A dangerous murmur buzzed through the St Mary’s crowd as Armel Bella-Kotchap passed the ball straight out of play for a Leeds corner. Jesse Marsch pumped his fist. ‘Sacked in the morning' came ringing out from somewhere - who knows if it was home or away fans - but no question about who it was directed at.
Saints’ were spiralling once again into the cycle of implosion. We’ve seen it before and we’ve come to expect it. We know how this goes by now.
READ MORE: Big Match Review - How much credit does Hasenhuttl deserve for Leeds recovery?
The first goal goes in and tension starts to build. Check. The second follows shortly after and tension turns to panic. Check. Then Saints fully combust.
It happened yet again last weekend at Spurs and countless times through the back-half of the 2021/22 campaign. And we were seeing it once again as Leeds strode into a 2-0 lead at St Mary’s courtesy of two goals within 15 minutes of the half time interval.
But on a day of critical importance, the script was finally flipped as Saints stood up, showed some backbone, and managed to turn the tide of negative momentum. Football can change awfully quickly and on this occasion, it did.
Adam Armstrong and Joe Aribo entered the fray shortly after Rodrigo’s second goal and the St Mary’s crowd start to bubble defiantly against the expected collapse. Then with 23 minutes to go, Saints regrouped at the drinks break and Sekou Mara replaced Jan Bednarek.
The switch meant a shift back to Hasenhuttl’s 4-2-2-2 formation, a version of it that was no-holds-barred all-out attack. Armstrong operated on the left wing and Aribo on the right with Che Adams and Mara up front. It was brave, to say the least, and with Saints’ defensive backbone it was a recipe for 2-0 to turn into something much worse.
But that’s thinking pessimistically. And this was a day that reminded us why optimism is always a powerful force in football. One moment can change a game, change a season, change the narrative, and with 18 minutes left to play that moment duly arrived.
Armstrong, surrounded by three Leeds players, somehow riggled away and passed to Adams who returned the favour. Suddenly, everyone was on their feet as the former drove into space and played the ball across goal for the waiting Mara. The 19-year-old did enough, pushing his marker out of the game to allow it to fall to Aribo.
Surely this was the moment - Aribo with time and space eight yards from goal. And then it wasn’t as he dawdled. And then it was again as the summer signing turned away from Ilan Meslier and slammed home.
Hope? Hope.
From there it was Southampton’s game and they were back on level terms with nine minutes to go - in rather special fashion. Mara - just over ten minutes into his Premier League debut - turned with the ball, locked eyes with Kyle Walker-Peters and then looked away before playing the perfect defence-splitting pass into the wing-back’s path. There are understandable doubts around some of Saints’ players but the same can’t be said for Walker-Peters who took his big moment with typical composure.
Saints could have gone on and won it. Mara saw a rasping drive pushed away by Meslier as Hasenhuttl’s side were forced to settle for a point on a day that answered some questions and raised some more.
Most importantly, though, it’s a step in the right direction. A first step.
Everyone knows this is a struggling team right now, all we can remember from the past months is struggle. Following one win in 12 to end last season, Saints came into the new campaign picking up where they left off as Spurs swept them aside on the opening day of 2022/23.
What followed was a week of relative chaos. There were incessant reports linking Che Adams with a move away from the club before the Fans’ Forum went by with significant discontent from certain sections of the fanbase. Finally, on Thursday evening the Daily Mail reported that Hasenhuttl had ‘lost the trust of several players’.
Whether you believe any of those reports is obviously up to each individual but there’s no doubt that trouble was brewing and the pressure was high ahead of the crucial clash with Leeds. Sandwiched in a thoroughly difficult start to the season where Saints were paired with Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea in their first five fixtures, this game felt very big. It felt big for the team, it felt big for the season and it felt massive for Hasenhuttl.
Depending on where you stand on the Hasenhuttl debate, he either deserves immense credit for the flexibility and bravery to change things up and get his side going for the final 20 minutes of Saturday’s encounter or he deserves further criticism for taking so long to do so. Considering Saints’ limitations with just one fully fit full-back, I’m more inclined to focus on the former than the latter but however you look at it, Saints didn’t just bow down and accept their fate.
Their manager didn’t either, coming out fighting in his post-match press conference. "I'm sorry that we destroyed a few headlines because they were probably written at that moment,” he said.
“The team gave the answer. We had a tough week because of some circumstances but we showed a good reaction. I expected nothing else from this fantastic group.”
Fans needed to see some fight. Fans needed to see that something was being done to stop the rot. Fans needed to see that this team cares and could stand up in the face of serious adversity.
The reality is that these should be minimum qualities in the Premier League but they still needed to be displayed.
A cagey first half saw Saints battle in the heat as Leeds applied ample physical pressure. Saints may have bended slightly as Gavin Bazunu was forced into an excellent save to deny Dan James before Rasmus Kristensen failed to connect with a free header at the back post. But they didn’t break.
No, that came 30 seconds into the second half when Rodrigo darted in at the front post to give the visitors the lead. Just don’t make it worse, please. Saints did. 15 minutes later, Rodrigo doubled the deficit, free at the far post to nod his side two to the good.
And that was that. Saints beaten comfortably again. Hasenhuttl on the ropes. Again.
Except not this time.
There is still a long road back to anything like redemption for Hasenhuttl and this Saints side. But with their backs firmly pressed against the wall, he and his players came out fighting. To see that was a relief far beyond the importance of one point gained.
Of course, the next step is even more important. This comeback means nothing if Saints aren’t able to harness the momentum and use it to start something of a run. This weekend can be more than a single point gained, it can be something of a turning point. Or it can be just a draw - which really isn’t worth much at all.
Last season as Saints traversed their dismal late run, they came back from two goals down to earn a point at the Amex Stadium. James Ward-Prowse’s brace that day came in firs half stoppage time and the 54th minute after Brighton had raced ahead.
Speaking after that late-April draw, Hasenhuttl lauded his side’s battling qualities.
“It was said last week that the guys on the pitch seemed to be on the beach,” the Austrian said. “But we have shown today that they are not. They want to achieve more than 40 points and today we showed a very, very good reaction. It is not the first time this season we have shown it, we have shown it very often.”
Yet, that was as good as it got. Saints didn’t build on the result at all, earning a grand total of zero further points. The same can’t happen this time around. Saturday’s battle must be the start of something new, a fresh run.
Fortunately, last spring, the consequences for failing to build on their comeback draw weren't particularly dire as Hasenhuttl's side survived sem-comfortably. The same won't be true now. A first step has to be followed by a second and third otherwise Saints will still be stuck.
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.
Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.
You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.
Don't take my word for it - subscribe here to see for yourself.
Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by joining our Facebook group - Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents
Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated Facebook group - Hampshire Court and Crime News
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel