Southampton announced on Friday that they have appointed former Alaves boss Mauricio Pellegrino as their new manager on a three-year deal.
Saints sacked Claude Puel earlier this month despite the fact that the Frenchman led the side to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League and the League Cup final in his first season in charge at St Mary’s, but there was certainly more to the dismissal than meets the eye.
The south cost outfit scored just 17 home league goals in 19 matches and their style of play became a frustration for the supporters, while Puel is also rumoured to have fallen out with some key first team stars.
Pellegrino moves to England following a successful campaign in Spain with Alaves and comparisons will certainly be drawn to when they brought his fellow countryman Mauricio Pochettino to the Premier League in similar circumstances in 2013.
Here are five things Southampton fans need to know about Pellegrino…
His achievements at Alaves
Alaves decided to sack Jose Bordalas and appoint Pellegrino as their new manager last summer despite the fact that they won the Segunda Division title, as they believed they had more chance of a successful season under the Argentine.
It certainly proved to be the case as the former Liverpool defender led the La Liga outfit to a victory against Barcelona in the opening weeks of the season, a ninth-place finish despite only having the 15th-highest budget in the division according to uMAXit, and a place in the final of the Copa Del Rey.
The importance of full-backs
Some Southampton supporters may have criticised former manager Claude Puel for his failure to shake up formations and tactics during matches in order to change the pattern of a game, but it shouldn’t be the case if Pellegrino takes the reins.
According to uMAXit, the 45-year-old switched between 5-4-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 and 5-3-2 formations throughout the campaign with his two full-backs, who were also able to seamlessly make the transition to wing-backs, becoming two of the most important players in the team.
If Saints can keep hold of Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares for next season, Pellegrino will certainly be delighted as he knows he would have two players that have proved that they can make a huge impact at both ends of the pitch.
Period managing a club
While his time at Alaves may have been impressive, it only lasted for a year before he quit and it is something that seems to be a regular occurrence during the Argentine’s managerial career so far.
Southampton were said to be looking for a manager that wants to be part of a long-term project rather than leaving when a bigger side comes calling, and the fact that Pellegrino has spent just six months with Valencia, less than a year with Alaves and Independiente and just two years with Estudiantes may be a cause for concern.
Developing young players
Alaves signed left-back Theo Hernandez on loan from Atletico Madrid last summer, and Pellegrino helped develop him into one of the best in his position in La Liga last season.
The 19-year-old is reported to be on the verge of joining Atletico’s arch-rivals Real Madrid, and Southampton will be hoping that the Argentine boss can help their youngsters in the same way.
The south coast outfit pride themselves on bringing players through from the academy to the first team, and they would hope that Pellegrino could help take them to the next level.
Time at Valencia
While some people may take a look at Pellegrino’s six-month spell at Valencia and think it was a disaster considering he was sacked, it is far from the case in reality.
The Argentine left the Mestalla having won 10 of his 21 matches in charge – a win percentage of nearly 48% – and with the club in 12th position in the standings.
Considering it was his first managerial job at a big club, that can’t be considered too bad and the 45-year-old is sure to have learnt a lot from the experience.
Would Pellegrino be a good appointment, Saints fans? Let us know below.
