Ralph Hasenhuttl believes Southampton just couldn’t cope with the quality and speed of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool during their 4-0 Premier League drubbing at Anfield on Saturday, speaking to the Saints’ website.
1927. That was the last time a top-flight side scored more than two goals in 17 consecutive games in all competitions.
And it’s fair to say Southampton could hardly have been more accommodating as Jurgen Klopp’s rampant Reds chased down a 94-year-old record on home soil this weekend.
It took just 32 minutes for Liverpool to scribe their names into the history books; Diogo Jota doubling his tally after half-an-hour as Saints side who lost against Norwich City last time out crumbled like a Cadbury’s Flake left in the fridge too long.
It was three after 37, Thiago Alcantara following up his midweek ‘thunderball’ with another long-range rocket.
Virgil van Dijk then netted his first Premier League goal since the opening game of last season as a Liverpool cut the gap separating them and top-of-the-table Chelsea to just two points.
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“It was very man-oriented (in the first half) and you could see that the individual quality is not possible to defend for us,” admitted Hasenhuttl, who’s man-marking, one-v-one tactics backfired during a punishing 45 minute spell at Anfield.
“When you are not super brave and you go there one against one, even then it is hard because they are super quick and play also super quick.”
To Hasenhuttl’s credit, the former RB Leipzig boss did switch things up at half-time, abandoning his three-man backline for a more recognisable back-four.
“In the second half we played our ball-oriented shape and this helped more. Although even there you cannot defend everything, it was better,” the Austrian adds, via Hampshire Live.
“This is my mistake, absolutely. I sent them out with a not-good plan and it did not work.
“Congrats to Liverpool. It was a very, very good game from them.”
While Jota hogged the headlines once again, a well-taken double following his brilliant solo effort against Arsenal last week, Andy Robertson was arguably the Man of the Match at Anfield.
The swashbuckling Scot set up Jota’s opener and was a constant menace down the left-hand side, a triumphant return to form from a man who’s place in the starting XI had come into question with Kostas Tsimikas getting better by the game.
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