Progress is what Mauricio Pellegrino wanted to see in Saints’ final pre-season friendly against Sevilla, and progress is what he got.

Indeed, it was not only progress in the context of pre-season, but progress as the game went along as well.

It is never easy for a new manager to get their ideas across and have a team up and running in the style they demand in a matter of weeks.

It is harder still when you are denied the chance to work with many of the bigger stars in your squad due to international commitments delaying their return.

But there are steady signs that Pellegrino has things moving in the right direction ahead of the season opener against Swansea on Saturday.

Also interesting is to see a glimpse of the possible reality of life under Pellegrino compared to some of the expectations.

For example, there is not great evidence of a return to high pressing football, the sort of which Saints fans grew to love so much under Mauricio Pochettino.

If anything, the style of play under Pellegrino – at least evidenced on Saturday and, caveat warning, it is still early days – owed a bit more to Puel than Pochettino.

But trying to find that balance is always difficult. In fairness, Ronald Koeman’s Saints managed to find what was, with hindsight, a middle ground between Pochettino and Puel’s styles.

For all the knocking of Puel, he played a certain way as Saints manager not because he had some sort of philosophical insistence about it, but because he thought it was the best chance of success.

It is perfectly reasonably to disagree with his point of view, that’s football, but he had been a successful manager for a long time and that was his expert judgement.

Pellegrino appears to be trying to find a way to make Saints a better attacking prospect, a side that can score more goals, but is still putting emphasis on defending.

However, it is good news that he didn’t appear to be desperately pleased with the fact Saints were so deep in the first half against Sevilla.

The Spanish side play possession football, and Saints often responded by getting 11 men behind the ball deep in their own half.

It made them impossible for Sevilla to break down, but was more like what was seen, and not enjoyed, last season.

As the match wore on and Saints started to grow in confidence and belief in what Pellegrino has asked of them, they started to look better and better.

Suddenly, they were trying to be more imposing, trying to marry defensive solidity with some attacking prowess.

It is still very much a work in progress, but the signs are that Pellegrino is edging ever nearer to what he wants just in time for the new season.

That Saints followed up the horrible 4-0 defeat to Augsburg with a victory to sign off the summer preparations was also notable.

Sevilla are a decent team, though being a week behind Saints in their preparations and the fact they changed nine outfield players at half time with half an eye on another friendly with Everton the very next day meant it was hard to gauge how motivated they were as opposition, even if they were clearly technically adept.

If you could have one criticism of Saints this summer it would be that the pre-season schedule doesn’t appear all that cohesive and they have seemed to be rather trying to make the best of it.

After a tricky start against Sevilla, Saints found some pressure and forced keeper Sergio Rico into a couple of saves via efforts from Manolo Gabbiadini and Nathan Redmond.

Saints took the lead on 26 minutes as Jack Stephens met a left wing corner at the far post. His sidefooted effort took a considerable deflection, but even so the belief that the goal brought to Saints started to up their levels.

With all the half time changes from Sevilla, and Saints making a few switches as the match progressed, there were times in which the game became a little disjointed. But, pleasingly for Saints, it was they who grew into the spells when any either side could establish some sort of rhythm, and as they second half went on they looked better and better.

Stephens had a goal chalked out for offside before sub Jake Flannigan worked Rico with an impressive half volley from inside the box.

Saints were knocking on the door and got their reward with a second goal eight minutes from time.

It was a bit of a cracker to watch, with Dusan Tadic feeding the ball into Steven Davis, and the Northern Ireland midfielder producing a wonderful flick pass into the path of Gabbiadini, who produced a clinical low first time finish.

Saints are certainly not the finished article just yet, but on this evidence they are moving in the right direction.