Ralph Hasenhuttl’s period at Southampton is about to come to an end. While Eddie Howe paused to consider a successful first season as Newcastle’s manager.
Following Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team’s eighth loss in 14 games, which dropped them into the bottom three, the Austrian’s job at the club is hanging by the thinnest of threads.
One indication of a protracted decline is the fact that they have only collected 17 points since March. This raises the possibility that the Saints hierarchy has decided to make a change, albeit they are debating whether to do so publicly before or during the World Cup.
Southampton have remained in the Premier League thanks in large part to Hasenhuttl, who joined the team in December 2018.
After he took over as manager instead of Mark Hughes, they finished a respectable 11th in his first full season, followed by two straight 15th-place finishes.
He did, however, preside over two embarrassing 9-0 losses, one against Leicester City in 2019 and the other against Manchester United in 2021.
After only three victories in the Premier League from their first 14 games, Southampton is mired in 18th place after a terrible 4-1 loss to Newcastle United at St. Mary’s on Sunday.
After three home games without a win, Southampton was in desperate need of a performance on Sunday, but Newcastle consistently outplayed Southampton.
After efforts from Miguel Almiron, Chris Wood, and Joe Willock, Romain Perraud finally manage to score a consolation goal, but Bruno Guimaraes quickly overshadowed it with an incredible long-range goal.
Those spectators who stuck around for the entire game booed loudly as the full-time whistle blew.
Hasenhuttl, who previously coached RB Leipzig, has come under increasing criticism recently and reacted angrily to predictions he would lose his job last month after the team’s fourth straight Premier League loss a 4-0 setback to Manchester City.
Hasenhuttl responded, “I have taken a lot of decisions since I’ve been here but I don’t have to take this one,” when asked if he dreaded being fired.
When asked if he saw a way out of the rut, he replied, “No… Not right now.”
More distinct, the 55-year-old responded, “No… Not at the moment,” when asked if he could see a way out of the funk.
Ralph Hasenhuttl admits this side 'have not done enough' so far this season after they dropped into the relegation zone 📉 pic.twitter.com/WbQyAtfUn4
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 6, 2022
A fourth consecutive victory solidified their place in the Champions League spots, and the atmosphere in Howe’s press conference was completely different as a result.
The Premier League team has agreed to fire the Austrian either before their final pre-tournament game against Liverpool at Anfield next Saturday or during the World Cup break.
From all indications, it will take only a miracle for Ralph Hasenhuttl to remain at Southampton in January as things stand.
