Ralph Hasenhuttl has revealed he has been blown away by the support he has received following Southampton’s record 9-0 defeat to Manchester United earlier this month.
Southampton were thrashed by a joint-record Premier League scoreline at Old Trafford on a harrowing evening for an injury-hit Saints side, teenage debutant Alexandre Jankewitz sent off after just 79 seconds to set the tone for a humiliating evening.
Hasenhuttl’s side finished the clash with nine men after Jan Bednarek was also dismissed, with the home side ruthlessly punishing an understrength and overwhelmed Southampton XI.
The defeat was remarkably the second time in just two seasons that the Saints have been beaten 9-0, following another record loss to Leicester during the 2019/20 campaign.
Hasenhuttl’s side bounced back from that loss to the Foxes to enjoy a strong second half of the season and the Austrian is confident his team can respond following their latest difficult period, before revealing his amazement at the support he has received despite another damaging defeat this month.
“I had this crazy situation where I got more support after a 0-9 than a win sometimes,” he said at his pre-match press conference. “The people are not stupid. They saw the team we had to play.
“It was not a coincidence we were position one in the table [in November]. We had to be doing something right. But it is tough when you bring in a number of young players.
“This is the reason why we love this job. The sun is not always shining. Sometimes it is raining. We enjoy it more when the sun is shining but we never stopped believing in what we are doing.”
Southampton host Wolves in the Premier League this weekend looking to bounce back after a run of five consecutive league defeats.
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