“We must do it much better” - Ralph Hasenhuttl wants more commitment from Southampton players

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said his Saints side made things “too easy” for Chelsea as they fell to a 4-1 defeat at home in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

To improve his side’s fortunes, Hasenhuttl has called for his squad to be more committed as it appears the Saints could be in yet another relegation dogfight this season.

Southampton do not play Wolverhampton Wanderers for another couple of weeks due to the international break, so the Austrian gaffer will hope his Saints players can buck their ideas in time.

“We only have a chance to turn around if you see clear and be very honest and say ‘ok, this is not enough, we must do it much better’, and then we have to work on it,” Hasenhuttl said after the game. [H/T the Daily Echo]

“If we are as a team more committed than we are at the moment then we have chances to take something.

“At the moment the work against the ball is not really in the net we normally do it and in one against one situations we know they are always very strong.

“When you see Willian in a one against one situation you know he is very strong and you cannot stop him but with three guys maybe you can do it.

“We have time now, two weeks, to work on this and then we must play better than at the moment.”

One thing concerning Southampton fans is the state of the team’s defence.

The summer transfer window did little to rectify the obvious flaws throughout Southampton’s squad - with the defence being a particular problem area which continues to rear its ugly head.

Hasenhuttl is similarly concerned, seeing as Southampton have already conceded 15 goals in eight Premier League matches. Defending will be another focus in the Saints camp during the international break.

“I think this game was a little bit too easy for the opponent,” he added. “In other games you see we don’t give so many chances away but this was too easy for them. We took a little bit more risk with a 4-3-3 and then it’s important that you have a good start.

“The first chance we had but to go in the lead at home which hasn’t happened this season so far would help us absolutely but in total it’s not enough at the moment. This is why we will have two intense weeks in front of us for sure.”