The Athletic has arranged to go for a walk around Ocean Village with Radhi Jaidi.
But as is customary when on the cusp of changing seasons, the British weather intervenes and disrupts best-laid plans.
“Let’s go to the Harbour hotel, sixth floor?” Jaidi messages shortly beforehand.
The only luxury five-star hotel in Southampton? Yes, most certainly.
For the next couple of hours, we sit by the window that looks out to the city and across the sea, discussing all things Southampton. Conversation ranges from Sport Republic, Ralph Hasenhuttl, why he left and the finer nuances of where the team can improve.
First though, Ocean Village itself. A high-end yacht-filled marina on the River Itchen and the home to Southampton players — admittedly more so in years gone by — and board members.
Les Reed and Ralph Krueger had apartments close by, while it is Hasenhuttl and his wife who now enjoy the picturesque, affluent area. The first year of Jaidi’s time in the city was spent living in Ocean Village, with the rest of his close family remaining in Birmingham. Every evening, he would dine in the local restaurant, Banana Wharf, alongside team-mates Jose Fonte, Morgan Schneiderlin and the enigmatic, some would say one of a kind, Papa Waigo.
When Waigo left, it was Guly do Prado — another cult hero — stepping in. Southampton’s former under-21 coach reminisces but is keen to give his take on the present ongoings at the club he reasserts love for.
There has been considerable change over the summer. What do you make of the backing Hasenhuttl has received?
I like it. There were many occasions for the board to get rid of Ralph over the past couple of years. He lost 9-0 twice, the club were playing with relegation and the fans were putting strong pressure on him specifically about his style of play. It was easy for the board to say “let’s get rid of the coach and bring another in”, but Martin Semmens came out and spoke about the club’s money situation and what they were trying to achieve. They protected him massively and that’s good.
Two managers (in the Premier League) have been sacked already and I think another two will be sacked soon. So we will see what happens with Ralph, especially with the new players coming in because they are amazing. There are no excuses now.
Hasenhuttl introduced the “SFC playbook” in 2020, soon after you left, due to concerns that academy players were not equipped to make the step up into the first team. Do you see that as a criticism of you?
There was no communication. I’m not trying to bring excuses but I didn’t know technically what Ralph needed. Ralph was playing 4-2-2-2. We were playing 3-5-2. At that point, we didn’t have a chief executive or chairman because Les Reed had left and there was only (director of football) Ross Wilson. We didn’t have a lot of communication on what Ralph’s principles were.
The only talks we had were what players he wanted for the first team, or when he came to watch a few games and did speeches in the changing rooms, which I liked. But the connection between me and him in how he wanted things to be done didn’t happen. I wish it happened, but I do not know the reason.
It’s probably me. If I was a first-team coach, I would not wait for the B team coach to come to me, I would tell them what I wanted and if they weren’t convinced, I’d at least ask them to try it. I watched a lot of the first-team training sessions and I tried to be creative in understanding what he wanted. There were obstacles.
On the playbook, how comfortable would you be in completely mirroring the first team if you were still the B team coach?
I remember asking the academy director at Chelsea (Neil Bath) what guidance he gives to his coaches. He said the only guidance was to win games. But it’s difficult because most clubs, especially those with Category 1 academies, don’t see that. It was the case at Southampton.
Jaidi during his time at the Southampton academy (Photo: Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images)
Players must know how to win. When Ronald Koeman was here, he never trained the 3-5-2 but would play it on the weekends and win. It doesn’t matter what formation, players need to understand what the key principles are and how to win. Some academy directors don’t see this, which I think is limiting.
Hasenhuttl has overseen major surgery to the squad this summer, not only in personnel but changes to the system. As a coach, what stands out for you?
I watched the Manchester United game. The small details meant we lost. The team showed great potential, individually and as a collective. With the ball, we need to see more fluidity going forwards. There needs to be more tempo in attacking areas and a change of pace when we’ve worked the ball through the lines.
If you give the young players time and love in this environment, they will succeed massively. We’re lucky to have these types of players. As a coach, Ralph is lucky. He just needs to express himself with the players more.
I think there is more flexibility now than before. I understand Ralph was not only frustrated with the personnel — there were not a lot of options — but the main issue was the full-backs since Ryan Bertrand and Cedric left. We had problems on the sides and we never had continuity with our centre-backs.
Going forward, he has the players to play in small pockets and in wide areas. They can play high and sit deep. You can now rely on the back four. Don’t forget the change of goalkeepers, too, which is massive. The keepers reflect the team — there was no stability.
If you were still coaching at the club, what players would you like to work with?
We need to use these players in the right way. For example, Joe Aribo needs to be used correctly. He needs to be played in a wide area, not No 10. He’s a very technical player and can innovate. If you put him in the middle and with his back to goal, that’s a big problem. As a coach, I think we reduce his qualities by putting him centrally. Put him in the right-hand corridor.
You mention Ralph is fortunate with the new signings he has. Who excites you most?
(Armel) Bella-Kotchap. He gives us very good stability with (Mohammed) Salisu. He has a very quick base and when I watch him, I can tell he doesn’t even need to head the ball at times because he reads the game. He fits well because we want to play high and he can manage large spaces. He’s not worried about what’s behind him. But we can add value to him if he improves his heading from corners… I can help with that!
How would you feel about Southampton’s policy of investing in youth from elsewhere if you still coached the B team?
It would definitely be frustrating for academy players to see younger players coming from different clubs and playing in the first team. Southampton do look after their players. Yan Valery decided to go back to France and that is a great platform to come back to the Premier League in the future. Southampton always wanted to be a team with 50 per cent made up of academy players. I think that is now behind us.
It is evident Sport Republic has re-energised the strategy of working with youth…
The new owners are very aware and know the field very well. I have heard a lot about them and a lot of it is positive. They are trying to find a way of being fully established in the Premier League and they have a plan for the academy. If it’s not the case of promoting homegrown players, they will focus on bringing players halfway through their development. If they are local players, they will sign them at 15. If they are from abroad, they will join at 17. But if you don’t see the results of this strategy, it will be a big question. We need to see names from Southampton.
In 2019, you left Southampton to join Hartford Athletic in the United States. The two clubs had just formed a working partnership. What were the reasons for leaving?
The reason for me to go to Hartford was the aspiration of being a head coach. My exit from Southampton was a bit tricky but I chose to go to America to experience and not waste time, because I knew I wasn’t going to get anything at Southampton. I discovered a different culture, learned a lot during that year and finally had the head coach role on my CV.
What did Southampton actually benefit from the partnership?
Other teams want to know how Southampton operate because we have one of the best academies in the world, or we showed that previously, at least. The two clubs shared information and if I stayed there, that would have carried on. But I didn’t, as coaching in Europe was my main objective.
It is clear you want to find a head coach role somewhere. What are your overarching football ideals and why would they appeal to a chairman?
In 10 years as a coach at Southampton, I managed to take everything needed. I worked with coaches as well as the sports science and psychology departments. I want to entertain the board and fans by playing an aggressive, high-pressing and dominating style of football, with a high number of entries into the final third and a high number of shots to score goals.
Jaidi celebrates Southampton winning the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in 2010 (Photo: Joe Giddens – PA Images via Getty Images)
You worked with James Ward-Prowse when he was in the academy and tracked his progress to now becoming Southampton’s figurehead. What has made him so special?
I think there is a video of him at six or seven years old speaking about his plans. He had the obsession of being the best. I remember being the assistant for the 21s under Martin Hunter and Ward-Prowse would train after every session. It didn’t matter if it was a preparation session or a recovery one. He was always taking a bag of balls and practising free-kicks.
He would sometimes hide from Martin and go on the opposite pitch so he didn’t see him! The difference between him and most other players is that mindset. The obsession. He would do everything needed for him to be the best. It’s rare for a teenager like he was to understand that.
James Ward-Prowse is an absolute problem from set pieces 🔥
It’s another picture perfect free-kick from the Southampton man 😍 pic.twitter.com/7vDPHArtvS
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) December 15, 2021
A lot of people just see pressing as running around a lot and quickly. But it is a lot more nuanced than that, isn’t it?
Pressing is all about different perceptions. Ralf Rangnick’s pressing is not the same as Mauricio Pochettino’s. There is a process to press. Some managers want you to make an arched run when closing down. Some want you to run straight. Some will tell you to run as quick as possible, some will tell you to go too slow. I know coaches who want you to deceive opposition players, making them think you are closing down from one angle, but actually setting a trap to the other.
There are different ways of pressing. You need to know the players. For example, you might have long legs but can’t tackle. I would then tailor your position to press through intercepting passes, rather than tackling. There are a lot of individual aspects and once you drill that, you work in pairs, threes and then as a team.
(Top photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images)
