RALPH Hasenhuttl insisted Saints’ slump in form towards the end of the campaign provided a “clear reality check for everybody”. The St Mary’s side were left to contemplate a 15th-placed Premier League finish, having been top of the Premier League when they beat Newcastle back in November. A 43-point haul for the campaign is four places and nine points below where Saints finished last season – an 11th-placed return with 52 points in total. Asked whether some of his players’ performances meant they had played their way out of his plans for the summer,
Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “Yeah, a clear reality check for everybody and I can tell you the next season will not be the easiest in the league.”
Saints signed off for the summer with a 3-0 defeat to West Ham at London Stadium. The Hampshire outfit were by far second best and undone by a Pablo Fornals brace, as well as a late goal from Declan Rice.
Ralph Hasenhuttl added: “Congrats to West Ham. They deserved to win and we saw the difference between these two teams. Between box to box we were on one level but in and around the box they were in position one – this was the big difference. This is the reason why we play Europa League and we are safe in the league and that is it.”
