Sourced from Daily Echo article
Timing could be good for Chelsea trip
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Mauricio Pellegrino is hoping that facing Chelsea will be the perfect tonic for his side.
Saints were left reeling after an awful performance and a 4-1 defeat at home to Leicester and former manager Claude Puel in midweek.
It seemingly came from nowhere after some steadily improving displays, including bagging a 1-1 draw with Arsenal just days earlier.
Saints need to bounce back quickly, and while a trip to Chelsea might seem like the last thing they need at this moment in time, Pellegrino thinks it might be a good game for his team.
Saints have put in good performances in most of their fixtures against the division’s bigger sides this season, including against both Manchester clubs and Arsenal.
And with Chelsea not quite the force they were when they won the title last time out, Saints are trying to remain upbeat about their chances, and optimistic playing the Blues away from home might suit them.
“Chelsea are a team that don’t need to dominate you too much to be dangerous because in counter attack they have players who create, they can run 30 or 40 meters with the ball like Willian, Pedro, even the full backs, Morata,” said Pellegrino.
“It’s a side that are comfortable sometimes when they are deep in different situations but it’s a good opportunity for us.
“Also I think maybe we have more space than normal.”
Chelsea do have some big individual talents to worry about, not least Eden Hazard, as well as Alvaro Morata, who may or may not be fit for the game.
“We don’t used to do something special when we play against important players, we try to defend him in zone,” said Pellegrino of Hazard.
“If you do man to man marking this type of player can move in different places and will be difficult for us and we have to be really focussed and don’t have him receive too much where he is very dangerous.
“I think now the most important is we have to think about us first of all.
“This is the base to prepare well for this game.
“Obviously Morata has got some qualities that are different to the other strikers.
“Sometimes they change 5-3-2 or 5-2-2-1. It depends the possibilities they have.
“With or without Morata they are really strong.”
Key to Saints’ chances will be the reaction of the players to their humbling against Leicester.
While Pellegrino accepts that sometimes you just have a bad day, he clearly won’t accept anything less than total effort.
“I hope so and hopefully we can change.
“I think my players know exactly what we need to be a better team on the pitch.”
He added: “This is like if I ask you, every single day connected 100 per cent with your job. Sometimes yes, sometimes no, because you’re a human, you’re not a machine.
“I accept this as a manager and part of this club – sometimes you can play bad, sometimes more or less, sometimes for different reasons.
“Obviously the main thing to build a good team you need players with character and that’s something you can’t buy from the sky – you need to train it and be responsible and demanding at the same level as the Premier League. Now the level is really high and this is our challenge.”
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