Southampton (N) - Sat 25th April, 17:15 | FAC | Pre-Match Thread

[Wirral Blue8]

Play a strong side but make 4-5 changes. Nico Gonzalez should be a no brainer. Also in terms of Foden and Marmoush, they should also both play as firstly they are quality players but also secondly at some point in the last 5 League games, we may lose a player through injury or be 1-0 down or need to find a winner so giving these guys minutes ensures they are sharp.

 

[meeesh]

Too many nerves on this thread for my liking, this will be a comfortable 2 or 3-0 result.

 

[chaddblue]

The scouse tipster on sky has predicted Southampton to win on pens lol

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Don't much like that forward line.

I cannot for the life of me see what either Reijnders and Savinho bring to the team. I'm not even saying they're bad players. They're obviously not, or they wouldn't have come with the reputation they have (especially, Reijnders, of whom I had high hopes). There's just no impact.
Phil? Well, he's got to find himself again at some point. Hasn't he? Hoping against hope… A ball that Cherki put through against Burnley the other night. It was a flash of déjà vu. I thought, now that's exactly what Phil used to do and make it look easy. And the way Cherki uses his feet like knitting needles in very tight spaces — prime Phil of the POTY season.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Too many nerves on this thread for my liking, this will be a comfortable 2 or 3-0 result.

Oh, it will be, just so long as we give them a degree of respect. Seven, eight changes is simple suicide. Southampton are not Barcelona 2008-2012. But they're a very creditable Championship team who may well be in the PL next season. They'll also be playing one of the biggest games they've had in decades (were they last at Wembley in ’76?). That's all.

 

[City of Troy]

The scouse tipster on sky has predicted Southampton to win on pens lol

Lol

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Southampton are a good side, but they have a huge game on Tuesday night which could give them a real chance of automatic promotion. Difficult to say which game they will prioritise.

My guess from afar is that the manger wouldn't dare to not go strong on Saturday as the fans and club are romantasising the 50 year anniversery of them winning it in 1976 and the fact that that is their greatest acheivement. Managers have bravado but they don't want the crowd turning against them as that costs them their job.

 

[noseve]

promotion may be more important than chasing a dream.

Unless they make the playoff final, this is likely to be the only time in their entire career that many of the Saints team will ever play at Wembley.

I think they'll be eyeballs-out.

 

[richards30]

Too many thinking it will be easy or Southampton will have eyes on the play off push!
Try and get a decent lead and then make changes as we have a 9 day break before we next play and hopefully Pep has learnt to go strong from the start and then make changes if we are comfortable rather than be struggling and have to bring the big boys on anyway to try and rescue it! We should be winning this competition at this point.

 

[chaddblue]

Southampton are a good side, but they have a huge game on Tuesday night which could give them a real chance of automatic promotion. Difficult to say which game they will prioritise.

Millwall and Ipswich both play before the semi final. If they both win, Southampton’s chances of automatic promotion will be very small

If they both lose then their game on Tuesday becomes huge

 

[jim_tolmies_perm]

He didn’t rest either player. They were tactical changes. And there’s no way he’d play a reserve team with so much at stake and week off to come.

Everything in your post is wrong.

Stones isnt starting no chance! Not match fit

 

[Inter Me Nan]

Just spoke to my Southampton mate, he seems to think they'll go full strength despite the midweek game against Ipswich.

 

[noseve]

Stones isnt starting no chance! Not match fit

I wonder whether we'll ever see a reference to Johnny Stones again, without immediately thinking of a particular forum member? Don't think I will.

 

[noseve]

I cannot for the life of me see what either Reijnders and Savinho bring to the team

I think that it's no coincidence that the upturn starting with the Carabao final had gone hand-in-hand with no starts for these two, or Ait-Nouri (until Burnley :-( ).

Wednesday might have been a different story with simply straight-swapping Nico G for Rodders, too.

Not a hate post - an observation.

 

[mcfc315]

This will be tougher than people expect. I think Pep will make changes and rotate but with us not playing for 9 days, I don't think wholesale changes are necessary. Semenyo and O'Reilly need a rest and possibly Guehi, but other than that I'd go:
Trafford, Nunes, Khusanov, Ake, Ait-Nouri, Gonzalez, Bernardo, Foden, Doku, Savinho, Marmoush

 

[sh249]

Hard to get the balance between resting and going strong. Maybe something like this:

—————-—-Trafford————
Nunes—Stones—Khusanov—Ake
———————-Nico G————-
——-Bernardo———-Reijnders—-
—Foden——Haaland——Marmoush

With Haaland, Bernardo, Nunes and Khusanov off asap if all goes well.

 

[Father Paul]

Oh, it will be, just so long as we give them a degree of respect. Seven, eight changes is simple suicide. Southampton are not Barcelona 2008-2012. But they're a very creditable Championship team who may well be in the PL next season. They'll also be playing one of the biggest games they've had in decades (were they last at Wembley in ’76?). That's all.

We must go strong only two or three changes allowed. This is our best chance of another trophy as there is still an awful lot of work left to win the league and our challenge to Arsenal could well be over in a couple of weeks.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

Regardless of it being the league below, any side that is 20 games unbeaten, including 16 wins with one of them against Arsenal, has to be taken very seriously. We’ll inevitably make a few changes and if we drop our levels even slightly, Southampton will fancy the upset. They are flying.

 

[Nevizade]

I originally thought we'd only make a few changes for his, but seeing how tired some of the players were on Wednesday makes me think we'll rotate a bit more. Maybe something like this?

Trafford
Nunes
Khusanov
Ake
Ait-Nouri
Gonzalez
Bernardo
Reijnders
Foden
Savinho
Marmoush

Would be happy with that

 

[MCFC1993]

----------------Trafford
Khusanov--Stones---Guehi---RAN
---------Bernardo---Gonzalez
Foden-------Reijnders-----Marmoush
--------------Haaland

Potential for Ake to start too.

Get it won, get the first XI players off and then enjoy 2-3 days off before we prepare for Everton.