There is no point in challenging the fact that Les Reed and the others amongst the Southampton hierarchy were desperate to make the right move that would fit in with the whole ethos of the club.
After the scrutiny they received from the Saints faithful regarding Claude Puel, the next step was undeniably significant. And what is the next step? Mauricio Pellegrino.
Who is Mauricio Pellegrino?
He is an Argentinian football manager that is very much an unknown quantity. He has had previous spells with the likes of Valencia, Estudiantes, Independiente and Alavès, with varying degrees of success. Premier League fans may remember him from his association with Rafa Benitez at Liverpool, or his short stint at Anfield as a player.
What should you expect from a Pellegrino team?
His teams are usually very compact defensively who flow into fluid counter-attacks at pace, which is a style of play many of the Southampton fans are desperate for after the dullness of many of the fixtures in the last campaign. He is very flexible tactically, which is evident through his successes at Alavès where’d he’d switch between three and four at the back, while also changing it up with the lone striker or two up top.
What separates him from Puel?
One main thing, when comparing him to Puel, is that he is prepared to take risks and is an excellent man to man manager. There is no denying that he will be very authoritative and professional. But, the most important thing is his reliance and instinct to always develop the youth of the clubs he works for which means he’d fit right in at the South Coast.
Additionally, more or less all the Saints fans felt demotivated with Puel due to his inability to communicate well to the fans and media, whether it was through press conferences or out on the pitch. Pellegrino definitely delivers better communication as he speaks fluent English. He is known to be animated on the touchline, when needed to be.
Don’t just take our word for it….
”What they (Alavès) got from him was a guy with tactical versatility” – Guillem Balague (respected Spanish journalist)
”He understood tactically, he was obsessed with the team, he took responsibility: too much. He was ashamed by defeat. I’ve known very few players like that. He has three things: incredible humility, complete professionalism and he never celebrated victory.” (Goalkeeper and former team-mate at Valencia, Santi Cañizares
Obviously, numerous fans may have their reservations regarding Pellegrino, but he definitely has the attributes and tactical awareness to bring us back to our best and to challenge for a place in the top six/seven, while also maintaining our conveyor belt of a youth academy.
He isn’t the big name most of our fans are grasping for, but he is a name that has every right to be successful at this club.
