If Saints lose at Watford then a large percentage of Saints support will be calling for the head of Mauricio Pellegrino, but will it prove to be the straw that beaks the camel's back for the club board. Arron Sanders takes a look.
Current Saints manager Mauricio Pellegrino’s future is currently under scrutiny, although the side are creating enough chances under his guidance such as the home game draws against Arsenal and Huddersfield Town to ensure wins, however the sides tendency to sit deep even when they have a lead has meant they have dropped needless points in recent games such as the two goals conceded at St Mary’s to Crystal Palace in the last 20 minutes last week.
Saints' former manager Claude Puel reached an EFL Cup final this time last year and yet by May there was a mood among the clubs board that the playing squad would not progress under his guidance, however the Frenchman is now performing well at Leicester City.
With Pellegrino there is not the disconnect between players and manager that was felt so strongly at the end of the Puel era and for the time being it is that bond which gives the Argentine the grace period that other Premier League clubs have not shown but also gives the club some reason for optimism. Even so, Pellegrino is under pressure to get results and acknowledged that the Watford game could dictate his future during his pre match press conference.
The Argentine ticked the boxes of Saints’ rigorous criteria for a manager although, he has at times over the season cut quite a withdrawn, contemplative figure. Saints’ two best managers of the recent Premier League era — Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman — had very different strengths. One was a developer of young talent, the other a big name with the authority to match. Where Pellegrino fits in is not yet obvious and it is that lack of direction which could ultimately become his downfall.
After four seasons of being lauded, the club were always mindful that there might be a time when they found themselves under pressure and then the approach they have adopted would be called into question. They are resistant to being dragged into the kind of short-termism that others, like Swansea City, have succumbed to and are not going to abandon the strategy that has made them successful. That will mean a test of nerve in the next few weeks.
However it remains to be seen how long new owner Gao Jisheng, will be patient with the clubs strategy if the potential of relegation and also the threat of a sharp decrease in value of his new investment continues to be tested.
What do you think Saints fans how long does Pellegrino have left in charge? Will a defeat at Watford mean it is his last game as Saints manager?