Match Day Thread Saints V Stoke City Sunday 21st May 3pm

Stay away from Temple Bar, the most overpriced and cringey place in the city!

 

I loved Temple Bar!

Might have had something to do with multiple hen parties

 

Certainly very composed on the ball but given a bit of a lesson by Crouch. I could easily imagine him as a defensive midfielder alongside Romeu.

 

I did post earlier. They lost 5-0.

#fatsout

 

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Speechless?

 

I was making my point

 

I too would like to see Jack playing as a DM alongside Romeu. He does remind me of Dier from Spurs.

 

Oh no! Miserable. But they can hold their heads high just for getting to the final!

 

Oh, I missed that. And Saints fans complain about Puel... Poor Ollie and poor fats

 

Btw, wasn't talking about playing ****ing 2 up front for whole game just as a possible 20 min option!

 

When Crouch scored he was being marked by Cedric, couldn't have had a bigger mismatch.

 

But why was he being marked by Cedric? Presumably because he had managed to manoeuvre himself away from the guys who should have been marking him and that is my one problem with the Stephens/Yoshida pairing. Think Ibrahimovic in the Cup Final, last minute or so, he was the one player they should have been focusing on and marking. Still, on balance they have done exceptionally well this season.

 

Our defence without VvD and that Portuguese bloke who's name escapes me has been excellent at times, adequate at times, but also not quite good enough at crucial moments. Basically we have missed Virgil, a lot. Which anyone would, of course. While Maya and Stephens have both been superb individually at times, as a unit you are always waiting for someone to get between them.

 

Having VVD in the team wouldn't, IMO, have made any difference in stopping the Stoke goal, as the cross would still have bypassed him.
It's what teams do. They identify the short arses, then create situations where the tallest striker will be marked by the shortest defender.
West Ham were doing it with Carroll against both full backs.
Lambert did it for us, most notably against Clyne before we then went out and signed him.
This is just a side effect of us regularly signing/developing small footballers, and will be an ongoing issue until we start signing/developing taller and more physical players.

 

I take your point but surely it is the job of the taller defenders to mark the taller forwards and not be ball watching in the hope that it is crossed to the middle of the goal where they happen to be. Unless, of course we have gone zonal.

 

I think most defences are zonal.
I wouldn't expect VVD to be dragged to and beyond the back post, by a Crouch or Carroll, whilst Cedric is replacing him in the centre, against a shorter but still 6ft plus striker, during open play.
What would the reaction be if the above happened and Cedric was then beaten to a cross, mid goal, by someone like Walters (Stoke) or Antonio (WHU) two players who are quite capable in the air?
We just need to employ taller players, to reduce the opportunity of this becoming a regular event, against teams that employ giants.

 

I'm actually happy with how little that tactic has paid off for the opposition this season (whether through good defending from us, poor execution from the opposition, or lack of implementation from the opposition). As mentioned, it was always a favourite of ours when Rickie was in the team.

Before Crouch, the only other goal I recall conceding in that sort of manner this season was right at the start, when Deeney got above Cedric to knock it down for Capoue.