Southampton (A) - Carabao Cup | Post Match Thread

[franksinatra]

Bitterly disappointing night. This season is definitely different to previous years, whereby if we did lose we were typically still the better side, controlled possession but missed chances. This year we have looked poor in a number of games, including the Chelsea league match only the other week.

Last night more personnel changes, players playing in different positions and arguably our only two players showing any form, Mahrez and Lewis, never made it from the bench. The lack of effort by the players was really noticeable in the ground also. Just going through the motions.

A ‘rule’ of life is when things are not going well go back to basics. I think a settled side and formation with players playing in the positions they have played for the last couple of seasons would be a step in the right direction.

 

[Craig]

All these hating on Pep need to get in the fucking sea. Get a god damned grip of yourselves. He's the best manager in the world but he's not a flawless computer. Imagine if you had a slight down turn in performance at work after years of being the best in the company and people were calling for your head. Yes things need to improve by our high standards but there isn't another manager on the planet who can match Pep for consistency. Yes you might find someone who can throw everything at the CL for a season and win it, but you aren't going to find a 4 out 5 winning PL manager anywhere else. Chill out and trust in the manager.

Are people calling for his head? I’ve just seen people slagging the strange tactics and obsession with possession football rather than the exciting stuff we’d become spoilt by. As regards the champions league his weird tactics and lack of bollocks in the big games have been our biggest problem.

 

[Bozzie]

Anyone doing ‘dry January’ who sat through that and is still dry has my complete admiration!

 

[bellsouth]

We needed the players to take some responsibility last night but no-one apart from Haaland seems to show the ‘fight’. As much as I love Gundogan, terrific footballer, seems like a genuinely decent human, but wasn’t giving it to the lads last night as he should have been as captain. Where are the leaders, why isn’t someone getting in to them?

 

[yeah whatever !!]

As the great Gianluca Vialli said, when you win...celebrate it. When you lose...learn from it.

 

[woody1968]

If we play like last night against a busier RAGs or Arsenal - we will get destroyed. Shocking last night. Phillips shadowing their players basically making himself unavailable for a pass - Gomez is utter wank and not sure whats wrong with Cancelo -

Peps trying 3 at the back maybe causing us a few problems going forward - Think Foden has forgotten how to run with the ball. I'm not sure about Cole Palmer - he's still young

Your point about Philips is spot on - he doesn’t want the ball and at City that isn’t an option - you must want the ball. He is way way out of his comfort zone.

 

[Tolmie scores]

Its carabao cup. I hope pep learned something.
Walker cannt play central defense.
I don kno what happen to cancello?
Gomes and palmer were poor.
Grealish is not starter.
Philips is not upto the fight to compete this team.

Agreed use this cup for testing the reserves..yws we need the football combination back.. possibly one or two could occasionally step up a leve. Tony Henry and Ged Keagan style.. kidding oursekves that we have 25 top players . 12 or 13 really top players which is fantastic. We need to stop this BS naarative of a huge squad..its unfair etc..look at net spend past five years...media hate that table

 

[babyape]

2 foul throws. In one game. Just about sums it up. They all looked liked they'd had 4 or 5 pints and a carvery 10 mins before kick off. I've seen some shit in my time watching City, but that first half especially is right up there. 5 yard passes were going well off. And ones that were accurate, were pinged in at daft heights, was almost comical.

Christ we need a wake up call before Saturday!

 

[Bigga]

i feel like the experimentation thing is hindering us a little in terms of performances not so much results. our best performance this season have come when weve stuck to basics. I get why peps having to do the 3 at the back stuff and inverted full back with the form of cancelo being an issue. I feel like we miss ruben a bit especially his leadership especially at the back.

i trust pep to get it right, i just feel like weve overdone the experimenting since the world cup is all. i really enjoyed the chelsea cup game where we had actual fullbacks to provide the width especially when we play mahrez and grealish. I feel like peps got the handbrake on a little if you get what i mean, like hes really worried about counter attacks due to united spurs ect coming up so is trying to resolve that.

Again, fair enough, and much to agree with.

The only thing I'll say is that none of our mainstay defenders have been fit together, so we're forced to cobble together the back line. Dias is injured and will need to find his own tempo when he's fit. Laporté has been injured and has only just come back and needs to find his best form. The same with Walker.

Stones has been the stalwart, out of all of them, this season and has not long come back from injury, too. That's not to dismiss Akanji or Aké, but they're not our marshalling, decision-making defenders.

So, effectively, the whole back line disrupted for form, this season.

I don't mind the experimentation as it has to bed in (the inversing didn't seem to work at first, remember), but yesterday, Grealish should have been in the Cancelo role alongside Philips as his licence is to drive forward, draw the fouls or find the pass.

Not sure why his seems so limited stuck out on the wing with City.

Finally with Foden out of form and Palmer chopping and re-chopping and dicing up the same play, just ran out of time and position to be effective in finding a delivery. He needs not to bring his youth team play into the men's game and be less tricky when you have the player beat, the first time.

Cancelo not knowing how to marshal the middle, so not really find an effective pass to break any oppo, so Alvarez was starved. Philips not stepping up. Walker caught between covering right and centre positions, so not being able to marshal the lines.

The whole thing was a house of cards, last night.

 

[lazerblue]

This team ain’t winning the champions league mate

That team won't play in the champions league mate