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Southampton sack Adkins, appoint Pochettino; Merged
Topic Started: Jan 18 2013, 12:03 PM (3,677 Views)
Phil
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Homer
Jan 18 2013, 12:04 PM


I JUST HOPE THE SAINTS DONT GO AND RULE THIS DECISION
i want to know if he meant this
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DaG
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Not a disgrace at all. Not sure they hired the right replacement though.
https://twitter.com/mediocentroEN
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DaG
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AntMcfc
Jan 18 2013, 12:48 PM
it surely can't be because of their performances this season.
They were in the relegation zone when the decisiom was taken.
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AntMcfc
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DaG
Jan 18 2013, 05:16 PM
Not a disgrace at all. Not sure they hired the right replacement though.
FUCKING KNEW YOU'D COME AND SAY EXACTLY THIS YOU'RE SUCH A WASTEMAN I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU HAVE TO TRY TO BE SO DIFFERENT ALL THE TIME
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AntMcfc
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Introducing Southampton’s Mauricio Pochettino

It started so well for Mauricio Pochettino at his last club, Espanyol. The new Southampton boss was a Blanquiazules (blue and whites) legend who’d played 275 league games as a central defender in two spells. England fans might remember him as the Argentina defender who brought down Michael Owen to earn England a penalty and the game’s only goal in the 2002 World Cup finals.

Pochettino mixed youth with shrewdly purchased imports like compatriot Pablo Osvaldo, and experienced pros like Cameroonian international goalkeeper Carlos Kameni (now Malaga) and Luis Garcia (not the former Liverpool player who allegedly drinks Sangria).

The Argentine’s commitment to attacking football and his propensity to promote youth saw bigger clubs attracted to his most promising players. With the continued financial problems at Espanyol, Pochettino had little choice but to develop from within and their youth system was as impressive as Barça’s, though on a smaller scale. Home-grown players included Jordi Amat (Rayo), Victor Ruiz (Valencia), Didac (Milan) and Javi Marquez (Mallorca), Alvaro (Getafe). Espanyol sold all to survive. Javi Lopez and Raul Baena remain. All prospered under Pochettino. Before them, Wigan’s Jordi Gomez had been at Espanyol.

Pochettino managed a club struggling to get over the death of their captain Dani Jarque in 2009, a club who moved to a new stadium in the same year. The inspiration for Espanyol’s stadium move? A 2001 trip for a pre-season friendly to open a new stadium. To St Mary’s, Southampton, where Pochettino now works.

Pochettino’s Espanyol finished 10th, 11th, 8th and 8th until it started to go wrong in 2012. Espanyol were seventh a year ago. They entered 2012 with the fourth best away record and fans talked reasonably about a top six finish and a cup run. Their optimism increased as they continued to rise up the table, hitting fourth in February. They were punching above their weight, steadily improving and dreaming of a first Champions League appearance.

When they held neighbours Barcelona, Pep Guardiola commented on their quality and how they’d made the league tougher for Barcelona to retain. Espanyol upset the big boys.

Then the slide began. The cup run was ended by a regional third division side and that set the template for the horrendous year to follow. When a hapless, hopeless Zaragoza beat Espanyol 2-0 in Barcelona, Pochettino described it as “a little accident”. It wasn’t.

Espanyol tumbled down the table to finish 14th and the Argentine was fortunate not to join the twelve top-flight coaches who lost their jobs in Spain last season. His side were even 18th in the fair play table, with more yellow cards received than any other club. Crowds plummeted and Espanyol’s youthful beauty had been replaced by a snarling beast who didn’t know how to lose gracefully.

Pochettino was finally sacked in November. Under his replacement former Mexico and Atletico Madrid coach Javier Aguirre, fortunes finally begin to improve.

Southampton have acquired a good young (40) coach and a good man, albeit one who needs to learn English. He’ll use people he knows, mainly on the coaching and agent side, but also players he knows. His best contacts are in Spain and Argentina. It’s an interesting one.
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Homer
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Nigel Adkins found out about his Southampton sacking as he watched TV

Nigel Adkins knew he was going to be sacked BEFORE he met with Southampton supremo Nicola Cortese.

Pochettino faces a dressing-room revolt from players loyal to Adkins, who it is understood was watching TV and saw a report that he had been sacked moments before Cortese swung the axe face-to-face.

Adkins was told he was out just three days after his side earned a battling 2-2 draw at European champions Chelsea.

The point at Stamford Bridge lifted the Saints three points above the relegation places yet could not save Adkins.

A source said: “Nigel is philosophical about things and was told it’s nothing personal.

“He’s known it could have been coming at any time for a few weeks. But it’s still a horrible way to find out. It’s been hard to work like that but he’s done exceptionally well.”

The 47-year-old led Southampton back into the Premier League after back to back promotions and, while he gained a reputation for being methodical rather passionate, the players backed him.

Several players were described to be “gutted and shell shocked” after the news broke, even though they had feared it was coming despite the club’s upturn in results.

Adkins was seen as having weaknesses - particularly when it came to communication skills - and the ex-Bangor and Scunthorpe manager was, in the eyes of some squad members, still learning as he went along in the Premier League.

But the players liked him, dug deep for him and the improvement in results - including victory at Aston Villa and a draw at Chelsea - was a direct result of them doing their best to keep him in a job.

But Cortese, a wealthy banker, refused to listen.

He felt he wanted an experienced manager at the helm, to give Southamption what he saw as a better chance of staying up.

It is understood that Cortese had sounded out former Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo in the past but turned his attentions to ex-Espanyol coach Pochettino several weeks ago.

The Mirror understands that serious negotiations had begun with Pochettino before Southampton’s draw at Chelsea, to the extent that he had effectively been offered the job by then.

Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier said: “Nigel Adkins is probably relieved now that he’s not answerable to Nicola Cortese.

“It seems to be the way the club’s being run under the chairman. Nothing’s surprising and it’s a bit of a laughing stock.”
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Punching on Pochettino by Michael Cox
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Although some suggest Sunderland were responsible for Athletic Bilbao's red-and-white striped shirts, historians at Athletic's club museum insist that the Basque club adopted those colours courtesy of Southampton shipyard workers a century ago. It's fitting, then, that the link remains -- and Athletic-style football is set to be showcased in Southampton, courtesy of new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

- Pochettino thanks Saints fans for welcome

The link between Pochettino and Athletic coach Marcelo Bielsa is clear -- Pochettino came through the youth system at Newell's Old Boys and played under Bielsa, then later became his trusted centre back in the Argentine national team. "He's like a second father to me," said Pochettino last season. He, like many other Argentines of that era, was highly influenced by Bielsa's coaching methods. "I don't know if he's a crazy football coach, but he's very methodical, and always faithful to his ideas."

That sums up Bielsa perfectly -- he's an ideologue and a purist, arguably too extreme and inflexible to be successful at the highest level, but a wonderful inspiration. Pep Guardiola was also famously enthusiastic about Bielsa's methods, and just as Guardiola's Barcelona versus Bielsa's Athletic produced exciting, fast-paced games of heavy pressing, Guardiola's Barcelona versus Pochettino's Espanyol saw two high defensive lines, and frantic sequences of one-twos, making the derbies a fantastic spectacle. "I like football to be played well from the back, to have movement both in and out of possession, to pressure high up the pitch, and to be attacking," said Pochettino.

Pochettino had minimal time on the training ground before Monday's 0-0 draw with Everton, but his influence was already noticeable. The football statistics website WhoScored.com discovered that both Southampton and Everton recorded their lowest pass completion rate of the season. This corresponds with Pochettino's usual style of play -- his heavy pressing ensures the opposition concede possession cheaply in their own half, but his insistence upon one- and two-touch passing means his own players are vulnerable to poor possession play.

"I really liked what I saw in a very strong first half for us," he told Revista de La Liga the day after the Everton draw. "It was exactly what we were looking for in terms of building for the future. Perhaps the hard work of the first half caught up with us in the second, and we weren't as fresh." It was classic Pochettino -- emphasising the importance of the system, and even justifying the negative features of the performance as an inevitable consequence of the system. Bielsa would be proud.

But Pochettino's appointment -- and his determination to impose his style of play upon Southampton immediately -- is a huge risk. There were encouraging signs from the Everton display, but it will take time to reformat Southampton completely and ensure his players are comfortable with their new instructions. Some features of his style -- one-touch passing, a high defensive line, heavy pressing -- are fundamentally perilous tactics.

That's especially true when one considers Southampton's previous tactical development this season. Nigel Adkins' sides may have attacked, but his football wasn't based around a structure, rather more about allowing individuals to express themselves. In the opening weeks of the season, although Southampton performed impressively against the two Manchester clubs, they were disastrously open at the back.

The 6-1 thrashing at the Emirates in October when Arsenal consistently attacked Southampton's fullbacks and exploited the space in behind the defence was a fine example of the need to change. The improvement took a couple of weeks, but gradually, as a squad and manager lacking top-flight experience adjusted to the demands of the Premier League, Southampton became more disciplined. The fullbacks were protected more keenly by the wide midfielders, while the whole side played deeper and became more compact.

Adkins' 22-game Premier League spell can be broken in half -- in the first 11 games Southampton conceded 2.63 goals per game. In the final 11 they conceded 1.0. As a result, they went from averaging 0.45 points per game, to 1.54 points per game. Forgive the excessive use of statistics, but the point is clear -- Southampton went from relegation form to mid-table form, primarily because of their improved structure without the ball. Having been told to sit back, Southampton's players will now be ordered up the pitch to press.

Denis Doyle/Getty ImagesMarcelo Bielsa's influence will be seen in Pochettino's Southampton side, for better or worse.

Bielsa-style football requires a transition period at the start, where results are inconsistent or downright poor. That was certainly true of El Loco at Athletic. He failed to win his first five matches, and rumours of his departure gathered momentum before a victory in the derby at Real Sociedad transformed Athletic's season, and they eventually reached two cup finals.

But Pochettino's experience at Espanyol, his only previous club, is an even more extreme example. Taking charge precisely midway through the 2008-09 campaign with Espanyol in 18th place, Pochettino won just one of his first nine matches. Espanyol failed to keep a single clean sheet, and sunk to bottom of the table with just ten games remaining. Then suddenly, they triumphed in eight of those ten matches, keeping eight clean sheets. Astonishingly, Espanyol finished in the top half, and Pochettino was hailed as a genius.

Here's the deal if you appoint a character like Bielsa or Pochettino: You must accept the initial downturn in order to reap the benefits. That's why the timing of Southampton's decision is so strange -- especially in conjunction with their good form under Adkins. The switch would have made sense at the beginning of the season (granted, it would have been tough to poach Pochettino from Espanyol) or at the end of the campaign, considering that Adkins seemed likely to lead the Saints to survival. Midway through, with Southampton only four points away from the relegation zone, the decision -- like Pochettino's style of play -- is highly risky.

After all, Southampton have already experienced one period of adjustment this season, now a second spell looms under their new coach. But here's a prediction based upon Pochettino's style and history: Southampton will endure a month of worryingly unpredictable football before ensuring their survival with a determined end-of-season run.
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elcule
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Lol tenuous connection to get the article going..

I'll read it properly after the Barcelona game, I'm on my phone atm
Edited by elcule, Jan 24 2013, 10:21 PM.
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Winner.

"If I go to Anfield and someone puts the ball into the box and Carragher hammers it out of play the fans applaud. At Camp Nou you would never be applauded for that." - Xavi
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Kevin
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I thought this was a pisstake when I first heard it tbh
Hope they go down
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elcule
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Good article as per, I'd agree that imposing a style on players mid-season is a massive risk, not sure about the extent to which he will do so however. One set of possession stats isn't much to go on.
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Winner.

"If I go to Anfield and someone puts the ball into the box and Carragher hammers it out of play the fans applaud. At Camp Nou you would never be applauded for that." - Xavi
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AntMcfc
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I think he's got what it takes to succeed in England and survive this season. Really hope so anyway, I like this man.
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CockneyMackem'
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What a sig :laughcry:

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"I didnt bring the magic back, its always been here... I just came back to find it" - Bob Stokoe
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AntMcfc
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Sig updated. Found another from the same photo album :cheek:
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I BOW TO RAIDZ
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That second pic is Brad Pitt right?
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KOL
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:cheek: Epic, you look a bit Asian.
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