We bring you the key points from Ralph Hasenhüttl's press conference, as the Saints boss looks for his team to recover from defeat to Arsenal with victory over Fulham on a big night at St Mary’s…
On squad mentality…
"The atmosphere is like the results at the moment; we are not happy about the situation, not taking the results we needed in the past few games. At Arsenal, for them to win 2-0 is not that surprising, it can happen.
"The way we played there was different; we started well and created some chances but finally they were the better team. What we are still missing are the points against Cardiff and that’s why we are under the line for now.
"I saw today in their faces that they are very focused and now what tomorrow’s game is all about. We want to present ourselves tomorrow as Southampton FC; I don’t want to say the pressure is more on Fulham, they are eight points from safety while we are just one."
On our Premier League rivals…
"Fulham will know that it is a must-win for them, 10 points from safety if they lose, you have to say that’s over. For us, it’s a should-win because we are under the line. As it stands, if the season ended now both teams are relegated.
"If the teams above us with more points than us think they are safe then that is wrong. There are 33 points to be won from now on and that means everyone can get a lot. For us, it’s not a new situation.
"When I started here, I said being above the line at the end is the most important thing even if it takes until the last match. We have had the pressure from the first day I have been here until and may be there until the end and we are prepared for that.
"It’s an important game but not the final one, there will still be 10 left to play after it. It’s an important one for us to take important points. We need to show commitment on and off the pitch, that’s what I’m demanding."
On approach to Fulham…
"It’s not so long ago that we played a great game at home against Everton and we showed there that we can surprise opponents and play with real focus and concentration.
"We are in a situation now again where we perhaps don’t play beautifully but play for the results and I think we have to come back in this shape.
"We want to put some stress on the opponent and surprise them with what we are doing and that has been our focus in the last two days.
"We will change from Arsenal, it’s a completely different game. On Sunday, we tried to get behind the last line with speed through Nathan Redmond and he had a big chance, a perfect one for what we wanted to do with our plan. They scored on the counter-attack and then your game plan is completely different.
"Fulham at home and Arsenal away are totally different. We have prepared something to find the right decisions in the right moments."
On recovering from mistakes…
"We dropped points recently because of a few mistakes; we were discussing this a lot and it’s a game of mistakes but you have to learn from them as Jannik Vestergaard did against Cardiff and recovered in the games after.
"It was a step back for Jack in his development against Arsenal and he knows that. I am far away from booing a player on my team or not trusting him anymore, the fact is that he is a young player from the Southampton Way and that means he will learn from this and stop the mistakes.
"We take care of every player because we need every player; we don’t forget that while Yoshida was away at the Asian Cup, Jack was the guy playing fantastically in the back five against Leicester and Everton. We should show that we are a club that cares about everybody and their development.
"Finding the right balance in taking risks is hard; in the first 10 minutes of the game, maybe it’s not the time to try and build the play and Jack knows that it was better to clear the ball in that situation.
"To be clear-headed in that moment and to find the best decision is just part of his development and he will learn a lot from these games. If you take the right things out of these situations, then you will grow in these moments."
On injuries…
"We gave Michael Obafemi a long time to recover and did not let him start the game because we knew it’s important for him to make a small step at first. It’s a different thing training for two weeks and then playing a Premier League game, the intensity is so much higher.
"Losing Michael is a big blow, he is out now until the end of the season. We have a big problem because an 18 year old is not part of a team then we really have a problem. It’s not about putting more pressure on him, we have other options with the players we have.
"The worst part is for him; another big injury at this age when you are trying to get experience and want to play and make the next step in your development, it doesn’t help with your development. That’s what we are thinking about more. We will find other solutions on the pitch but for him it is a disaster.
"It doesn’t seem possible for Danny Ings to play; we must be careful with him because the risk is too high. He hasn’t been training with the team and we still have a big injury with Michael Obafemi so we know how dangerous it can be.
"With Danny, we won’t take any risks. Maybe he will be an option for Tottenham but if not, we will have a three week break to make sure and get him ready for the last games.
"Mario Lemina is training by himself in a controlled workload and we will have a look at him."
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