Pochettino not setting goals yet

Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino admitted he has not set any goals for next term and will assess his squad during the post-season.

The Argentine watched his side come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke City on Sunday and said that his side’s performance was in keeping with the rest of the season.

“We wanted to win today and we weren’t able to do that,” he said.

“Again the same story has happened, we have been able to dominate the game, we’ve created the better chances, we’ve dominated throughout many phases of the game, but we just haven’t been able to close down the game and it just shows us that we need to be more clinical in front of goal and need to be more assertive.”

There were doubts surrounding Pochettino’s future at the club over the past week after he stated that he could leave if chairman Nicola Cortese departed the club.

That situation has now been resolved, much to the delight of the Southampton boss, who said he is already looking forward to the summer.

He said: “The news has given us a lot of tranquillity, it has given us a lot of calm, and it gives us the possibility to work in a more relaxed manner for next season.

“From tomorrow we are going to start working for Southampton next season, we’re going to start planning and making arrangements for the future and next season.”

Despite looking ahead, Pochettino insisted it is too early to set any goals for his side.

“The moment I am able to know what players will be with us next season then we will be able to set ourselves goals,” he said.

“Right now the season has just ended so we cannot set any goals yet.

“But there’s one clear thing and that is that next season we want to be a lot higher than we are in the table.”

One player who will not be appearing in the Premier League next season is Michael Owen, who made the final appearance of his career after coming off the bench for the visitors.

And Pochettino, who played against Owen in the 2002 World Cup thought it was a good send off for the former England international.

“I’m sure that Michael is very happy because of the tribute that the entire stadium has given him, from not just his own supporters but our supporters as well,” he added.