Hasenhüttl hones in on top 10 finish
Ten years since Southampton secured their promotion back to the Premier League, manager Ralph Hasenhüttl is looking to mark the occasion with a top 10 finish in 2021/22.
Currently sitting two points off of the objective, three of Saints’ final four matches of the season are against sides with similar ambitions, starting with Crystal Palace at St Mary’s on Saturday.
With a chance to move up to 10th this weekend depending on results elsewhere, Hasenhüttl divulged his side’s motivation for the remainder of the campaign.
“The table is never interesting, but now it is getting [interesting] because you know that you play against the teams around you.
“Like in the last game against Brighton, when you win it is a big step forward but draw a keeps the race open and if you lose you’re gone.
“It can be the same against Palace now," he continued. "They are behind us; if we win against them they are gone, so this is the importance of these games now.
“We have Palace now, Brentford and Leicester in the last four games so tight opponents for a top half or maybe a top 10 finish. This is the goal we have.
“I know that we are celebrating our 10-year anniversary in the Premier League for Southampton and I think to do this with a top 10 finish would be a great achievement for us as a club, because to be consistently in the best league in the world for such a long time and then end up in the top 10 would be a massive achievement for us and this is the goal.”
