English Premier League: Southampton have sacked Mauricio Pellegrino

With eight matches left in the Premier League season, Southampton have made the decision to sack manager Mauricio Pellegrino after a terrible run of form.

Pellegrino was only appointed as manager last June, but failed to get any sort of consistency going, and Southampton are currently in 17th place in the league, having won only 1 of their last 17 matches.

Official club statement from Southampton (via ESPN):

"We would like to place on record our thanks to Mauricio, Carlos and Xavier for their efforts during their time with Southampton, and wish them well for the future.  The club will look to appoint a new management team as soon as possible, with the search for a replacement already under way."

In addition to Pellegrino, assistant manager Carlos Compagnucci and first-team coach Xavier Tamarit, will also be leaving the club.

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It’s been a ticking time bomb

With the form Southampton have been in this year, Pellegrino’s sacking has been more of an inevitability than anything else, but with only eight matches left in the season, it puts the club in an incredibly difficult position.

During his 30-match tenure as Southampton manager, Pellegrino accumulated an overall record of 5 wins, 13 draws, and 12 losses; a record a bit weaker than his predecessor, Claude Puel (12 wins, 10 draws, and 16 losses).

Southampton have won only 1 of their last 17 matches, and their most recent outing was an incredibly underwhelming, 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United at St. James’s Park.

Although the decision to sack Pellegrino might’ve already been set in stone prior to the Newcastle defeat, the spineless performance was the proverbial nail in the coffin, prompting the decision to be officially announced.

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Words from a former Southampton great

Speaking to the BBC Radio 5 (via BBC Sport),former Southampton defender Francis Benali said that Pellegrino’s race had been run, and that the decision absolutely had to come now:

"It is something that has been bubbling away and has been talked about by Southampton fans for a while.  I think Pellegrino has had a good opportunity to turn things around. It is late in the season, and he perhaps should have gone some time back but Southampton have stuck with him. There have been a few must-win games that Southampton have not won."

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The defeat to Newcastle, Benali admits, sealed Pellegrino’s fate; enough’s enough:

"I think the heavy defeat against Newcastle and the manner of it has sealed his fate. They are thinking hopefully it’s not too late for someone to come in and turn things around."