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

[Blue warrior]

You can usually tell in the first few minutes of the game if City are on it or not.

 

[paulchapo]

Three of our ex academy players in Southampton's squad.

 

[Keepingthefaithsince1976]

Gives players a chance to show what they can do.
Rests our main lads and hopefully remain injury free.
Might be a little rusty but I’ve got confidence in the boys in blue.
As EB would say,
THE BEST TEAM IN THE LAND AND ALL THE WORLD
Quite poignant that Jonny boy is captain whilst Sheila is supporting him from the Kippax in the sky. What are the odds on JS being first goalscorer…..
CTID

What a thoughtful post. Good lad.

 

[Don Karleone]

I don't mind it if I'm being honest. My gut feeling is that it should be enough. Pep needs to be ready to change if it's going tits up though.

 

[WallyA]

Nunes and RAN holding the width.

Get Cherki, Reijnders and Foden central to support Marmoush.

 

[mosssideblue]

How do you know?

The club monitor every aspect of players fitness and recovery, and make their team selection based on form and fitness. Perhaps given the length of the season and the number of games played, certain players perhaps haven't recovered sufficiently from the Burnley game to warrant a starting role today.

Come on now. You know we have some posters who know better than the club

 

[come-on-barney]

Then they wonder why we under
sell 10,000 seats ffs. Two games to win the cup, five difficult games to win the prem. Saints dressing room!!

 

[Petethemancinleeds]

Pre match , what the chuff is that team
Post match (draft) Pep , you genius, what do i know!

 

[pbueno16]

I would have preferred Khusanov instead of Stones to add some pace to the defensive line.
Otherwise, the lineup isn't bad.

After the emotional, mental, and physical strain they endured against Arsenal and Burnley in 72 hours, the risk of injury is very high...

Something had to give with selection and this was the time to rotate. That XI from Arsenal is going to play every game from now and all the games we have left don’t give us wiggle room to deviate.

 

[Blue_eyes]

I fear the fcking ref and var more than our team selection.

The fa would love a "fairytale" at our expense.

Just play so well lads that they cant do a thing about it.

 

[eyalluvitt]

Two great central defenders but both are match rusty. A left back who can’t defend. A midfielder who has been injured most of the season, one who strolls about and one of our own who has lost his mojo.

Bit silly to throw all our eggs into the PL basket?

Pep has isssstree for doing this in semis, remember Liverpool being 3 up before he binned some rusty stiffs at HT

 

[OrigamiNinja]

That’s a half-decent 4th round Carabao Cup side we’re putting on the field there.

 

[Cobwebcat]

If that City team played in the Championship week in week out, you'd expect it to be 20 points clear - but it doesn't.

I can't remember when 'rest some, bring the big guns on if necessary' was ever, regularly, successful? Anecdotally - like Gundo - obviously there are exceptions, but I'd never have too much faith in a bench rescuing a situation.

Mind you, Newcastle was a terrific performance and result with a supposedly reserve side, so hopefully there'll be enough there today. Saints aren't full-strength, either.

If I could just make one change, though - Khus. How can you leave him out?

Like a lot of our first team they are probably in the red zone and only come on in an emergency.

If they don’t get a rest now they never will. Drawing a Championship team has handed us the opportunity.

 

[noseve]

Maybe Pep doesn't trust Roy Keane's son-in-law-to-be to not try to ingratiate himself with RK by taking out another Haaland?

 

[journolud]

What a disgrace I am

 

[youngbob]

We'll need the likes of Ake, Ait-Nouri, Gonzalez, Kovacic, Reijnders, Marmoush, Foden etc. during the PL run-in, either as subs or as rotation options for (or around) those two midweek games against Palace and Bournemouth. This is the best chance we've got left to get them properly match fit. I don't mind the team at all - it should have enough quality.

 

[come-on-barney]

Saints have made 6 changes from last league game

Good changes, except for the injuries.

 

[CC1]

Then they wonder why we under
sell 10,000 seats ffs. Two games to win the cup, five difficult games to win the prem. Saints dressing room!!

But they didn’t know the team when they “decided” not to come

 

[heslops barnet]

Hope we’re not underestimating. Should be strong enough.

You sure?

 

[eyalluvitt]

Naturally Southampton will be happy there are so many changes and for players who may be rusty, but should still have enough to be winning this. Can't just keep playing the same team when some clearly need a rest.


Come on City!

Southampton make 6 changes, us 8