Southampton have sacked manager Ralf Hasenhoutl following Sunday’s 4-1 home defeat by Newcastle. Hasenhuttl, who was appointed in December 2018, leaves with the club in the Premier League relegation zone with 12 points from 14 games. Southampton last won at Bournemouth on October 19 in what is their only win in their last nine matches. “We now believe the time is right to make a change,” said a statement from the south coast club. First-team manager Ruben Seles will take charge of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third-round home game against League One side Sheffield Wednesday. Scoring has been a particular problem for Hassenhutl’s side and the 55-year-old Austrian bemoaned his players missing chances against Newcastle. He then said he was not worried about the risk of losing his job, but the Saints board decided to act ahead of the midweek EFL Cup tie and Saturday’s trip to Liverpool. It is their last game before the Premier League’s World Cup break, which runs from November 20 to December 18. Southampton added that Hasenhoutl had left “having made a significant contribution to the club, overseeing some memorable results and also played a key role in developing the club’s infrastructure, identity and playing squad”. The Saints “will announce a permanent replacement in due course”. Hasenhutl has become the fifth Premier League manager to be sacked so far this season. Scott Parker, Bruno Lage, Thomas Tuchel and Steven Gerrard were sacked by Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively, while Graham Potter left Brighton to take over as Chelsea manager.
Hasenhuttl’s highs and lows
Former RB Leipzig manager Hasenhuttl succeeded Mark Hughes as Saints boss with the club 18th in the Premier League and guided them to safety at the end of that season. His first full season in charge saw them finish 11th in a campaign disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, before finishing 15th in 2020-21. During this season, Southampton topped the Premier League for the first time when they led on goal difference after eight matches. In January 2021, Hasenhuttl cut an emotional figure as he enjoyed a win against defending champions Liverpool. However, in February of that year, Southampton were beaten 9–0 by Manchester United. It was the second defeat by this margin during his time at the club, having lost to Leicester by the same scoreline in October 2019. After a stuttering start to last season, a winter revival saw them climb to ninth in February, but they have lost nine and won just one of their last 12 games to drop to 15th. The club responded by reshaping Hasenhuttl’s coaching staff in the summer, with Kelvin Davis, Dave Watson and Craig Fleming leaving St Mary’s. They also brought in a number of players including goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, forward Sekou Mara, midfielder Joe Aribo and defenders Armel Bella-Kotchap and Duje Caleta-Car. But this failed to spark a recovery in form. Southampton have scored just 12 goals in their 14 Premier League games this season and were wasteful again against third-placed Newcastle in what turned out to be the manager’s final game. “Newcastle have shown why they are where they are,” he told BBC Sport in his post-match interview. “They were clinical at the right times. They showed us how to win games. I can’t say we played a bad game, but not playing a bad game is not enough to win games. That’s why we’re where we are.”
