Pochettino wants more as Saints march on

Southampton 2 Swansea 0

This was a fine, open football match; full of chances with only impressive displays by the two goalkeepers keeping the score down.

Swansea will wonder how they came away from St Mary’s with nothing to show for their efforts, as they dominated the last hour.

By that point they were already a goal down though, and it was to prove decisive as Southampton then added a late second to continue their impressive start to the season.

And while Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez scored the goals, the key stat is that Southampton have equalled a 30-year-old record of conceding just twice in their first seven league games.

Artur Boruc is the man they must thank for maintaining that record. The Pole – described as ‘incredible’ by Pochettino after — made four fine stops in the first-half alone. Nathan Dyer also hit a post as Swansea were simply unable to catch a break, much to Laudrup’s anguish.

But the greatest enjoyment to be had was simply in watching two sides fully committed to passing, attractive football.

The opener was a fine example of that; there seemed little on when Steven Davis picked up the ball but a subtle pass put Lallana through and the skipper took one touch before firing into the top corner.

Swansea took control after that, the slick interplay of Michu – wearing a scrum cap after sustaining a cut to his head in midweek — Dyer and Bony ensuring they were a constant threat.

But they simply could not find a way through and were almost made to pay when referee Mike Dean disallowed Victor Wanyama’s close-range effort for reasons which were not made any clearer by numerous TV replays.

Yet the reprieve was only temporary as Rodriguez muscled his way past Chico Flores and found the bottom corner to make the game safe – much to Laudrup’s ire.

“Southampton were the better team in the first 20 minutes but after that we dominated the entire game,” said the Dane.

“In many games we need too many chances. Sometimes we need four or five chances to score, and our opponents have been scoring two out of three or four. How do we improve that? By training of course!”

Pochettino, on the other hand, has to face up to the fact that his side will have to deal with the weight of expectation that comes with being in a European place.

“There will be more pressure and more expected of the players. What we have done now doesn’t count for anything and we need to work harder as the expectation will be bigger.

“The players need to be more self-demanding, ambitious and must understand this expectation. I always look forward to this pressure through my career. It is what I thrive on and relish.”

SOUTHAMPTON: Boruc 8, Clyne 8, Fonte 7, Lovren 7, Fox 7, Wanyama 6, Schneiderlin 7, Lallana 8, Osvaldo 6 (Ward-Prowse, 58; 7), Steven Davis 7 (Do Prado, 87; 6), Lambert 7 (Rodriguez, 68; 8).

SWANSEA: Vorm 7, Rangel 7, Amat 6, Chico 5, Ben Davies 6, Canas 7, Shelvey 6, Dyer 7, Michu 6, Routledge 6 (Pozuelo, 67, 6), Bony 6.

Referee: Mike Dean.