The dressing room of Leeds United’s next opponents Southampton has reportedly lost the trust and belief in manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. That is according to Mail Plus, who claim that several players in the Saints squad were shocked that he was not sacked over the summer.
Southampton picked up where they left off last season in their first game of the new campaign last weekend, losing 4-1 at Tottenham Hotspur with a series of calamitous defensive errors. Hasenhuttl’s side lost nine of their last 12 Premier League matches, plummeting from around the top 10, to 15 th in the table.
In that same time frame, they also conceded 30 goals and those defensive frailties do not appear to have been rectified if Saturday’s heavy defeat at Spurs is anything to go by. The Mail now claims that tension is increasing behind the scenes, with several of Hasenhuttl’s backroom staff having been changed over the summer.
READ MORE: Leeds United reveal Joel Robles squad number as Marsch discusses goalkeeper role
Leeds will be looking to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding their opponents and make it two wins from two at the start of the new season. The Whites continued the momentum picked up by their last gasp escape from relegation in May to begin the new campaign with a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Leeds can make it six points from their opening two matches with another victory, which would stand them in good stead ahead of their home clash with Chelsea the following week. Southampton were 1-0 winners in the meeting at St. Mary’s last year, and Leeds will be eager to avoid a repeat of that to pile the pressure on their opponents and continue their progression under Jesse Marsch.
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