We've begun the right way, says manager

Saints have the second-best defensive record in the Barclays Premier League at the five-game mark, having only conceded twice so far.

And, despite no team having scored less than the three goals his charges have to their name so far, Pochettino says Southampton have begun the campaign in exactly the right manner.

"My philosophy is always to score – the more goals, the better," he admitted to Saints Player. "That's what the fans want to see and that's what I want to see as the manager as well. 

"However, at the beginning of the season, it's very important to have a solid start and actually get wins. If they come as 1-0 victories, then so be it.

"There's always collective work happening in the background. We have been working on not conceding, and we're reaped the benefit of that good work.

"I'm confident that we have the necessary quality up front to actually score more goals in the future."

Saints now have back-to-back victories to their name, having humbled Liverpool at Anfield last weekend before seeing off Bristol City in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.

That success on Merseyside has added a degree of expectation ahead of the visit of newly-promoted Palace, but manager Pochettino is fully focused on the task ahead.

"I want to win, the players want to win, the fans want to win and the staff want to win," he insisted.

"I don't really mind the expectation from the outside. We have understand that the game against Crystal Palace is the most important game ahead of us. 

"The victories against Liverpool at Anfield and in the Capital One Cup are in the past, so the only thing on my mind right now is the game ahead.

"As with any promoted side, it's clear that they will play with a special spirit because they're new to the Premier League. 

"As is always the case in this league, there are no easy matches so we'll need to be really focused on doing everything well. We'll be going out there focused on getting three points."