Match Thread | Southampton vs. Man City (10/05/25)

[SkyBlueFlux]

That right back has a long 40 minutes ahead of him

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Remember when KDB was the best passer in world football?

 

[Gibblue]

Doku is so poor at passing the ball.

What do you want him to do? Hes been on 8 mins and already made an impact

 

[1961_vintage]

Its mad we don't shoot more, it has a psychological affect on the oppenents even if you sky it or slice it

Zero risk philosophy. Bizarre.

 

[jamielowndes]

Can't see much changing next season. This is Pep's idea of football. The players might change but the patterns of play and tempo won't. Football is moving on and leaving Pep behind. Everything is safety first and he's hoping to bore the opposition into a mistake.

He's been doing this since our best years and even back to Barcelona.

It works when you have one or two players with the vision and the ability to break the routine. You keep the ball to play to your own rhythm and to set the pace, not just because it looks nice on the stat sheet.

Football has regressed in the face of Peps dominance and more teams are going back to playing fast and vertical. We don't have to abandon everything, but you can't have a team of 11 guys playing like they're in a system. You need the system but you also need the person who decides to take charge. You need someone to actually probe, or take a shot from distance or just run at people with pace.

Unfortunately we don't have anyone who can do that to great effect in this squad. KDB and Bernardo are aging out and everyone else doesn't seem to want to be the leader of the operation.

So you have what we have now, this weird self parody of slow, plodding possession first football with no real teeth to it.

 

[heslops barnet]

Crossing into the box has been so poor.

All season

 

[theholysmurf]

Kova having a great game IMO.

His second half of the season has been exceptional in general

 

[Paul1970]

wtf is going on here

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

The problem here is that we're all watching the game from a high angle, and it gives a false perspective of space.

At pitch level it's a very different picture. Southampton are incredibly compact at the back, and in reality there is very little space to exploit.

 

[ganganvince]

We are. Liverpool are champions now.

Surely not till end of season

 

[Blueknows]

I’m rapidly falling out of love with this game.
Grown men dying, if they are touched on the face.
Time wasting. Fake. Pitiful.

Hate it , can't tackle now , opposition lose the ball then fall down feigning injury and plead with the ref for you to put the ball out , tactical water breaks , the games fucked

 

[01cravend]

Watch Haalands movement when Doku gets the ball... Get him off for Marmoush

 

[King Jay]

What do you want him to do? Hes been on 8 mins and already made an impact

He has to dribble past the whole defense and give Haaland who Is always running away a tap in

 

[Chippy_boy]

Has done that with Grealish

He's done it to all of them. Just hasn't finished working on Doku yet.

 

[Nour]

Tough to find people that don't make themselves available.

Spot on mate . People don't see this Haaland just hides himself behind the defender how is the ball meant to find him when he tries to run away and hides behind defender or the back of the post

 

[Tuearts right boot]

Hatrick and six assists from Doku.

 

[YaYa's Left Peg]

This is so frustrating. We don’t look like scoring.

 

[Fordyboy46]

We're going to struggle to win this which would be an embarrassment

 

[bert38]

I thought in the games.he played he did well

he's looked physically way oof more the most part. I'm hopeful he will come good.

 

[1961_vintage]

Looks like it might be a job for Raheem.