“A strong wish to have or do something” is how the Oxford Dictionary defines desire.
And this feels like the aptest place to start when reflecting on Southampton’s most recent Premier League defeat, this time at the hands of Brighton.
There was no heart in the second half of this game. No urgency. No creativity. No ideas. And, most disappointingly, no desire.
Hasenhuttl took the view ahead of the defeat at Manchester City that the Brighton fixture was a more winnable game. That’s why he made six changes for the trip to the Etihad Stadium last week. Those players returned on Sunday afternoon against Brighton, intending to not only prove the Austrian was right to rest them but also to take the team to 36 points and wrap up their Premier League safety for another season.
