The Sun's Tom Barclay expects Southampton to stand by manager Ralph Hasenhuttl despite their underwhelming start to the season.
The Austrian has been at the club for almost three years, but he may be beginning to feel the pressure after a disappointing calendar year so far in 2021.
What's the latest news at Southampton?
Southampton have failed to win any of their opening seven league games this term, which leaves them just a point above the relegation zone heading into this weekend's round of fixtures.
In fairness, they have managed to get four draws this season, including against both Manchester clubs, but they have failed to click into gear from an attacking perspective, scoring just five times in the top-flight all season.
It was reported earlier this week that Hasenhuttl is coming under increased scrutiny at St Mary's and some of the squad feel that he will be relieved of his duties in the next few weeks.
What has Barclay said about Hasenhuttl's future?
Barclay believes that the Saints will stick with Hasenhuttl, as they want to avoid going down the route that Chelsea have taken under Roman Abramovich of sacking their managers at regular intervals.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Barclay tipped Hasenhuttl to stay, and explained his reasoning by saying: “Based on my information, and more what the CEO Martin Semmens said recently to the Total Saints Podcast, a fan show. He was suggesting the other way, really, saying that they weren’t likely to go down a Chelsea route of sacking the manager. They’ve got a long-term strategy.”
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Should Hasenhuttl be sacked?
We are still in the early stages of the season, and it has not been a horrendous campaign for Southampton by any means.
They have put in a number of battling displays against City, United and Chelsea, plus they are into the last 16 of the Carabao Cup. There have been enough positive performances to suggest that Hasenhuttl deserves more time.
Still, the bigger picture also needs to be looked at. The South Coast club have had a miserable year, winning just five league matches in 2021, and have suffered an alarming dip in form since briefly leading the Premier League last November.
Furthermore, Chelsea's strategy of consistently firing managers has actually worked well for them for the best part of two decades, as they have won five league titles and the Champions League twice during Abramovich's time at the club.
This shows that changing coaches can lead to an upturn in fortunes, and if results don't improve under Hasenhuttl soon, Southampton may want to move him on before they get firmly dragged into a relegation scrap this term.