Football news - My Southampton side changed English football, says Mauricio Pochettino

Updated 01/06/2020 at 13:34 GMT

Mauricio Pochettino claims no other club has had a bigger impact on English football than his 2013-2014 Southampton side.

Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham)

Image credit: Getty Images

Pochettino joined Southampton from Espanyol in January 2013 and built a young team recognised for its pressing, possession and high-tempo football. After swerving relegation, Saints became a top ten side the next season

The Argentine coach went on to Spurs the next summer and made the north London club regulars in the top four while guiding them to last season's Champions League final.

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And while he certainly helped turn things around at Tottenham, the Argentine cites his work at Southampton as making the biggest impression on the top flight, revolutionising football in England long before the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp showed up.

Southampton brought Pochettino to English football

Image credit: PA Sport

"Football in England changed with that Southampton team of 2013-2014, there is no other team that had as big an impact in changing the mindset," Pochettino told La Liga TV Show Guillem Balague's Talking Football.

We arrived at a club with a president like Nicola Cortese who gave us what we needed to create something unique in English football. Our ability to adapt to a completely different environment was incredible.

"We found a group of players who wanted to learn from the experiences we brought from Spanish football, and with the quality to play a different style of football to that which everyone in English football was used to.

"Young players started to appear, and people started to trust in young players, also in the English national team."