WHEN Ralph Hasenhuttl stepped away from his well-enjoyed head coaching role at Ralf Rangnick's Red Bull Leipzig, feelings of the ambitious and inquisitive manager being reduced to one who was merely "good for pressing" were causing an irritable itch under the skin.

The uncomfortable feeling was only inflamed by a perhaps overbearing footballing philosophy taking precedent - when the best philosophy in football is simply winning.

The Austrian has insisted that pressure he is referring to came from within the club but not current Manchester United manager and then-director Rangnick, who he shares great mutual admiration with, after an historic win over German giants Bayern Munich in March 2018.

Hasenhuttl told how his underdog Leipzig side had defeated the team of the Bavarian capital but then heard “speaking about not enough Red Bull philosophy in that game”.

Daily Echo: Ralf Rangnick, current Manchester United manager, was Red Bull Leipzig's club director (Pic: PA)Ralf Rangnick, current Manchester United manager, was Red Bull Leipzig's club director (Pic: PA)

That Red Bull Leipzig philosophy was not too dissimilar to the style Saints often employ. Focussed on work against the ball, Hasenhuttl became labelled as a pressing manager.

But after guiding the club to a second-place finish in their first-ever season in the Bundesliga, Hasenhuttl then felt matches would arise where they would be more dominant and they would have to play a different way.

That is when, in his second season as head coach, they registered the 2-1 win over former European champions Bayern – but not everybody was satisfied with the way it was done.

“It was a very successful time, especially the first year,” Hasenhuttl said, of his time under director of football Rangnick in Germany.

Daily Echo: Ralph Hasenhuttl as manager of Red Bull Leipzig in 2017 (Pic: PA)Ralph Hasenhuttl as manager of Red Bull Leipzig in 2017 (Pic: PA)

“The second year was very new for us, there were lots of games with the Champions League. We all learned, me too.

“I had the feeling in the end, and this was the reason I left, that I had to go my own way then and develop my managing style even more without being too, I don’t want to say one-dimensional, but I had the feeling there were more parts of the game I wanted to develop.

“This was not always that easy to do it in Leipzig. In the second year we had a few games where we tried to develop our game with the ball even more.

“We had a home game against Bayern Munich when we won 2-1 and afterwards there was speaking about not enough Red Bull philosophy in that game.”

He continued: “This was some parts where I couldn’t then agree, so it was important for me to step out and go my own way and to learn other things also.

Daily Echo: Timo Werner, now of Chelsea, scored the winner for Ralph Hasenhuttl (Pic: PA)Timo Werner, now of Chelsea, scored the winner for Ralph Hasenhuttl (Pic: PA)

“But I was always happy to be there for this time because I learned a lot there and it was an important step in my managing career.”

However, Hasenhuttl then confirmed that this “speaking” did not come from the man who will be in the opposite technical area at Old Trafford on Saturday.

“No, people within the club. This was a long time ago,” he added.

At the time, ‘the professor’ Rangnick was upset to see the Austrian – who had guided them to European finishes in both of their first two seasons as a top-flight side – walk away.

"I would have really liked to continue into the next season with Ralph Hasenhüttl as head coach,” the German then said, after his departure in May 2018.

Daily Echo: Ralf Rangnick then became manager again (Pic: PA)Ralf Rangnick then became manager again (Pic: PA)

“From the bottom of my heart, I wish him all the best for the future, both professionally and privately."

It was the right decision to move on. By December that year, he had landed a Premier League coaching job with Saints with the side only one point from safety.

“We all had the feeling, me and my staff, that we need to make the next step then because it was important for our development as a manager,” the Saints boss continued.

“There’s more than only working against the ball. I think this was important for me to see and learn.

“I was always reduced as a manager who was very good for pressing, but I knew there was more to learn.

Daily Echo: Ralph Hasenhuttl became manager of Saints in December 2018 (Pic: PA)Ralph Hasenhuttl became manager of Saints in December 2018 (Pic: PA)

“After the first year when we got more and more dominant in Leipzig, it was important to find solutions against deep defending teams also.

“This was a long way because this is the toughest part of the football game.

“To learn this, you need to be open-minded, you need to accept setbacks, to feel in some games that you don’t find the right solutions. That helps you get better and then finally the game is getting more interesting for you.”

It is interesting to hear Hasenhuttl speak of not wanting to be one-dimensional, wanting more from football than working against the ball.

At Saints, a lot of the criticism that Hasenhuttl has faced over his three-and-a-half years was that he was exactly that. It was likely more through lack of choice, than philosophy.

This season, the boss has what feels like truly his squad for a first time – one with enough depth to carry out his high-octane game and then go again in a different manner three days later – and the rewards are being reaped.

Daily Echo: Saints have experimented with formations more than ever this campaign (Pic: Stuart Martin)Saints have experimented with formations more than ever this campaign (Pic: Stuart Martin)

We are witnessing a complete inability to guess what starting XI he is going to name for every game. Even getting the right shape now is a challenge. Before it was all 4-2-2-2. It was all press. It probably led to some humiliating results.

Every celebration like the one you saw on the touchlines at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is one of personal success and gratification as well as pure passion for the club – the man stepped away from what was comfortable to forge his own destiny in the sport.

It is not just individual success, either, as Hasenhuttl’s holistic methods – trying to harness total control of any feasible advantage to flip the innate disadvantages of a lesser budget on its head – means he relies on his staff as much as any manager in the world.

That is something that the Austrian has not changed.

“I must say that at Leipzig that we had a lot of things that other clubs didn’t do. We turned every stone around and tried everything because it was the only chance for us at that time.

“We were a promoted team and came second in the end.

“This is one way to go. As a manager it’s very important to learn things, to see it, does it work or is it too much? Do you need this in the future? If not, leave it away.”

He added: “But it’s important to one time see it and try it. Always be open-minded to new things, this is what I try here. We are always listening to new things.

Daily Echo: Ralph Hasenhuttl and his coaching staff (Pic: Stuart Martin)Ralph Hasenhuttl and his coaching staff (Pic: Stuart Martin)

“The good decisions are when you listen to all the arguments, and if it makes sense, do it, if it only costs you energy and disrupts more than it brings, then leave it away.

“But this is the way we are working. You should work always in a leading position as a manager.

“It’s always good when you develop your managing talent that you learn everything.

“Because I was coming from the very lower leagues, I’ve seen a lot of things in football. Everything I have learned there helps me to do my job to find the right decisions in the right moments.

“There are very often successful times, not so often the not successful ones, but I’ve learnt from both and this is how it should be.”