Southampton (H) Post-Match Thread

[Wretched Vengeance]

This probably isn't the right thread for my post but I don't want to start a new one.

To me, we seem to have gone down a level this season and we look pedestrian and lacking creativity in many games. Today was another example of this type of game with the team looking all out of ideas for large parts of it. Is it possibly the case that the intensity of the last two seasons has drained the players and they are unable to get the edge that you need to win the title?

Seems to me that by playing the inverted wingers, we have lost the ability to play a simple ball down the channel that is hit first time across the 6 yard box for an easy tap in.

It takes hard work, great movement and unselfish running, but it looks so easy when it's done properly. We're currently not scoring this type of goal.

Instead, we are checking back and floating aimless balls into nobody in particular. Sane is a big miss - goals and assists playing from the left in his natural position.

 

[Ardwick Green Blue]

Seems to me that by playing the inverted wingers, we have lost the ability to play a simple ball down the channel that is hit first time across the 6 yard box for an easy tap in.

It takes hard work, great movement and unselfish running, but it looks so easy when it's done properly. We're currently not scoring these types of goals.

Instead, we are checking back and floating aimless balls into nobody in particular. Sane is a big miss - goals and assists playing from the left in his natural position.

That's a great point. Sterling or whoever arriving at precisely the right moment to score from three yards out from a driven low cross seems to have disappeared from our game.

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

Problem today is we were trying to walk the ball into their net , Gundogan , KDB , Merlin and others all had loads of chances to pull the trigger from 20 yards and opted to pass sideways , we are always trying to score the perfect goal when just maybe a lucky deflection or goalkeeper error from a shot from distance turns the game. Sometimes you need a little look against bus parkers , so lets buy a ticket for the raffle and have a few more pot shots

 

[the talisman]

Strange, I thought he was our best player.

I thought he grew into the game and was excellent 2nd half

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Some of our crossing was fucking woeful today. Time after time Sterling, Bernardo and Angeliño just kept chipping and floating terrible balls in. It was doing Agüero’s head in and it was easy to defend against.

But we didn’t give up and did start to put more dangerous balls in as the game got late and we ended up scoring from two of them.

John Stones was fucking immense today. A captain’s performance. He was calm, commanding, intercepted well, won headers, outmuscled their players every time and passed the ball very well.

Best I’ve seen seen him play since Anfield last season.

 

[Wretched Vengeance]

That's a great point. Sterling or whoever arriving at precisely the right moment to score from three yards out from a driven low cross seems to have disappeared from our game.

Laporte was great at releasing the pass that put someone through to slide it across the box for a tap in. It doesn't seem to be a feature of out play recently. I'd say that is more down to using inverted wingers than anything else. But of course, Laporte is a huge miss.

 

[the talisman]

It’s been done to death but it drives me mad watching City repeatedly chip little floated crosses straight onto the head of giant 6 and a half foot defenders.
When your front 3 is the shortest in the league it doesn’t make any sense.
Let’s go old school, Bernardo left, Sterling right, get to the byline and cause some problems with low hard balls across the 6 yard box.

 

[Fordyboy46]

Just read that the first goal came from our 46th cross of the day!

we had 17 corners today too and I don’t remember much coming from them either.

26 shots, 17 corners with only 4 shots on target. Just shows how hard it was to find the space today. I’m not sure why we are suddenly throwing crosses in like we are but it must be an instruction. Perhaps just to create pressure and mentally tire the opposition going that a second ball will drop for us.

Remember the days when we used to get excited when we won a corner?

 

[Bluekiwi]

That's a great point. Sterling or whoever arriving at precisely the right moment to score from three yards out from a driven low cross seems to have disappeared from our game.

Not completely disappeared - Kun's midweek goal came from just that sort of move.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Remember the days when we used to get excited when we won a corner?

Especially with such talented players like Corradi and Samaras waiting to get on the end of em!