MAUR CUP GAMES CAN LIFT SAINTS
MAURICIO PELLEGRINO believes that an FA Cup run can provide Southampton with a springboard for Premier League survival.
The Argentine is battling fan unrest after Saints slumped to 17th in the table, with only goal difference keeping them out of the relegation zone.
The Southampton boss, who locks horns with Fulham counterpart Slavisa Jokanovic (below) today, said: “Fulham is a really good team with good principles and they play good football. “I want to use this game to improve and move one step forward in all different respects. “Hopefully, 2018 can change our performance, to try to be much better on the pitch and to try to convert good moments into results.
“We don’t need to change too much, but in the Premier League a small step is huge.
“This situation is a big learning curve and I want to make the people proud of the team. Everybody has to be supportive.”
Pellegrino was jeered during Saints’ 2-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Tuesday, but the former Liverpool defender said he thrives on being under the cosh.
He added: “Sometimes it is good to feel pressure. You want to win the game and the pressure is to be better than the opponent, be focused and train 100 per cent every day.
“My higher pressure is with myself because I am really demanding with myself. In my life I have been playing at the top, second, third, 20th and 18th, and the question is always the same.”