Mauricio Pellegrino Unconcerned About Future as Southampton Boss Following Stoke Draw

Mauricio Pellegrino has insisted that he remains unconcerned about his future as Southampton manager after his side were held to a 0-0 draw with Stoke at St. Mary's on Saturday.

The Argentine boss had to watch his side squander chance after chance as they couldn't find the net, despite constant pressure in the second-half. 

Badou Ndiaye, Josh Sims and substitute Sofiane Boufal all missed clearcut chances to break the deadlock, but it was a familiar tale for the Saints as they have a poor record in front of goal this season.

When asked about his position as Saints boss, he replied, (via Sky Sports): "For me the most important thing now is Southampton, more than me.

"Southampton is more important than the players and the manager. It's amazing that we're part of something that is more important than everyone. We are obviously disappointed with the result. Frustrated? No. Frustrated is when you give up. In the second half we played much better than them to try to win and I think we deserved it.

"You have to score goals, we couldn't do it. We have to use the second half as a reference for the future."

Southampton's last victory in the Premier League on home soil came in November in a win against Everton. Since then they have only picked up one win in 16 league matches, and Pellegrino is aware that the pressure is on.

"Obviously we understand the feeling of the fans," added Pellegrino. "We are working really hard to try to turn this situation up. We have to do away to get those points that we couldn't get at home. We have to continue doing the job that we did in the second half.

"Our fans we understand because Southampton we are everybody - the players, the fans, the board, the staff, everybody. Now we have to be all together pushing, giving energy to try to be as strong as we can until the end."

Southampton sit just a point above the dropzone, but they could drop into the bottom three if results go against them in the next couple of days. 

Their next fixture is a crucial six-pointer against fellow strugglers Newcastle, who sit just a point above the Saints as we get into the business end of the season.