Mauricio Pellegrino took charge of his second competitive game at Southampton on Saturday as he looked to get his first win of the season at the second time of asking.
Saints played host to West Ham in what was a very entertaining game from a neutral’s perspective. The game saw Saints run out as 3-2 winners and in dramatic style thanks to a last minute penalty from Charlie Austin.
The game saw Saints throw away a two goal lead to a ten-man West Ham side, who had Marko Arnautovic sent off for an elbow on Jack Stephens.
After the match, Pellegrino praised the attitude and mentality of his players but stated that it was a “difficult game to analyse”. Despite his side throwing away a two goal lead, they kept their focus and spirit and got the win they deserved.
Below we have a review on Pellegrino’s performance as boss following the win.
The Starting XI:
Pellegrino made one change in personnel to the side that started in the 0-0 draw with Swansea on the opening day. Mario Lemina, the club’s record signing, came in to make his debut in place of James Ward-Prowse, who dropped to the bench. With this change to the starting XI, Pellegrino pushed Steven Davis into a more attacking role behind Manolo Gabbiadini, which pushed Dusan Tadic out to the right of the attacking three behind Gabbiadini.
For me this change was understandable as Ward-Prowse didn’t do much against the Swans on the opening day and it gave the fans and the squad a good chance to see how Lemina plays in-game.
The tactics:
The tactics were the same as the game against Swansea, with a high attacking press, along with confidence and dominance in possession. Even when the visitors went down to ten men, the tactics and style of play stayed the same. However, Pellegrino’s side struggled to deal with West Ham’s long balls and aerial prowess – which Pellegrino alluded to in his comments after the game.
Tactically speaking, going forward, creating chances and getting into the right areas on the pitch, there is a lot to be pleased about for the manager and the fans. However, conceding two goals to ten men and struggling with aerial play and long balls is something that will need to be worked on in training.
The substitutions:
On the 65th minute Pellegrino made his first substitution, bringing on James Ward-Prowse for Mario Lemina. Ward-Prowse’s introduction saw Steven Davis drop back alongside Oriol Romeu and Dusan Tadic go in behind Manolo Gabbiadini. This substitution made sense as Lemina hasn’t had a full pre-season with the club, so he wouldn’t be as match fit as the rest of the squad. However, I struggle to find anything of note that came from James Ward-Prowse when he came on aside from the late cross which saw Saints win the decisive penalty.
With ten minutes to go and Saints drawing 2-2 with the ten men of West Ham, Pellegrino made a double substitution, bringing on Charlie Austin and Shane Long on for Manolo Gabbiadini and Steven Davis.
For this I have to applaud Pellegrino. It could have been so easy to remain with just one striker on the field but he gambled and took a risk to try and get the win.
Personally, I thought that when both Austin and Long came on they linked up well and posed a new threat to West Ham. Austin sealed the points and reminded us all of how cool he keeps under pressure.
Post-match comments and reaction:
When Austin tucked the penalty away in the 93rd minute, the reaction from Pellegrino was one of relief, joy and passion all in one little sprint which us as fans all love to see.
Pellegrino again was honest on his side’s mistakes and faults against West Ham but was also full of praise for his side’s character and determination. Pellegrino also praised his side’s efficiency in front of goal, following the goalless draw with Swansea.
Overall assessment and mark out 10:
After giving Pellegrino a seven out of ten against Swansea and I am going to stick with that for the game against West Ham. Saints addressed the issues from the game against Swansea, however more issues came around and throwing away a two-goal lead to ten men shouldn’t happen with a squad with the quality of Southampton. Despite this, Pellegrino’s professionalism, bravery and honesty is still much to be admired.
