BOSS Ralph Hasenhuttl has called on Saints to show their “nasty” side as they look to arrest a recent slump in form tomorrow (7.30pm). Asked if it was time for Saints to show their mettle ahead of a likely physical challenge against Palace,
Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “Yeah, definitely. The Premier League is a brutal challenge. What I always say is you can be sure if you show a weakness, they will take it. On Wednesday we have to show them that we are also nasty to play against because this is what we have also shown in the past. A team that can take a point against Man City away, it is also possible to take a point against Palace. This is what we have to show, such a performance. We have to be flexible in our way we want to play football. We have not a lot of time to prepare for it, but we will do it and then we go there with all the trust we have in us.”
Discussing the challenges associated with facing younger coaches and asked how much football management has changed since he started out at SpVgg Unterhaching in 2007,
Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “When you talk like this, I feel very old to be honest! It was not long ago that I was called a young manager. Time is running, thank you for reminding me, but I can take this! It is always a challenge, against everybody. I can remember it very well when I was a little bit of a younger or inexperienced manager. You try a lot, you are brave, you do a lot of things new. There are some advantages you have when you are young, but also some advantages you have when you are a little bit more experienced because you see the bigger picture sometimes and it helps you also. So it is a battle for everybody. It very often goes down to the quality of the team you have and because you can be sure every manager in the Premier League has his plan, but there is also not a manager who can win games without quality in his team. In the end, very often it comes down to how much quality you have on the pitch. But quality is something you can either buy, or create and develop and we are, without alternative, more looking for the second way. That sometimes takes a little bit longer, but in the end, it should lead to the same target that we stay in the league and have a good season.”
