Southampton are enjoying a fine start to their second season back amongst the big boys in the Premier League, and after their comfortable 2-0 victory over Swansea City they find themselves currently occupying the final qualifying spot for next season’s Champions League, although Saints fans won’t yet be planning on facing the Real Madrids and Inter Milans of this world yet.
Although May is still a long way off, there have been plenty of soccer betting pundits speculating the chances of the Saints qualifying for Europe – most likely the Europa League by way of a cup win or top-six finish – but their manager, Mauricio Pochettino has admitted to harbouring even higher ambitions than that.
This week the Argentinean has spoken out about his dream of taking the South Coast club all the way to European football’s top table, and has stated that it is essential for his players to share this vision if they are to truly fulfil their potential:
“To be honest I am not keen on the Europa League; I think we are all attracted to the Champions League [and] I like that our players are ambitious. In order to be successful and ambitious and to win big things, that also forces you to be self-demanding so I am happy that they think that way.”
Swansea have already proven that they do not look out of place playing in the Europa League this season with their recent 3-0 away at Valencia acting as evidence to any pre-season doubters, then Southampton’s excellent showing against the Welsh side has shown that Pochettino’s side would arguably be even more comfortable against top European opposition.
With plenty of wins under their belts already – most impressively away at Liverpool, but also important victories against West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace – this most recent win over Michael Laudrup’s side will have Saints fans who bet on soccer genuinely believing this year could see their club achieve something special.
