Southampton: Where do we go from here?

Arguably our most toothless performance of the season, Southampton were thumped 3-0 by Liverpool on Saturday. Where can we go from here?

It’s not often I write pieces on here in the first person. I find it can limit the balance and objectivity on an article. But as a life-long Saints fan, it seems applicable with the state the club is currently in.

It took me pretty much all season to decide that I was ‘Puel Out’ last campaign, and even then I had my doubts because the Frenchman was unlucky not to win the EFL Cup and also had to deal with several long-term injuries. Nonetheless it was definitely the correct decision to sack him. People looking back in hindsight and saying we should’ve kept him wouldn’t of left in a much better position than now.

But this season things have seemingly been on a whole new level of disappointing. Mauricio Pellegrino seems badly out of his depth and his inability to adapt is genuinely worrying. His tactical set-up has left the Saints without a dominant victory in the league all season, yet he seems too stubborn to be open to change.

When we signed Wesley Hoedt I was convinced a three-at-the-back formation would be our main set-up. We tried it against Wolves and were undone easily – now Pellegrino seems too scared to take the chance and play it again.

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Mauricio Pellegrino, Manager of Southampton looks on during the Premier League match between Southampton and West Bromwich Albion at St Mary’s Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /

Three months into the season it seems that Pellegrino doesn’t really know his starting XI yet. The strikers continue to rotate and so do the centre-backs. Despite this, the attacking-midfielders remains the same and Forster isn’t ever dropped despite several debatable performers.

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If the 46-year-old had taken over in the middle of the season, then this would maybe be excusable, but Pellegrino had a whole pre-season to get to know his players.

What’s more, he has fully lost the support of the majority of the supporters, and the players literally do not seem to care. It worries me, and likely worries just about every other fan there is.

Pellegrino doesn’t seem to possess the same ruthlessness that Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino did, with the former once dropping Sadio Mane for being late. It worries me that we don’t have this with our current boss.

I shouldn’t do Pellegrino too dirty though, as not all of the fault must land on him. Les Reed HAS to take some of the blame too.

Southampton transfer window, looking back, was pretty sub-par. Keeping Virgil van Dijk was seemingly done out of pride, and in hindsight we probably could’ve let him move on. Hoedt and Jan Bednarek were brought into an already stacked defense, with the latter not getting any minutes as a result.

Next: Is Les Reed complacent and the one to blame?

Mario Lemina, whilst an amazing footballer, wasn’t truly needed. A fresh pair of legs down the wing or a brute of a forward were bigger priorities than the Gabonese international.

So soon into a season I don’t think I’ve ever been in ‘manager out’ mode but I’m certainly nearing it. A loss to Everton would push me off the fence and I personally think a loss to Manchester City – which will likely be a drubbing – could be the end of Pellegrino’s tenure.