Southampton (H) - Sat 26th Oct, 15:00 | PL | Pre-Match Thread

Match Result Prediction?

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...........Ederson

.....Akanji Dias gvardiol
..............Stones
............Kova. Bernardo
.................Foden
Savinhio..................Nunes
...............Haaland
 
Team picks itself really. Only got enough players to fill half a bench even with 2 keepers. Ake can't start again yet, gundo is due a rotation out so there's only really 1 debatable choice at the back with 3 from the 4 of Lewis, stones, dias and akanji.

Ederson
Lewis
Stones
Dias
Gvardiol
Kovacic
Bernardo
Foden
Nunes
Savinho
Haaland.

These are poor and very naive, anything but a really comfortable win will be a major disappointment, I wouldn't necessarily expect a big scoreline though, just get to a comfortable position early with a couple of goals lead and see it out with as little energy expended as possible.
 
Southampton play very good football. Russell Martin has stuck by the football philosophy he believes in and they have only had less possession this season than City, Spurs, Lpool, Brighton and Chelsea. They have averaged more possession than their opposition across their 8 games so far.


IMG_8080.jpeg

To do that with the players he has at his disposal is brave, some may argue stupid as they haven’t won a game yet but it could pay off come the end of the season. I admire a coach who wants to play that way. He’s someone who would do well in the league with a competitive bunch of players.

However, unless he sees Saturday as a free hit (and maybe he will?!), I think he will completely discard his philosophy and my words will mean nowt as he’ll likely camp his team in his own box for the game and try and frustrate us.

I’m hoping not through and I’d love to see a good game between two good possession teams.
 
ninjamonkey said:
Team picks itself really. Only got enough players to fill half a bench even with 2 keepers. Ake can't start again yet, gundo is due a rotation out so there's only really 1 debatable choice at the back with 3 from the 4 of Lewis, stones, dias and akanji.

Ederson
Lewis
Stones
Dias
Gvardiol
Kovacic
Bernardo
Foden
Nunes
Savinho
Haaland.

These are poor and very naive, anything but a really comfortable win will be a major disappointment, I wouldn't necessarily expect a big scoreline though, just get to a comfortable position early with a couple of goals lead and see it out with as little energy expended as possible.
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I think the only debate will be whether Akanji plays. Pep likes Akanji!
 
Just hope for a comfortable win tbh. Recent PL games have felt like a grind and I’m hoping a stretch of good form starts as players keep coming back.
 
hoodyeezus said:
Just hope for a comfortable win tbh. Recent PL games have felt like a grind and I’m hoping a stretch of good form starts as players keep coming back.
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Our squad is switching to Gear 2 now.fitness wise.
They are all up for it. They are getting into the groove.
Southampton should be worried.
 
I'm still bitter about their final win in our final Maine Road game. Like many clubs, Saints always seem to raise their game against us. That being said, City clicking into gear is a different beast. Ake and Akanji offer versatility we've lacked at the back in some games. Be good to see Pep's choice. Glad he had that choice. I couldn't do it.
 
All the big guns starting this one with heavy rotation for the Spurs game.

Southampton play risky football, so an intense press for 30 minutes and we should get 2/3 chances.

At half time the likes of Riley and Mcatee to come on.

Without sounding disrespectful - let’s get the game out of sight by half time and ease off second half.
 
M23 Citizen said:
Southampton play very good football. Russell Martin has stuck by the football philosophy he believes in and they have only had less possession this season than City, Spurs, Lpool, Brighton and Chelsea. They have averaged more possession than their opposition across their 8 games so far.


View attachment 136088

To do that with the players he has at his disposal is brave, some may argue stupid as they haven’t won a game yet but it could pay off come the end of the season. I admire a coach who wants to play that way. He’s someone who would do well in the league with a competitive bunch of players.

However, unless he sees Saturday as a free hit (and maybe he will?!), I think he will completely discard his philosophy and my words will mean nowt as he’ll likely camp his team in his own box for the game and try and frustrate us.

I’m hoping not through and I’d love to see a good game between two good possession teams.
Click to expand...
Some would call it naive & stupidity, much like Kompany at Burnley , the table shows them at the bottom and does not lie.

The first season back should be about going to war and trying to stay up at all costs, not playing to your principles, whatever that means.
 
Oystercatcher28 said:
I'm still bitter about their final win in our final Maine Road game. Like many clubs, Saints always seem to raise their game against us. That being said, City clicking into gear is a different beast. Ake and Akanji offer versatility we've lacked at the back in some games. Be good to see Pep's choice. Glad he had that choice. I couldn't do it.
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I’m still bitter about them booing Agüero off as he was stretchered off in the first game of the 2012-13 season. Wankers.
 
Keeper! said:
Some would call it naive & stupidity, much like Kompany at Burnley , the table shows them at the bottom and does not lie.

The first season back should be about going to war and trying to stay up at all costs, not playing to your principles, whatever that means.
Click to expand...
Over the years loads of coaches have stuck to their attacking football philosophy and stayed up comfortably. From Kevin Keegan when we finished 9th through to Marco Silva a couple of years ago when Fulham finished 10th.

Playing Tony Pulis and Sam Allardyce football is not the only way to stay up.
 
M23 Citizen said:
Over the years loads of coaches have stuck to their attacking football philosophy and stayed up comfortably. From Kevin Keegan when we finished 9th through to Marco Silva a couple of years ago when Fulham finished 10th.

Playing Tony Pulis and Sam Allardyce football is not the only way to stay up.
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The PL is a very different place than in the days of Keegan and I am not talking about playing dinosaur football but play to your strengths.

If your Southampton or Burnley your not going to out football established teams in the PL.
 
Keeper! said:
The PL is a very different place than in the days of Keegan and I am not talking about playing dinosaur football but play to your strengths.

If your Southampton or Burnley your not going to out football established teams in the PL.
Click to expand...
It’s not a very different place to the 2022-23 season with Silva’s Fulham though. But as we’ve seen with Norwich over the years, they’ve played good football and gone straight back down a few times.

Southampton’s strength is playing football on the deck though, that’s what got them promoted, the players he’s signed suit playing that way. They outplayed United a few months ago and had they scored that penalty they missed, the game could have gone a different way.

I don’t think they’ll play like that against us thiugh. It’s one thing fancying it and playing better football than United at St Mary’s, but they won’t be able to outplay us at the Etihad.
 
Keeper! said:
Some would call it naive & stupidity, much like Kompany at Burnley , the table shows them at the bottom and does not lie
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Two seasons ago they took a chance with buying all those young inexperienced players including several from us.
Time will only tell if they get a long term gain but they don't seem to be able to produce a sustained level of good football in any of their games so far this season.
Two nil up last week and still managed to lose.
I thought Ramsdale might have helped them
 
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