Hasenhüttl: Cup competitions have been important
With a chance to reach the Emirates FA Cup quarter-finals tonight, manager Ralph Hasenhüttl has emphasised the importance of cup competitions for his squad.
On an impressive run of form that has seen his side rise to ninth in the Premier League table, Hasenhüttl is keen for the momentum to carry over to cup competition when West Ham visit St Mary’s (7.30pm GMT).
“So far, the cup competitions have been important for us as a team to stay committed,” he said. “This is mostly the reason why I very often gave other players a chance to play, to show their importance for us as a team, as a club.
“And that helped us massively for keeping the atmosphere good in this team because when you have a bigger squad and you have a few players they are not able to play all the time then they need something, a target where they are looking at.
“And then they showed in all the cup competitions so far that they have done a good job. And yeah, want to get a chance again.
“I don't know how much players will get a chance to show up again and how much we will change to the last game. But there will be a few ones definitely.”
