Southampton (a) pre-match thread

[simon23]

In the past coup of games, it looked like we would concede every time a team attacked. If this isn’t sorted sharpish, we will be destroyed v Dippers.
Get a win here is a priority. We will see how the players react. If we lose, there’s very little chance of us catching Dippers, and can see us struggling to hold onto 3rd or 4th if we can’t turn this form around. We have the squad to get over this and challenge again, but it needs to start NOW.

i dont agree that we have the squad depth...thw drop off in quality when you replace any if the 3 main men (silva kdb and ferna )in midfield with either Gundogan, delph or stones weakens us considerably and in terms of goal threat there is a drop off when you replace kun with GJ. i also think at prssent there is a drop off in quality when you replace sterling with mahrez

and the goal keeping gulf between eddie and bravo is well documented

our quality in depth isnt as good as people think

 

[The Preacher]

If we are counting the wonder goals as bad luck I have to disagree slightly. They have all more or less come from some piss poor play on our part. So I would hazard a guess that if we stop that, the goals against us stop also.

You can’t really legislate for ‘wonder strikes’ but I agree. It seems that we’ve forgotten how to defend properly over the last month or so. Too many defensive errors - individual and collective - have crept into our game of late.

 

[hihosilva]

Now that DeBruyne & Silva are returning to full fitness over the next few games i expect normal service to resume.
I think we'll see more clearcut chances being created & more goals scored.

 

[fergal_oc]

This is beginning to remind me of the game down there in 12/13 where Barry scored 2(?) own goals and we had a complete mare.

 

[bondsman]

You can’t really legislate for ‘wonder strikes’ but I agree. It seems that we’ve forgotten how to defend properly over the last month or so. Too many defensive errors - individual and collective - have crept into our game of late.

We’ve dropped off a bit in terms of our tempo and aggression. Think that’s giving teams more time to hurt us. Last season we swarmed over teams forced them to rush and turn the ball over quickly. I think if we can just up the tempo of everything we’re doing, pressing, passing, movement off the ball and shooting then we would be back to normal. Wonder if our drop is due to a tiny bit of complacency.

 

[kippaxchris]

Give danillo a run at left back.gonna need his pace against salah next week.

Last time he played left back he got rinsed & kept getting wrong footed. Also we need him RB at the moment haha

 

[The Preacher]

There are, as you rightly point out, other contributory factors to our recent dip in performances. We’ve lost that ‘zip’ and ‘fizz’. (Remind me, which Soap are those characters two in?)

 

[Marvin]

Now that DeBruyne & Silva are returning to full fitness over the next few games i expect normal service to resume.
I think we'll see more clearcut chances being created & more goals scored.

Likewise. I don't expect the trend of the first opponent's shot ending up in the top corner of our net to continue either

The oddos on that happening two games running must be tiny but over the course of 2 seasons sh't happens.

One win will be all it takes to relaunch City.

 

[Trojan1962]

Eddie
Danilo
Stones
Laporte
Zinchenko
Kevin
Mahrez
Bernardo
David
Leroy
Aquero

Give Mahrez a start to see what if anything he can do against one of the weaker teams in the league. Kevin to play in Fern position if he isn’t available.

 

[Churchlawtonblue]

Eddie
Danilo
Stones
Laporte
Zinchenko
Kevin
Mahrez
Bernardo
David
Leroy
Aquero

Give Mahrez a start to see what if anything he can do against one of the weaker teams in the league. Kevin to play in Fern position if he isn’t available.

Do you think Mahrez has earned a start based on his recent performances?

 

[lazza10]

If ferna is out of the Southampton game, which my guess is he will be to make sure he’s as good as he can be for the Liverpool game. Why can’t we give Claudio Gomes a chance? Surely he’s a better replacement in that position than gundogan or anyone else? He can’t be any worse that’s for sure!!

 

[mosssideblue]

We’ve dropped off a bit in terms of our tempo and aggression. Think that’s giving teams more time to hurt us. Last season we swarmed over teams forced them to rush and turn the ball over quickly. I think if we can just up the tempo of everything we’re doing, pressing, passing, movement off the ball and shooting then we would be back to normal. Wonder if our drop is due to a tiny bit of complacency.

I dont think it is complacency (Pep would not allow that), but I agree our movement off the ball is very ponderous at the moment

 

[cleavers]

If we are counting the wonder goals as bad luck I have to disagree slightly. They have all more or less come from some piss poor play on our part. So I would hazard a guess that if we stop that, the goals against us stop also.

Totally right, we've had 3 "wonder" goals in the last 2 games, not to mention conceding from the opposition 'first shot' in all three defeats, but there's one common denominator in all of them, poor defending, some of it schoolboy stuff, especially at full back position.

This, plus our own inability to put the ball in the net regularly enough from numerous chances, is why we find ourselves adrift if the leaders.

 

[Ric]

If ferna is out of the Southampton game, which my guess is he will be to make sure he’s as good as he can be for the Liverpool game. Why can’t we give Claudio Gomes a chance? Surely he’s a better replacement in that position than gundogan or anyone else? He can’t be any worse that’s for sure!!

I didn’t think Gundogan was that bad against Leicester. Gomes doesn’t look anywhere near ready to step up yet based on what I’ve seen.

 

[mosssideblue]

Do you think Mahrez has earned a start based on his recent performances?

Not many have to be fair

 

[higgi1p]

If ferna is out of the Southampton game, which my guess is he will be to make sure he’s as good as he can be for the Liverpool game. Why can’t we give Claudio Gomes a chance? Surely he’s a better replacement in that position than gundogan or anyone else? He can’t be any worse that’s for sure!!

Or even Garcia

 

[Trojan1962]

Do you think Mahrez has earned a start based on his recent performances?

Let’s give him another try at starting, Raz hasn’t been great the last 3 outings. He’s our record signing and we all want him to up his game, maybe just maybe he might produce. Leicester fans stating he never did well when he came off the bench. He’s only been here a few months but he really now needs to show his worth.
To answer you’re question the answer is no he doesn’t deserve to start.

 

[cleavers]

I didn’t think Gundogan was that bad against Leicester.

That's because he was totally anonymous, he didn't do much wrong you're right there, but its because he didn't do anything.

 

[Churchlawtonblue]

Not many have to be fair

But many have produced the goods for our team in the past. KDB, Silvas Aguero Sane and Sterling are all proven match winners in Peps team. Mahrez looks like a round peg in a square hole most of the time.

 

[mosssideblue]

But many have produced the goods for our team in the past. KDB, Silvas Aguero Sane and Sterling are all proven match winners in Peps team. Mahrez looks like a round peg in a square hole most of the time.

We are talking the present which my comment alluded to