Premier League 2018/19 review: Hasenhuttl saves Southampton from sinking ship

Southampton’s board intervened at the right moment to salvage their season and prevent an unthinkable relegation. The club almost paid the highest price for their error of handing Mark Hughes the full-time job in the summer, but Ralph Hasenhuttl successfully steered the club clear of the bottom three.

Southampton were in the relegation zone with only nine points from 14 league matches when they finally sacked Hughes. Saints had won just once in that time, fewer than any other team in the division.

Hasenhuttl picked up 30 points from his 23 matches in charge of Southampton, guiding the club to 16th and five points clear of the bottom three. And that was even after losing his Southampton bow to Cardiff. Given the personnel in Southampton’s squad, they should have been no where near the drop zone and they will need to regroup this summer to avoid another relegation battle next term.

Top rated player – Jannik Vestergaard (7.07)

Jannik Vestergaard just beats defensive partner Jan Bednarek to Southampton’s top WhoScored rated player in the Premier League, though even he endured a mixed debut season for the club.

Southampton made Vestergaard one of the most expensive signings in their history to prise him away from German side Gladbach and the fact he is their top rated player is at least a positive.

With Vestergaard in the starting XI, Southampton won 34.8% of their Premier League matches compared to just 6.7% of the games he didn’t feature from the off. Southampton also went from conceding 1.43 goals per league game with Vestergaard starting to 2.13 when he didn’t.

Hasenhuttl will hope to have Vestergaard to call on more frequently next term after the 26-year-old made just 23 league appearances this season.

Biggest Disappointment – Mohamed Elyounoussi

If Jannik Vestergaard was one big money signing Southampton got some good performances from, Mohamed Elyounoussi was certainly not another.

Southampton’s reputation for shrewd recruitment is in tatters at the moment and Mark Hughes’ decision to sanction a £16m move for Elyounoussi is a reason why.

The 24-year-old winger was signed as a replacement for Dusan Tadic but has made no positive impact. While Tadic lit up the Champions League knockout stage this season, Elyounoussi struggled for game time. He made just 16 league appearances this season and only eight of those were starts, failing to score from 20 shots in that time.

Surprise Package – James Ward-Prowse

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s appointment got the best out of several Southampton players, including Jan Bednarek and Yan Yalery, but James Ward-Prowse’s improved displays were hugely notable.

Ward-Prowse came onto the scene as a decent technical player with some ability from set-pieces but has never really come close to fulfilling his early promise. It was clear during Hasenhuttl’s early reign that he liked Ward-Prowse but wanted the 24-year-old to be more aggressive.

The Southampton midfielder responded in tremendous fashion and enjoyed a fine end of the season, which in March even earned him his first senior England call-up in two years.

Ward-Prowse finished the campaign with seven goals, as many as his two previous campaigns combined. He even rediscovered his ability from deadball positions, with only James Maddison (three) scoring more direct free-kicks (two) than Ward-Prowse in the Premier League this season.

Where to Improve – Goalkeeper

Southampton rotated between Alex McCarthy and Angus Gunn throughout the season and Ralph Hasenhuttl will hope to establish an undisputed first-choice goalkeeper over the summer.

It was thought that Gunn would be exactly that this season after Southampton paid Manchester City £13.5m for his services last summer, only for the England Under-21 international to surprisingly start the campaign on the bench.

Gunn had to wait to wait until January to make his Premier League debut for the club and he turned in a WhoScored Man of the Match display against Chelsea. However, he has declined massively since that outing, only turning in two ratings in excess of 7.00 in two of his subsequent 11 league appearances.

In fact, of goalkeepers that made at least 10 league appearances this season, only Asmir Begovic (6.25) had a lower WhoScored rating than Gunn (6.37).

League Position: 16th

Grade: D