From villain to hero: Pochettino was vilified when he took over at Southampton... now he is being hailed as an unlikely saviour of the English game

Highly-rated: Southampton's Mauricio Pochettino has proven himself to be an exceptionally-promising manager

Pivotal moment: It was under Mauricio Pochettino's challenge that Michael Owen won a penalty in 2002

International recognition: Adam Lallana (right) has played for England and so could James Ward-Prowse (left)

‘I am innocent of all charges,’ he said, smiling. ‘When I’m offered a job, the only thing I can do is to accept it or turn it down. My only responsibility is to have the ultimate respect for the previous manager here, and to just do my work according to my own philosophy.

Up next: Southampton can overtake Chelsea, managed by Jose Mourinho (right), with victory on Sunday

Close relationship? Promising left back Luke Shaw (right) is another to have thrived under Mauricio Pochettino

‘We haven’t put a limit on where we can get to,’ said Pochettino. ‘The human mind always thinks that we need to limit our expectations. Why put limits on yourself? You have to strive to work hard and reach the maximum you can achieve.

‘I don’t want this to be misinterpreted, I’m not saying that Southampton are going to win the League or get in the Champions League. The only thing I’m saying is that if you limit your expectations, you will never know what you are capable of or how far you can get.’

In his short time in England, the Argentine has become one of the chief advocates of the English game. ‘In terms of pure talent, English players have nothing to envy in their Brazilian, Argentinian or Spanish counterparts,’ he said.

‘It’s all about hard work and confidence and believing in them… giving them their opportunity and backing them; continuing to give them their chance to play and compete in the Premier League while realising that mistakes are also part and parcel of their development as young players.

Happy go lucky: Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino appears to be enjoying his time down south

‘I am not the person to call into question any aspect of English football. All I simply do is to tell my own story and discuss my own experience.’

Pochettino added: ‘I have witnessed the transformation of Spanish football. I have seen that transformation over a period of more than 20 years, from when they used to win nothing through to when they started to win things.

‘England is also now in a moment when all they need to do is believe. Really believe in their talent, their own inherent ability that is present in English footballers.’

His point is that Southampton have to believe in their players and give them opportunities, where other teams might not.

Promising: Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne (right) has continued to develop since arriving from Crystal Palace

Southampton's talents: Rickie Lambert (centre) and Luke Shaw (right) are just two of those impressing

‘Argentina needs to produce players out of [economic] necessity,’ he said. ‘It is different over here in English football as that necessity isn’t there.

'Clubs like Southampton bring through young gifted players out of belief. That’s the difference. They have the financial clout to buy players but the club believe that by developing them, you produce players that have the club’s values impregnated in them. It’s an added value and an identity that you can’t pick up any other way.

‘We believe in this project and in the talent these young players have. They have been working hard for many years now with the youth teams and in the academy.  Southampton believe in the talent available in English football.’

Pochettino speaks with some authority, having been raised at the youth academy of Newell’s Old Boys in the Argentinian city of Rosario, 180 miles inland from Buenos Aires. It is one of the most renowned in the world having uncovered such talents as Gabriel Batistuta, Jorge Valdano, Gabriel Heinze, Roberto Sensini and Maxi Rodriguez.

Successful academy: Newell's Old Boys also produced Gabriel Batistuta (left), Maxi Rodriguez and more

They also had Leo  Messi, briefly, before the club declined to pay for his growth hormone treatment.

To join the academy Pochettino had to leave his home in Murphy, 100 miles north, and live in a hostel that was below the stands in Newell’s stadium.

‘We lived underneath one of the stands, like the one here at St Mary’s. There was a passageway underneath the stand. It was like one big room with screens that divided the whole thing up. That’s where we all slept, like one big bedroom. There were loads of us sharing in that accommodation, 25-30 young players.

‘It was hard in the sense that I was away from my family, the usual stuff. I had to study at night.

‘I can recall quite a few things that weren’t easy but there was something that kept you going and kept a lid on all that. The passion for football and that motivation to play managed to paper over all those other little problems that happened to you as a 14-year-old kid.’

Decorated: Mauricio Pochettino (centre, back row) has played with some truly world-class players

A career at Newell’s, Espanyol (the ‘other’ club in Barcelona), Paris St- Germain and Bordeaux followed. Team-mates remember him as a natural leader and obsessed with football. He took his coaching badges while playing so when, during a second spell as a player at Espanyol, the club were heading for relegation and had been through two managers in the season, the president turned to the 38-year-old player to take over as coach.

It seemed an act of utter desperation and shortly after taking the job Pochettino was spotted making a pilgrimage to the statue of the Virgin Mary at Montserrat, the mountain shrine just outside Barcelona.

It confirmed to outsiders that divine intervention was required to save Espanyol from relegation — and was widely reported as such. ‘That was a bit weird,’ Pochettino said. ‘It was something personal that included something to do with sport, but the main aim was personal. When I took the job at Espanyol, they discovered my mum [Amalia] had breast cancer.

‘A few years previously, I’d bought my mother a figurine of the Virgin of Montserrat, which had been blessed by the priest there.

England international: Rickie Lambert (left) has also thrived under the manager, earning his first caps

‘So when I took charge of Espanyol, two things happened; one, my Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer and two, there was Espanyol’s situation itself. So I said to myself, they are two promises. If all went well with my mother I’d go up. And with Espanyol, things were going well, so that’s why I went there.

‘The problem was that on my way up there, a forest ranger recognised me and called the Press. A cameraman came to film and the Press made something out of what was a personal event for me.’

Nevertheless, Espanyol did survive and thrived initially under Pochettino. More importantly his mother made a full recovery.

Pochettino, it seems, is a man of faith, though he describes himself as a ‘non-practising Catholic’. But he added: ‘At such a difficult time as that, you cling to anything. Everybody reaches out to grab something to believe in.’

At Southampton, the team nicknamed the Saints in honour of their founding by members of St Mary’s Church, he now seems a natural fit. Certainly they have something to believe in on the south coast.