"It was not easy because one of the first things the president told me was that he signed me because he wanted the team to play as the [Pep Guardiola's] Dream Team," Mauricio Pochettino told Spanish newspaper El Pais about his first day as Southampton boss. (h/t Daily Mail)
"He showed us a video of that Barca. 'This is my philosophy... apply it!'
"That Leo Messi, Xavi, Iniesta had to be bought!
"But the most beautiful thing and what remains is that with those young and English players — Nathan Clyne, Rickie Lambert, Jay Rodriguez, James Ward-Prowse, Jack Cork, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Callum Chambers —, we started to propose a different football.
"In the second season, in November, we had the possibility to put ourselves first playing against Arsenal.
"That attracted attention. It was not the way to press but how we played from behind, with positional attack, retrieve the ball high and attack fast. It was a change of mentality and it was seen that the English could do it."
Pochettino took over at the Saints in January 2013 and helped the team finish in the 14th place. In his first full season in the Premier League, Mauricio's side finished in eighth place, their best result since the 2002-03 season.
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