This article makes more sense in retrospect: https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...pellegrino-complete-coach-southampton-manager Mauricio Pellegrino, the complete coach who hates losing and frets when he wins Clever as he is, Pellegrino has found a system that avoids both the hatred of losing and the fretting of victory.
I share your frustration with the left right issue. I don't know if Dusan could move the ball quicker from the left as he never plays there but he sure frustrates me on the right. Nathan was more direct from the left as well and Boufal needs to learn that you get time for one trick and then you pass and move
It is an interesting article with hindsight. He is clearly a hard working, thoughtful and sincere guy/coach. However this season he has failed, whether that’s down to his approach, his ability or lack of fit with our club. His mantra and belief system seems to have given him no where to go, no plan b (many would say no plan a). I saw him waving his arms and shouting across the pitch on Saturday but literally no players were paying any attention to him. If we somehow manage to stay up it will be despite him not because of him.
It was interesting article. It did explain to me why we don’t shift from our style of play and for me, that was the “belief in positional play.” This partly explains why we don’t attack well. That article made me feel like he has his belief in positional football and he won’t change from that. This relies too much on the opposing team ‘gifting’ you a goal. It is a good way to control the game in terms of managing the space around the pitch, however for that to succeed, you really need a player in that side that won’t do that - a player that can be explosive and different when the moment comes. We don’t play players like that and possibly explains our failing this season. It also explains to me why he sticks with certain players. Tadic and Redmond for example. Both players would be seen by him as good positionally. They get in the spaces he wants them to be in. That ticks his boxes. Boufal on the other hand probably doesn’t play positionally in the way he wants him to and may explain the exclusion. The same for Gabbi. This also means we lose out on what those players can bring to a team. That article has helped me understand MP2s mindset, though not necessarily filled me with confidence.
He also places a significant amount of emphasis on wingers who defend; it's likely part of the reason that Tadic holds such a place of prominence, because he will get back. And yeah, it does rather clearly lay out his philosophy, and we can very much see that philosophy in action. Control before all else; orderly, cautious, and safe. But as you say, it relies heavily on the opposition making catastrophic errors under mild pressure. That doesn't happen consistently in the Premier League. And at the same time, Pellegrino sees little reason to change, because we're executing his basic aims...surely, if we remain structured, and pass the ball around neatly at some remove from the opposition's net, the goals will come. (As to why I just posted the headline: it's because it is from the summer. But I thought that it was worth revisiting, under the circumstances).
Well that's one interpretation, though not quite mine. He clearly has his own ideas about the game - like Pochettino does - but if you have your own ideas, you need the personnel to execute them.
