Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has claimed that he resisted the temptation to berate his squad during the half-time interval of their 6-1 hammering by Southampton on Saturday.
Sadio Mane scored the quickest hat-trick in Premier League history, netting a treble in just two minutes and 56 seconds, to send Villa trailing 5-1 at the break.
Sherwood said that he did not show his anger towards his players in the dressing room, but admitted that the game was a disaster for his team.
A dejected Sherwood told BBC Sport: "Was it lively in the dressing room? No. Was I lively? No.
"It's the last thing they need, they need a bit of guidance and reassurance that they have been doing well, and they have.
"As I say it was a disastrous first half for us."
Villa end their campaign with a visit from relegated Burnley next week.
Written by
Paul Gorst
Paul Gorst
