Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is determined to consign the 9-0 defeat against Leicester to the history books by continuing to write plenty of more positive chapters.
The Saints were humiliated by a rampant Leicester side live on television at a wet St Mary’s Stadium on October 25, 2019.
It the worst defeat in the club’s history and left the Austrian facing questions over his own future and the direction of the team.
Roll the clocks forward to 2021, though, and it is now a much more positive horizon.
Hasenhuttl takes his side to the King Power Stadium on Saturday night looking upwardly mobile on the back of a 1-0 win over Premier League champions Liverpool.
Southampton have already exorcised the demons of their 9-0 reverse with a hard-earned away win at Leicester last January.
Hasenhuttl is determined to look towards a bright future for the club, who head into the weekend’s games sitting in seventh place.
“As I said after the (9-0) game, this will always be part of our history, but the main interesting thing is how you write the history after this game and this is what makes me more proud to be honest,” the Southampton manager said.
“It was a game you lose when a man down after 10 minutes, what everybody forgets afterwards, but it is okay.
“This is part of our history, no problem, but afterwards I think of where we are now, which is the fact which makes me really proud.”
Saints have not played since beating Liverpool, with their planned FA Cup third-round tie against Shrewsbury called off because of a coronavirus outbreak at the Sky Bet League One club.
Hasenhuttl believes his injury-hit squad – also likely to be without forward Danny Ings following his own positive Covid-19 test – will be ready to face the Foxes head on.
“We used it (break) for recovering and for getting some energy, and now we are back in training and back in business,” said the Southampton manager.
“The atmosphere is good. We need to step up immediately, build up on the good defence that we had in the last games, also being more clinical when we have chances in front, and playing with the ball, I think against the next opponent this is also important.
“A good performance is always necessary to take points against Leicester.”
Brendan Rodgers’ side are fourth and looking to make up ground at the top of the table, with leaders Manchester United travelling to Liverpool on Sunday.
“Since they have become champions, this club was definitely developing and took advantage of this famous year they had,” Hasenhuttl added.
“They have signed very good players and a very good manager, who is driven also by making this team better every day and this makes them strong.
“It is always tactically a very interesting game.
“We go there with self-confidence, with hopefully a good mixture of bravery and coolness and then we should make a good game there hopefully.”
