Ralph Hasenhuttl has said that West Ham’s long-ball tactics were very difficult to defend against on Saturday at St Mary’s Stadium.
What did he say?
The Saints hosted the Hammers at the weekend as they looked to pull themselves out of the relegation zone. However, they ended up losing 1-0 courtesy of a Sebastien Haller strike.
Speaking after the match, the former RB Leipzig boss was quick to mention Manuel Pellegrini’s side’s more direct style of play, saying: “It was very difficult in the first half. All the long balls against a physical and strong opponent, it was difficult to defend.”
Why no Vestergaard?
Southampton’s defence certainly struggled to deal with Haller and Michail Antonio in the air. Those two strikers won 17 aerial battles between them, whilst the centre-back pairing of Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek could prevail in just four combined.
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That should not come as too much of a surprise, though. With an average of 6.4 aerial duels won per match, Haller places at number three amongst all of the players in the Premier League, whilst Antonio, with 3.9, ranks in the top 25. Considering the London outfit’s struggles this term, it was always likely they would play to the strengths they could rely on, and their style of play paid dividends.
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Stephens and Bednarek are not terrible in the air, with a respective 2.7 and 2.6 aerial duels won per match this season, but both of them rank behind Denmark international Jannik Vestergaard, who has managed to win three per game. Measuring 6 foot 6, the £16.2m-valued man – as per Transfermarkt – is the tallest player in the defence. Considering Haller stands at 6 foot 3, the 27-year-old would perhaps have had a better chance of dealing with him.
It is therefore bemusing that Hasenhuttl decided to leave him on the bench again. This is not the first time he has made such complaints – he also pointed out that his team struggled to deal with Andy Carroll when he came on with 30 minutes left for Newcastle in the previous match. In that time, he managed to win eight aerial duels – which came after Joelinton, the man he had replaced, won 10. Stephens and Bednarek won just three between them.
Surely the 52-year-old should have learned his lesson from the match against the Toon? Complaining about a situation and then refusing to change it shows incredibly poor management. This weekend, Southampton face Aston Villa. Their striker Wesley has won 3.1 aerial duels per match this term, meaning it could be a similar story at Villa Park. Hopefully, Hasenhuttl will do something about it this time.
In other news, Southampton should look to recall this 31-year-old.