With Southampton completing the signing of Victor Wanyama from Celtic, Adam Bate believes it provides a revealing insight into Mauricio Pochettino's priorities for the forthcoming Premier League season.
Saturday 13 July 2013 11:42, UK
Adam Bate looks at what the record signing of Victor Wanyama tells us about Southampton's plans.
The £12.5million record signing of Victor Wanyama from Celtic has been widely heralded as a signal of intent by Southampton. But perhaps the most revealing aspect of the purchase is the area of the field in which manager Mauricio Pochettino has opted to strengthen. While others may have looked to use such funds to add goals or cut out defensive errors, the Argentine has chosen to throw money at what is arguably Saints' strongest area. But for Pochettino, midfield is the key. The 41-year-old Southampton boss has long been styled as a disciple of the iconic Marcelo Bielsa, the former Athletic Bilbao coach who has gained a reputation as a singular thinker of the modern game. "He is like a second father," said Pochettino. "Sometimes, I see the mark of Marcelo in things I do." And perhaps the most obvious influence of Bielsa can be seen in his commitment to the extreme pressing with which his compatriot has become synonymous. "They all run up and they all run down again," observed Pep Guardiola, another shameless fan of Bielsa, when musing on his adversary's Athletic team. "Up, down, up, down, up, down. They're fascinating." The objective of the tactic is to disrupt the opposition and ensure the ball is won back as quickly as possible by exerting maximum pressure. It has become an important aspect of Pochettino's teams and although a record of four wins, seven draws and five defeats in his St Mary's reign does not represent a significant improvement upon the work of his predecessor Nigel Adkins, the effects of that style can be seen. The most striking statistic of Pochettino's spell in charge relates to possession - or rather the restriction of it. In all 16 games that Pochettino has presided over at Southampton, his team has ensured that their opponents enjoyed a below-average level of possession in the contest. While Chelsea and Tottenham did manage to achieve this for 10-game sequences, no team in the Premier League could come close to such a remarkable run. Indeed, in the top-five European leagues, only three sides managed to better it - including, of course, Bielsa's boys in Bilbao. The fact that denying opponents the possession of the ball they are used to is such a central tenet of Pochettino's system goes some way to explaining the decision to splurge on Wanyama. The Kenyan midfielder is a powerful and combative figure who can help implement the strategy. "We are a big admirer of his talents and he will fit in well to the team here at Southampton," said Pochettino. "I've watched him perform at the top level in the Champions League, and I believe that he will be a valuable addition to our Premier League squad for the season ahead."Tackles (midfielders) - Champions League 2012/13 | ||
Player | Team | Tackles per game |
Massimo Ambrosini | AC Milan | 5.8 |
Riccardo Montolivo | AC Milan | 5.0 |
Arturo Vidal | Juventus | 4.9 |
Jeremy Toulalan | Malaga | 4.3 |
Manuel Iturra | Malaga | 4.3 |
Victor Wanyama | Celtic | 4.0 |
Tackles & Interceptions - PL 2012/13 | |||
Player | Tackles won | Player | Interceptions |
Morgan Schneiderlin | 108 | Morgan Schneiderlin | 139 |
Claudio Yacob | 90 | Matthew Lowton | 111 |
Lucas Leiva | 90 | Ashley Williams | 110 |
Recoveries - PL 2012/13 (since Pochettino's arrival) | ||
Player | Team | Recoveries |
Jack Cork | Southampton | 135 |
Santi Cazorla | Arsenal | 127 |
Morgan Schneiderlin | Southampton | 123 |