MX23RW : Sunday, December 15 02:28:18| >> :120:79429:79429:

Ralph Hasenhuttl: 'Sheffield United must not be underestimated'

Ralph Hasenhuttl: 'Sheffield United must not be underestimated'
© Reuters
The Blades prop up the rest of the Premier League.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has warned his side not to think they will get an easy ride when facing struggling Sheffield United on Sunday.

The Blades prop up the rest of the Premier League, having mustered just one point from 11 games so far, with six defeats in a row.

Hasenhuttl's well-drilled side, meanwhile, head into the weekend's fixtures sitting fifth and on the back of only one defeat in the past nine matches.

The Austrian, though, will not allow any sense of complacency on Sunday, when Southampton will welcome back 2,000 fans to St Mary's Stadium for the first time since March.

"Before the game (on Monday night), everybody said 'Brighton, they are not so bad', then after when you win, (everybody says) 'yeah, it is only Brighton'," the Southampton manager said.

"But it is not 'only Brighton', it is definitely a strong side and you must always pay attention about how you discuss opponents.

"If it is not a big top-six club then (people say) every time 'it is not so difficult' – but that is absolutely not right.

"I told my players we did a fantastic job (on Monday), it is not easy to win there, but we went there and turned the tables to win 2-1, which was a fantastic performance from our side.

"What we have done there with the same intensity, defending against the ball with everything we have, we have to do exactly the same job in the next weekend.

"Then again you will hear 'it is only Sheffield United' – but no, it is not 'only Sheffield United'.

"This is a team which is definitely fighting for everything and to win against such a team is always a tough challenge for us.

"You will see how focused and concentrated we are, we only need the three points as a focus to give our best, and this is what we will do."

Hasenhuttl feels one of the keys to Southampton's consistency this season has been everyone buying into the same mindset.

"We are not maintaining (our position), we are still developing, we are still working hard on our game," said the Southampton manager, who reported no fresh selection concerns following Monday night's win.

"It is interesting to listen to the players talking about tactics and solutions with the ball, after training they are discussing it.

"This is definitely what I like to see, that they are really taking part in every session and really thinking about what we are trying to do.

"This is a fantastic atmosphere to get better – if you want only to hold what you have, that is not enough, you must develop and extend your qualities, this is what we try to do."

ID:426100: cacheID:426100:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4003:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacts as Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola looks on on January 29, 2020
Read Next:
Premier League gameweek 12 predictions including Manchester United vs. Man City
>
Read more about Ralph Hasenhuttl Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Chiefs
@
Browns
6pm
Ravens
@
Giants
6pm
Jets
@
Jags
6pm
Cowboys
@
Panthers
6pm
Washington
@
Saints
6pm
Dolphins
@
Texans
6pm
Bengals
@
Titans
9.25pm
Colts
@
Broncos
9.25pm
Patriots
@
Cardinals
9.25pm
Buccaneers
@
Chargers
9.25pm
Steelers
@
Eagles
9.25pm
Bills
@
Lions
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd21145230111945
2Leeds UnitedLeeds21126337152242
3Sunderland21117332171540
4Burnley2010822471738
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn2011452517837
6Middlesbrough21104735251034
7West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2071122314932
8Watford199462725231
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds218582630-429
10Swansea CitySwansea217682322127
11Bristol City216962626027
12Norwich CityNorwich206863530526
13Millwall206772018225
14Derby CountyDerby216692626024
15Coventry CityCoventry216692730-324
16Preston North EndPreston2141162127-623
17Stoke CityStoke215792328-522
18Queens Park RangersQPR2141072127-622
19Luton TownLuton2164112337-1422
20Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2046102133-1218
21Cardiff CityCardiff2046101932-1318
22Portsmouth193882134-1317
23Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2045111942-2317
24Hull City2137111930-1116


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!