Southampton (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

[Palerider]

We also have given the rags a potential 50m get of of jail card in they qualify for the CL.

If they qualify for the CL and we end up playing Thursday then who is on the perch will have changed and we will have helped them do it! Bournemouth at home is our biggest game of the season.

 

[Always Ali]

Still scratching my head over Pep's team selection yesterday, absolutely bobbins/unforgivable, tinkering with team selection with 4 games to go is crazy. Luckily, the inconsistency of the top 6 will see us in the CL spots

 

[mattyads]

The long term problems of being able to win the league are deep. The short term problem of trying to secure a win at the worst team's place isn't so deep.

We've seen the formation and personnel that works the best 3 times in the last 2 months.

All he has to do is stick to that.

O'Reilly at left back.

A box 4 midfield crew: 4 of the following 5. Gonzo, Kova, Kev, Berny and Gundo. Preferably not all 3 legends.

2 strikers, one of them Marmoush on the inside Left. You can play Haaland inside Right or straight up top. It don't matter as long as he is making runs and the box 4 mids are trying to get it ro him and Marmoush early....


The above describes our best formation and tactics all season.

Every time we've done it, we've created lots of chances, (by a significant margin higher number of chances than with any other formation or personnel).

Everytime we started or tried something else, its been a turgid collosal struggle with us needing to sub Doku in to bail us out or win a narrow slow slugfest match.

He should just watch the tapes of the 3 games we've created lots of chances in and play that way.


The rest of the way!!!!

His genius landed us that formation and personnel originally. But the same genius keeps on tinkering past what has already worked :(

Its frustrating!

Can't argue.

Even then, its not great is it?

There's a mountain to climb in the summer.

 

[Blue and still suffering]

Looked to be plenty of empty seats to me, yes they're relegated, but playing like that I'm not surprised.

Our performance was pathetic, but we still should have won it, with a bit of "luck".

I'm an FOC with poor eyesight.
They were there for the taking but as you say we were pathetic

 

[Vic]

Still scratching my head over Pep's team selection yesterday, absolutely bobbins/unforgivable, tinkering with team selection with 4 games to go is crazy. Luckily, the inconsistency of the top 6 will see us in the CL spots

Pep hardly helping himself in interviews.

Post-match it was saying that after the first 15 minutes we needed wingers. Today it was that Marmoush should have had longer than the last 15!

 

[Damanino]

hope Pep rewatching the game 5 times and makes Lillo rewatch it 25 times.

 

[colorado blue]

His final product to Bernado was perfect. Bernado fucked it up as usual.

True but how many attempts to get one. Think he looks more dangerous when he cuts back and shoots. Just needs to mix it up a little more

 

[bluegaz13]

Not as important as winning the game right in front of you.

As a result, we will have a very quick turnaround after the Cup Final to take three points against a Bournemouth team who still have something to play for and play better away from home.

Pep even admitted that after ten minutes he realised we were missing the wingers, yet he persisted with a flawed starting eleven which didn't manage a shot on target until 70 minutes.

He set us up for failure and it's not the first time this season, sadly.

Totally agree….a win yesterday would have nearly guaranteed Champions league football….now we play Bournemouth 3 days after the cup final needing a win.

I have no idea what goes through Pep’s mind but after 10 minutes yesterday it was obvious we were too slow and ponderous, without any cutting edge and he didn’t react.

Is this arrogance because he didn’t want to admit his set up/ line up wasn’t working.

Get yesterdays game won and he can then play some of the fringe players in the remaining games.

For me Akanji has not been good enough for 18 months and the only way he should start is as a full back….not moving Gvardiol from his best position.

Our tempo starts with the centre backs and Akanji always slows it down….he’s not good enough on the ball and is too ponderous.

Too many players started out of position yesterday and if DeBruyne doesn’t warrant a contract extension, why is he starting !!

I think at every other premiership club, if they had signed the next big thing from Argentina they would at least have made some substitute appearances…..especially a in a position where we are so lacking in.

Pep has a lot of credit in the bank but I feel he has tarnished this with some of his decisions this season.

 

[Mike N]

His final product to Bernado was perfect. Bernado fucked it up as usual.

That’s not fair.

 

[Lavinda Past]

So one bad season and he's past it? If we win the FA cup next week and it I know to some it seems a big if at the moment, that's 8 consecutive years winning a trophy, it'll be the second longest consecutive winning streak in English football. Now Pep might never get us back to the heights of the last 7 years, but I'd rather give him one more season than replace him with someone who finished 11th in our league last season and is the best part of 20 points behind PSG this season. As for Frank he's done a very good job at turning Brentford into a good mid table side, but doing that is a lot easier than at a club expected to win every week, just look at Moyes at the rags. I just feel our greatest ever manager should be given slack and more time to turn it around after 1 poor season in 5.

How much 'slack'...? He's going to leave soon, and I wouldn't expect to see any great change from him next season anyway.

Stop holding onto the past. Move forwards.

 

[citymad]

Is this arrogance because he didn’t want to admit his set up/ line up wasn’t working.

He frequently leaves it late to change games but more often than not he comes up smelling of roses. He has so much faith in the team that it will work out even deep into games. Love the man but yesterday, was one of those badly managed games.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

To me, it looks like the players on the pitch decide what is happening at set pieces!

That's my impression for a good while.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

I share your concerns going forward and was absolutely disgusted at the performances against United.

Do you think Pep isn’t bothered now?

I'm sure he is, just like Kev is still insistent he can perform to a high level.

The question nobody knows about Pep is whether he needs to take a rest for the good of both himself and City?

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Other than a lovely day out in the sunshine, it was a poor performance until the last 20 mins. And, like everyone else, just didn't understand the squad selection and lack of width.

But two non-game related observations.

On my favourite subject of tourists (I think I am going to start a 'Tourist Counter' thread) it was quite an interesting day. I suppose Southampton is close enough to London to be attractive to the Tout Army, but we accidentally sat in row N (rather NN on the last row at the top) when we arrived. And being the chatty friendly (but grumpy) bloke I am, I was talking to those around me, as I didn't recognise anyone. And low and behold I am within three rows of tourists - a wonderful Swedish family, two blokes from Swindon, three Japanese folks and a group of Spanish lads. So, I asked (in a friendly 'just out of interest' way) where they got their tickets.

The Spanish group 'from a contact at the Club' - the Swedish family from a Football tour package operator, the Swindon boys from 'LiveFotty.com' or something and the Japanese group had no idea what I was asking. We were then turfed out our seats (quite rightly) but two Russians in half and half scarves.

I know of at least a dozen Blues who just missed the point threshold - and it just continues to fuck me off. Sorry to keep on about this....

Final observation. It was embarrassing the way the Southampton fans celebrated being the second worst club in PL history at the end, but we were also a little embarrassed at some very coked up young Blues on the way out being a little aggressive, as opposed to piss taking banter, about how shite Southampton were - as true as this is - I really hope we haven't started having a fan base that have forgotten where we came from - and don't get me wrong, I love a bit of banter - but this was verging on arrogant and menacing. Never thought we were that type of Club.

Police recently released statistics that City topped the league last 12 months for cocaine related arrests. Over 60!!

Sad knobs.

 

[Blue tiger]

How much 'slack'...? He's going to leave soon, and I wouldn't expect to see any great change from him next season anyway.

Stop holding onto the past. Move forwards.

And in 12 months time there might be a decent replacement available. You might of given up on the man whose given us more league titles in last 9 seasons than we had in our entire history, but I ain't. He's earned the right to try and get it right in his last year. You won't agree and that's fine, football is about opinions.

 

[pavelsrnicek]

I'm sure he is, just like Kev is still insistent he can perform to a high level.

The question nobody knows about Pep is whether he needs to take a rest for the good of both himself and City?

I would be far happier seeing a new assistant to challenge Pep a little. Pep is still trusting guys who aren’t able to deliver. KDB and Bernardo the obvious ones. Questions on Akanji, Gundogan and Kovacic as well. Grealish seems out the door.

We have two young attacking wingers who are going to make mistakes but they drive us forwards, but when they err they’re dropped. They need to play to learn. Instead Bernardo, Foden and sometimes Grealish get back in. Bernardo out wide offers no width or creativity just work rate. But you can guarantee that Pep will play him time and again it matters.

 

[King Jay]

i cannot believe Pep would tolerate lazy "can't-be-arsed" performances by any individual player. I think it's more likely that taking the safe option has become embedded, the number of times a player returns a pass immediately, not even looking for a better option, is a symptom, hiding behind possession at all costs. Haaland is most effective when his speed and strength is utilised, neither of which are much use in a rammed penalty area, The appalling run of defeats and draws, sucker-punched by a simple hit-and-hope happened time after time, baffling to us fans. Tactics which were so successful are no longer working, and no sign of a counter-measure as yet, demonstrated so clearly ystdy. Khaldoon's headache, stick or twist?....

Why ? That’s how pep wants to play football. To keep the possession at all costs. And it’s not like it’s not his fault for setting up a system without any wide players against Southampton while starting Haaland. City won the last games because of their fullbacks because pep finally realized that you need width and that fullbacks are very important. Look at Leverkusen, Inter, Liverpool and PSG. They all dominate through their fullbacks. Pep is killing is with this inverted bullshit he created. It worked but teams are working around it and he is refusing it since he can’t do any wrong. FODEN - KDB - McAtee
Including Bernardo who then played as a RW for some time. It’s always the same wrong choices. Why didn’t he sub Bernardo and KDB? Who did nothing? Because they are his favorites. Foden was better than Bernardo . There was NO REASON not to bring on NUNES AND WAIT UNTIL THE 85th)!!) minute to bring on Marmoush.

 

[pbueno16]

Just saw the Southampton piss take of Dias comments and to be fair it’s fucking funny. How about keep your trap shut Ruben and play better as a team. Fucking hell.

Comes off so whiny and entitled. Yet people here feel totally fine calling fellow blues entitled and rags in disguise because we're less than enthused with that bullshit result yesterday.

 

[noseve]

Police recently released statistics that City topped the league last 12 months for cocaine related arrests. Over 60!!

Sad knobs.

Management, or players?

 

[himalayan_blues]

I'm sure he is, just like Kev is still insistent he can perform to a high level.

The question nobody knows about Pep is whether he needs to take a rest for the good of both himself and City?

No...
Alex furguson used to have such season in between. Sometimes 2/3 seasosn without a trophy.
Calm down mate. We will be back there. There are no better coach than pep.