Southampton did the right thing changing managers midway through the campaign, and this was the main reason why they survived. The negative trend from last season under Mark Hughes spilled into the new campaign, and the Saints won a single game in the opening 14 rounds before the old-fashioned manager that used destructive tactics was sacked.
The Board did extremely well to convince the ex-RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhuttl to take charge, and almost instantly the Austrian inspired change. Southampton won 4 of their opening 8 games under Hasenhuttl, with the gaffer not afraid to change the players and trust many youngsters.
The defensive problems were never sorted, and this was the main reason why safety was not secured until the penultimate round, but the feel-good factor Hasenhuttl brought, the many more goals Southampton started scoring, and the famous home wins vs. Arsenal and Tottenham, created a very positive bubble around the team come the end of the season.
Many youngsters came through the ranks throughout the campaign to establish in the first team, but probably the most reliable player was Redmond. Staying free of injuries, he not only scored some important goals, but also assisted many others.
Hasenhuttl didn’t have time in the winter to change the squad much, but this summer he is expected to revamp it a lot, with the main strengthening expected to be in defence. If the positive trend continues in 2019/20, Southampton should be nowhere near the drop zone next season.
