Ralph Hasenhuttl has claimed that Southampton simply couldn’t defend in the poor manner in which they did towards Ollie Watkins, Philippe Coutinho and Danny Ings during their 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday, as he told Sky Sports.
The Southampton boss praised Villa for being ‘very aggressive’ and ‘very motivated’ during their comfortable win.
The Midlands side went into yesterday’s game on the back of a 2-0 win against Brighton, whilst the Saints were flying high in the Premier League, as well as progressing in the FA Cup.
But, out on the pitch, the away side just couldn’t cope with the attacking threat Villa brought to the table.
Hasenhuttl praised the quality showcased by Steven Gerrard and his players as they ran riot in front of their supporters.
“They have been very aggressive, very motivated and how you would like to play at home,” said Hasenhuttl. “And we couldn’t compete.
“We had problems in our shape. Tried to change it in the second half, maybe a little bit better, but we conceded two more goals. It was too easy how we defended.
“It was also the first time in a long time we didn’t score a goal and it was because we weren’t sharp enough.
“The first goal was far too easy – you can’t play like this against players like Watkins, Ings and Coutinho. It was not good enough. We knew the centre could be strong, but we couldn’t manage it in the first half.”
Villa are gunning for Europe, whilst it won’t happen this season, it’s what they want for next season.
And performances such as the one yesterday is proof that it can be done, now it’s a case of being consistent.
Coutinho has made a huge impact on this side, not just with his magic play in the middle of the park, but making players around him much better.
Come the summer, it will be interesting to see what road Villa go down and who they manage to lure to the club.
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