’ve had a poor start ourselves, but we’ve got to take (momentum from the Leeds win) forward.”
In the other game, Leeds’ under-fire boss Jesse Marsch has declared his players will “dowhateverittakes”to win today’s home game against Fulham.