For Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, it won’t just be the Southampton team who are known to him when the two sides meet at Wembley in Boxing Day’s opening fixture.
Pochettion, the former Saints head coach, is also well acquainted with his St Mary’s counterpart, Mauricio Pellegrino.
The two managers were familiar with each other during the early part of their playing careers in their native Argentina in the 1980s.
“Myself and Mauricio played together when we were very young in Argentina,” Pochettino told Spurs’ official website.
“I know him very well but on Boxing Day, we’ll be enemies!”
Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino believes Boxing Day opponents Tottenham are struggling to cope with the demands of playing in both the Premier League and Champions League.
Spurs have excelled in Europe this season, topping their group ahead of Real Madrid, but are currently lagging behind their domestic rivals in the race for a top-four finish.
Pellegrino will be targeting an upset when Southampton travel to face Spurs at Wembley on Boxing Day, live on Sky Sports Premier League, and the Saints manager believes Tottenham’s recent dip in form in down is due to the demands of facing European football’s elite in midweek.
“The main problem is that they are competing in the Champions League,” said Pellegrino. "You have to spend a lot of energy, a lot of strength in this competition.
"When you are playing in European competition, it is a big change. You have to live this over a lot of years to keep the level, especially mentally.
“It is not easy for the players to play not just one competition, but two, or three or four [competitions].”
Dele Alli has been singled out for criticism after a number of below-par performances in recent months but Pellegrino believes the England international is being unfairly blamed for Tottenham’s struggles.
“When the expectation is really high, people can be disappointed,” said Pellegrino. "Before nobody expected too much from Dele Alli and everybody talked about what a spectacular player he is.
"Now the expectations are high, people are disappointed. Always, it is like this. It is proportional.
“He is an amazing player and obviously still very young. Nobody is consistent 365 days of the year. Human beings play football, not machines. Everyone has the same trouble.”
Pellegrino insists he is looking forward to the Boxing Day fixture after first experiencing it as a player with Liverpool.
“Boxing Day is really good because it is a nice experience,” said the Argentine.
"On one hand, your family is at home - everybody is there celebrating and you have to be professional to compete and put your mind 100 per cent into the competition.
“But at the same time, it is a nice thing. We want to do our best and try to compete well.”
Manchester City are closing in on a £60 million deal for Southampton centre-half Virgil van Dijk.
The runaway Premier League leaders have made the recruitment of Van Dijk their priority in next month’s transfer window and are increasingly confident of landing the Holland defender ahead of rivals Chelsea and Liverpool and Barcelona in Spain.
City are in talks with Southampton over a transfer, with the South Coast club now prepared to cash in on the 26-year-old, who is contracted at St Mary’s until June 2022.
Pep Guardiola tried and failed to sign a centre-half in the summer when West Bromwich Albion rejected a £21 million bid for Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans and City were unable to offload Eliaquim Mangala.
But Vincent Kompany’s persistent injury problems have left the league leaders light in central defence and that situation has been exacerbated in recent weeks after John Stones was sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Virgil van Dijk is not expected to feature against Tottenham at Wembley tomorrow with Mauricio Pellegrino refusing to deny that the defender has played his last game for the club.
Southampton, who have won just once in ten games, will also be without top scorer Charlie Austin after he limped off with a hamstring injury in the draw with Huddersfield. Austin was later charged with violent conduct after he kicked Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl in the face.
Southampton already have major doubts over both first choice full-backs, Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares and it is proving to be a miserable festive period for the Saints.
Japanese defender Maya Yoshida, who struck the post late on against Huddersfield, says that the mood at St Mary’s is the lowest he’s known it since being at the club.
“I think it’s a really difficult moment for the club. Not only for the players but for the club. I didn’t have this in the last five years. It’s the most difficult situation in this club recently.”
With the calendar soon turning over to the new year, the gossip ahead of the January transfer window is heating up. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest rumours.
Manchester United may have just spent a whopping £75 million on a new striker, but it seems they are not done yet. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic likely to leave at the end of his contract this summer and Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford still learning the ropes, it seems there may still be space for Juventus’ Paulo Dybala.
The Daily Star report that the Argentine, who has been likened to Lionel Messi in terms of style, is on Jose Mourinho’s shopping list and United hold an ace in the hole to get him. Javier Ribalta was appointed as their head scout in the summer and he previously worked with Dybala at Juventus… you see where this is going?
Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s failure to cement his place could open up room for another No. 10 at the club and Dybala certainly ticks all the right boxes. But he would cost a pretty penny.
A cheaper option for United would be to snap up Brazilian wunderkind Malcom from Bordeaux.
The 20-year-old would cost around £33m, according to the Daily Mail, and the paper reports that the two clubs have started talks about a January deal which would see him immediately loaned back.
Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the winger, but when Jose Mourinho sets his sights on someone, he rarely loses.
All the focus on Manchester City has come up front this season, but you don’t win 18 of 19 games without a pretty solid defence too. So why, we hear you ask, is Pep Guardiola after a new defender? Well, his options are a little short at the back, especially when John Stones is injured, so why not throw another £60m at a player who may well end up on the bench.
Southampton and Virgil van Dijk have not been on good terms for some time now, and though Liverpool may ruin Pep’s party if they can cement their interest, the Dutch defender looks like he will move on in January.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona are all keeping tabs on him, according to the Daily Telegraph, but City are favourites to land anyone at this point.
It’s a pretty well known fact that Alexis Sanchez won’t be staying at Arsenal beyond this summer, so the Gunners have got to do something about a replacement. And the Daily Mirror claim they may only get £35m for their Chilean star now.
The rumour mill is going into overdrive about who could replace him, but The Sun reckon it might be £40m PSG winger Julian Draxler. Though they did say yesterday that Leon Bailey of Leverkusen was a possibility too.
If you’d rather believe the Daily Star, then Mexico international Hirving “Chucky” Lozano will be making his way from PSV to London. But he’d cost £42m and Liverpool are also interested.
It’s going to be a long window.
David Moyes has a tough job on his hands at West Ham, but that job could be made easier by the signing of Steven Nzonzi. The former Blackburn midfielder has looked a new player at Sevilla, but has had a falling out recently and could well be available.
Brighton have yet to agree a fee with Celtic for striker Moussa Dembele, but the two clubs are in talks over a move, according to ESPN FC sources. Reports suggested the 21-year-old would be leaving for around £18m, but it would likely take at least £25m to prise him away, says the Daily Mail.
Pay attention Tottenham, Man City and Chelsea… Roy Hodgson has stopped chatting to his lookalike and instead reckons that star winger Wilfried Zaha will be leaving Crystal Palace. Manchester United? Not so keen…
Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.
| Saints At Tottenham Hotspur The Preview | Suddenly just when we really need a big performance, we are hi with injuries and suspensions, a heavy defeat up at … 26-12-2017 |
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