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Saints At Huddersfield The Verdict

A team that the Saints supporters want ! Ralph Hasenhuttl hit the nail on the head after his second win in three games showed that Saints have the squad it just needed managing properly.

There is still a long way to go in this season and it will be full of more twists and turns, but Ralph Hasenhuttl has shown in little more than a fortnight that he could be our best manager since Lawrie McMenemy, yes I know that I said that about Ronald Koeman a few years ago, but Koeman's failure to grasp legendary status was all about off the field not what he did for us as a club.

But the difference in virtually everything about the squad was there to see at Huddersfield, it is nothing short of a miracle how players who looked tired jaded and de motivated are suddenly eager to play, they look fitter both physically and mentally, if Hasenhuttl can do all this in two weeks what can he do in a season.

This was the same line up that beat Arsenal, but it was a different tactical performance, there was less pressing and more about working hard getting men behind the ball and then hitting on the break.

Again at the heart of everything was Nathan Redmond, he opened the scoring latching on to a defence splitting through ball from Hojbjerg and lashing it past the keeper.

Just before the break it was two and it was Redmond again at the heart laying the ball for Ings who was brought down and subsequently converted the spot kick.

After the break Saints didn't have a lot of possession but they controlled the game, they seemed to know when to pass their way out of trouble and when to hoof it.

Huddersfield's moments where all of Saints making on the few occasions they failed to clear the ball properly, this will improve hopefully.

Just before the hour with Saints looking comfortable suddenly a goal out of nowhere, McCarthy had been having a decent game, but he completely misread the flight of the ball and was wrong footed.

But cue Hasenhuttl to change the game again, like last week he made the right subs at the right time, he firstly brought on Obafemi for his pace and to keep the home side on their toes and stop them pushing too far forward.

Then he brought on Lemina to shore up the midfield and offer more strength.

This paid dividends and again it was Redmond at the heart, he ran at the defence and forced an error, took the ball and rolled it into the path of Obafemi who made no mistake to send the red hatted hordes behind the goal into raptures.

Then it was just a question to see out the last twenty minutes and let the celebrations begin for yet another performance that had all that the fans have been crying out for since Ronald Koeman left.

A truly squad performance with the players looking almost unrecognisable than from a mere few weeks ago, this season is a long way from being over, but we can look onwards and upwards and not over our shoulders.

It wasn't last Christmas we gave Ronald Koeman our hearts it was a little longer than that and we have had a lot of tears since, but this Christmas we have truly given it to someone special.

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