There are few better symbols of Southampton’s transformation under Ralph Hasenhüttl than Jan Bednarek. It is a little more than two years since the Poland defender swapped Poznan for the Premier League but after being reduced to a bit-part role and ostracised by previous managers, these days Bednarek feels at home, reinvigorated and somewhat part of the defensive furniture, having played every minute in the top flight so far this season.
“We are not scared of anyone with this manager,” he says. “The vibe here is very good. Because we press high, it doesn’t matter if it’s Chelsea, Liverpool or Wolverhampton, we try to do the same things with the same attitude and the same energy. I think the bravery of this coach is much bigger.”
Southampton have craved the kind of fearlessness that Hasenhüttl has put into his players, with life breathed into Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse as well as Bednarek. Half an hour of conversation with Bednarek at Southampton’s sprawling Staplewood training base flies by – the 23-year-old speaks quickly and assertively – but not so long ago the weeks dragged; before Hasenhüttl’s arrival in December, Bednarek had made seven Premier League appearances across 16 long months.
“It is the most important thing to feel confidence from the manager, to feel strong, to feel that you can face anyone. He is a good person, a very good coach and our team has developed a lot under his leadership. Every game we are getting better, we cause a lot of problems for opponents but there are a lot of things still to improve. I think everyone is aware we can still do better and I think this season we will do.”
After successive campaigns fighting relegation Southampton, who host Bournemouth on Friday, are determined to avoid getting sucked into another battle and Bednarek, on a personal level, is simply happy to be back in the first-team picture.
“It’s not easy when you don’t play,” he says. “You have to work hard and you have to be ready when the chance comes. You have to keep doing your job, even if you are angry, and do everything you can do and the chance will come. It was a tough time for me but the manager came in, I took it and now I try to give it back. That’s football: one day you are down and one day you are up.”
During the lows Bednarek turned to Damian Salwin, the Polish national team’s psychologist and part of his support network, along with his partner, Julia, his parents, Beata and Daniel, and his elder brother, Filip, a goalkeeper for Heerenveen. “I was a goalkeeper but I was bored there so I didn’t want to keep that position,” Bednarek says. “I wanted to see more of the ball and have it at my feet. I started up front and then I was going down, down, down and finished at centre-back. That’s my position and I feel the best there.” Then there is Candy, his beloved French bulldog. “It’s important to sometimes forget about football, to focus on your family and other things that matter.”
As for seeking the help of a psychologist, Bednarek believes it is something more players should consider. “He helped me a lot when I didn’t play. I had some bad moments but he kept me up and helped me a lot through some tough times. I can recommend to every player to do it, even if you don’t have any problems, to think about football in another way. I think it helps you to improve your skills and also your point of view of the game. I think competition in football is so high, so it’s all about the details. If you can make yourself better even 1%, you have to do it and try to do your best. You don’t want to regret not trying to improve after your career.”
As a youngster Bednarek looked up to Robert Lewandowski, a teammate at international level this month, but as he progressed through the ranks at Lech Poznan, for whom he made his debut aged 17, he always admired a Premier League great. “John Terry, a great defender and a great example to learn from – it was great to watch how he played. If you are a defender, first you have to defend. What you can do extra is extra.”
Bednarek is unsure at the suggestion Southampton were previously too nice to play against but they have certainly shown a mean streak, frustrating Manchester United last month despite being reduced to 10 men. “We have to be a really nasty opponent,” he says. “I don’t know if it was too easy [to play Southampton] but I think we were not aggressive enough, the defence was not compact enough and not clinical enough up front.”
For now, though, there are green shoots aplenty for Bednarek and Southampton, with neither keen to look back in anger. “Fans can only see during the games – they don’t know what’s going on between the games or during the week,” he says. “They don’t know if you have good days or bad days, they just see you on the pitch and during the 90 minutes. But that’s it, that’s why we love football. We have to handle and face the pressure. We can win, we can lose, we can cry, we can be happy. That’s it.”
The Guardian Sport
