Sourced from Daily Echo article
Pellegrino optimstic ahead of Liverpool
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Mauricio Pellegrino is refusing to be distracted by the prospect of a daunting run of fixtures, and believes Saints might have the style to get it off to a flying start at Liverpool.
Saints have to play all of the Premier League’s top six before the end of the year, with five of those matches away from home.
It all begins tomorrow with a trip to Anfield. Saints went unbeaten in four games against Liverpool last season, and Pellegrino feels the Reds are a good match-up for his side’s strengths and style of play.
“Maybe Southampton and Liverpool are teams with similar characteristics,” he reflected.
“We are comfortable when we are managing the ball, when we are higher, when we are in the opposite half.
“I know that it will be really difficult because at Anfield the people are pushing all the time and they will be trying to press high up.
“It will be an opportunity for us to show how we can play this game and maybe with more space maybe it will be easier for us. We never know.
“I know it will be difficult but it is an opportunity to show again if we can do the same away as at home.”
Saints have played seven of their 11 Premier League matches at St Mary’s this season, and have struggled to get the results they desired in a number of winnable looking fixtures.
With Saints fans starting to voice their displeasure at the way things are going the players could be forgiven for feeling relieved at getting some more time on the road.
They will also have another pressure release valve by virtue of the fact they will be underdogs for many of their upcoming matches, rather than heavy favourites expected to win and to attack.
However, Pellegrino was not so sure.
“I don’t think we feel pressure at home,” he said.
“At the end when the game finishes if the people are not happy it is normal at every single pitch.
“I feel more comfortable at home than away because our fan is supporting us.
“Most of the games we play better at home than away but you can’t control the result.
“I would like to play in every single pitch the same way. Sometimes you can’t do it but this is our goal.”
Many fans are talking about the next ten games which run up until the turn of the year as a complete package, and a taxing one at that, but Pellegrino is trying to keep his side only looking at the next one.
“We have to be focussed on what we have to do as a team, during the training sessions, in the game, in every position, because when we think about the big picture, the big match or big names, you sometimes lose your focus on what you have to done the pitch.
“If you think it’s a really big game you are not focussed too much and you have to keep your feet on the floor and be focussed there.”
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