Pochettino wary of improved Palace

Mauricio Pochettino believes Southampton will face a Crystal Palace side on Saturday that is much improved under the guidance of Tony Pulis.

Pochettino’s men ran out 2-0 winners against Palace at St Mary’s Stadium in September, when Pulis’ predecessor Ian Holloway was at the helm.

Since the former Stoke City boss took over at Selhurst Park, Pulis has helped the club climb out of the Premier League relegation zone, with Palace now three points clear of Sunderland in 18th.

Pochettino feels Palace will likely pose a greater threat than when they last met, but insisted Southampton will not alter their style of play to combat Saturday’s hosts.

“Crystal Palace will be a very tough opponent. They have a clear style of playing under Tony Pulis,” said Pochettino on Friday.

“I have great respect for Tony Pulis. He’s done very well at Crystal Palace and I have great admiration for the job he’s done there.

“They have a different manager to when we last played them, so they’ll be playing with a different style.

“We’re a team that always plays in the same manner. All games in the Premier League are very important and intense.”

Southampton duo Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw both featured for England in midweek, with the latter coming off the bench to make his international debut.

Pochettino described Shaw’s first England outing as an “amazing moment” for both the player and club before urging the duo to remain grounded as they bid to be named in Roy Hodgson’s FIFA World Cup squad.

“I think Roy Hodgson has a very big problem on his hands,” he added.

“He (Shaw) showed he deserves to be in the team.

“It was a very important moment for them and us, but they need to keep their feet on the ground.”