Ralph Hasenhüttl was quick to praise the quality of the opposition after Southampton fell to a 4-0 defeat at Manchester City in the Premier League.
The boss declared Pep Guardiola’s side “maybe the most complete team in the world” after adding Erling Haaland to their ranks to spearhead an already star-studded attack.
Haaland remarkably struck his 20th goal of the season to complete the scoring on 65 minutes, and Hasenhüttl admitted City’s extra dimension has made them an even tougher proposition after Saints drew both league meetings last season.
“We have played against maybe the most complete team, not only in the Premier League, maybe in the world,” he said.
“We tried to be brave, we tried to press them in the right moments, and it was a little bit harder today.
“They changed the shape a little bit and it was a little bit tougher for us to win balls, but we had some good ones.
“We tried, in our way and in our DNA, to be successful here, but we will not be the last team who loses games here.
“We have in the past shown that we have done it well against Man City, but they have also learned from those games.
“I think this season they are even better, with a player up front you have to concentrate a little bit more, and then others have a little bit more space.
“It’s clear when you give them a few spaces, a few moments, then they have the quality to finish it off like no other team in the league, that is for sure.
“In the end, I cannot say we didn’t put any effort in, we have tried everything that we can, and this is what you have to do.”
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