Robin Jones / Getty Images

Ralph Hasenhüttl put a lot into the cups in 2021, giving the first team four extra matches to play, resulting in nine midweek matches after January.

Except Burnley which was eight days after the Bournemouth QF, three of those were followed by defeats, either in tired or tactically simple ways. The Tottenham match three days after the Leicester defeat was both: a strong start against a new manager visibly trailed off before half time, and half a day of training ground preparation wasn’t enough for Ralph to plan anything useful with his subs.

Tom Leach showed that the worst run of results came during that cup run period. Equally the results in the first half of the season came when Southampton were one of few PL teams not in the EFL Cup or Europe. That seems expected for Hasenhüttl’s match intensity and shallow squad, as he acknowledged in the quote.

A cup run can seem appealing in January when the team is safe. But without depth it still costs league performances and points. The prize money isn’t worth it, and all that is left is hoping the draws are kind enough to win six matches (they won four), and avoid the run ending in disappointment. Next season, when Southampton aren’t 6th in January, those above Ralph probably won’t see the justification.