The Saints boss, whose first game in charge was a 1-0 loss to Saturday’s Premier League opponents, wants his side to prove they now know differently.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has issued a warning to Cardiff City by telling them to expect a wiser and more focused team than the one that lost 1-0 in his first game in charge back in December.
The Austrian was unveiled as the new Saints boss on December 5 last year, with the Premier League game at the Cardiff City Stadium coming just three days later, and in that match, Callum Paterson’s 74th-minute low finish proved the difference between the two sides.
Southampton defender Jannik Vestergaard hesitated in possession and saw the ball taken off him by the Bluebirds ace, who duly slotted beyond the reach of Alex McCarthy to edge his side four points clear of the relegation zone, while Saints slipped to three points adrift of safety (BBC Sport).
Since then, the two teams have traded places, with the south coast outfit out of the bottom three and the Welsh capital side in it, and ahead of Saturday’s clash at St Mary’s, Hasenhuttl insists his charges are pining for a reaction from both the reverse fixture and the disappointing draw with Burnley last time out.
“We want to show how we now know how to play against this team,” Hasenhuttl is quoted by the Daily Echo as saying. “I think the first one was a very tight game and now we have the chance to take more than a few good words after some intensive games.
“We should really be focused because we know we gave two points away against Burnley in the last minute, and that hurts a lot. I think the reaction of the game will be a very, very focused one. To be honest, I don’t want to play against my team at the weekend because we are hot.”
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