Former Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has secured Wolfsburg’s top flight status in his first role since being sacked by the St Mary’s club.
The Austrian arrived at St Mary’s in December 2018 following the sacking of Mark Hughes and presided over just short of four years at the club.
His high-pressing philosophy combined with his positive outlook endeared the ex-RB Leipzig boss to the Southampton faithful but there was a general acceptance that things had gone a bit stale by the time he was sacked last season.
Nathan Jones was the man chosen to replace Hasenhuttl in the Southampton hot seat, who was himself sacked just three months after taking over.
Southampton ended the season with Ruben Selles – the man who had coached under both the previous managers – in the dugout as they finished bottom of the Premier League.
Hasenhuttl was not given the opportunity to show he could save the Saints from relegation last campaign, but he has just completed a survival mission in Germany with an impressive run of form.
Ralph Hasenhuttl keeps Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga
When Hasenhuttl was appointed manager of Wolfsburg on 17th March, the club were on an 11-game run without a win and just six points off the bottom three.
In Germany, the bottom two are relegated, with the club finishing third bottom having a play-off game against the side finishing third in the second tier to decide who will be in the Bundesliga the following season.
In his first game in charge, Hasenhuttl’s new team secured an unlikely 2-0 win away at Werder Bremen.
The new manager bounce looked as though it may be over before it had ever really begun, as Wolfsburg lost their next two; although games against RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach were always going to be tough.
Any doubters have been emphatically silenced since then, though, as Wolfsburg have won their last three games in a row to ensure safety with two games to spare.
Hasenhuttl shows ‘Plan B’ at Wolfsburg
One of the main criticisms of Hasenhuttl in his time at Southampton was his perceived lack of ‘Plan B’.
Since taking charge at Wolfsburg the 56-year-old has demonstrated his tactical flexibility as he has switched between systems effectively.
At Southampton, Hasenhuttl favoured the 4-2-2-2 formation he had used at Leipzig and rarely strayed from his trusted system. Towards the end of his time on the English south coast, the manager did experiment with a back three but with little success.
It is clearly something Hasenhuttl has been keen to explore further – and perhaps studied in his time out of the game – as it has been a system he has used at his new club.
In just six games at the club, the man that led Southampton to an FA Cup semi-final has deployed four different formations.
He has set his team up in a 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 3-4-3 and a 3-4-2-1. However, whilst the shape may change, the aggressive, gegenpressing tactics do not.
Next up for Hasenhuttl is a trip to German giants Bayern Munich and he will be glad to have safety wrapped up ahead of the clash at the Allianz Arena.
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