Match Day Thread Southampton vs Arsenal FA Cup 4th Round 28/01/2017 KO 5:30PM

[fatletiss]

I thought all our sides were strong?

Conversation running out?

 

[fatletiss]

Sorry Beddy, I couldn't disagree with you more on this. Whatever the opposite of a disaster is, that's what yesterday was. Puel needs congratulating for getting his priorities right. Yes, I feel for the fans who spent their hard-earned cash to watch that rubbish, and I feel for the young players who were sacrificed, but I honestly can't see, with hindsight, what else Puel could have done. Bearing in mind that we have Saints' first major Cup Final in 14 years in a month's time, everything has to build towards that. Getting good results in the 3 PL games between now and then is much more important than another cup run with a depleted squad.

Let's look at the squad: Forster, Cedric, Yoshida, Bertrand, Romeu, Davis, and Tadić, all badly needed a weekend off before Tuesday's game at Swansea. Everyone else in our preferred 18 man squad who didn't play yesterday is injured! I agree it would be nice if we had more strength in depth, but that's what Puel's rotation policy has been building up. We've come unstuck because of injuries and the sheer number of games (nearly 40 I make it) we have played this season.

Chilco I 100% agree with you.

Just to play Devil's advocate and to show those in disagreement that I can see both sides here, there is something else Puel could have done. He could have played 5 or 6 of those who played on Wednesday. We may still have lost. We may have won. They may have added to their fatigue, leading to injury or future injury.

He made the right decision, in my opinion.

 

[Puck]

The only decision I'd question at all really was playing Lewis in goal. He's not had the best start to his first team career and there was always a chance we'd concede a few yesterday, which may affect him. Not sure that was smart. Otherwise I have no complaints.

 

[Ronnie Hotdog (MLsfc)]

I don't understand how people have such little logic.

It's the arguement about cup vs League. This game didn't matter to us. Not simpy because it was the fa cup, but because it was only the 4th round and we are already in the league cup final!

The league has to come before the fa cup because of our EFL cup run. Big games in the league coming up that are certainly winnable. Whereas even if we played our best team against arsenal we may well lose.

 

[fatletiss]

When's the new job effect kicking in, Fats?

Nice one Fran! I'm just amazed at times. Who'd be a football manager.

 

[Saints_Alive]

I'm ecstatic and grateful that we are at Wembley, but we could lose the final, and I happen to believe that professional sport is about competing, you should never just throw in the towel.
Liverpool are out as are most of the top 12 in the PL, it is an opportunity wasted if all we are doing is keeping players fresh for Swansea on Tuesday IMO.
Why couldn't we try and win the FA Cup as well?.

 

[Lff]

I just don't understand that view Beddytare. I'm going to reply point by point to yours raised just to try and show you some mitigation or a flip side view.

I don't know the reason why Puel had to treat Arsenal with such contempt by putting out such a weak team
Perhaps Puel was only worried about his players and wanted to give them a rest after a mentally and physically draining evening on Wednesday. Perfectly understandable.

I accept we have some injuries but surely not to the extent where we had to make what was it 10 changes? Does anyone else remember any other game where Saints have had to make 10 changes
See above. Much earned rest. What is the relevance of whether we have made 10 changes in the past? Perhaps we should have done before and that was wrong.

Quite a lot of Saints fans going back to last summer were expressing their doubts as to our capability in strength of depth. Certainly over the last 3/4 years all we have managed to do is to replace players we sold rather than strengthen our depth
This is not an issue for this game, it is an issue we have compared to any big side such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, City, etc. It is because we are not on the same standing as them. Surely you know that?

To lose 5 nil at home is a disaster
Is it really? Is it any different to losing 1-0? The outcome is that we are out of the FA Cup. Scoreline is irrelevant. IT IS NOT A DISASTER. Getting relegated is a disaster, as an example.

Puel needs his ass kicked in a big way!!!!! Putting out such a team is just criminal to face the likes of Arsenal!
Oh give over Beddy. Forget the opponents. He was looking after his players. Yes, he wrote off the FA Cup run, three days after sealing a Cup Final appearance. Is that really such an issue. I won't believe you if you tell me that if I asked you back in the summer that we will play at Wembley in a Cup Final and go out of the FA Cup in the 4th round to Arsenal 0-5. You'd have snapped my hand off.

Sorry mate and I know your first response will be, "It's just my opinion," but seriously step back and look at why we did what we did and ask yourself is it really an issue. I just find it a sorry state of affairs when fans can't accept a **** result with a weak team under the circumstances in which it happened. It smacks of spoiled, entitled behaviour and I know you are not like that, which makes your post even more baffling.

As you know, I'm with Beddy on this one. To me, one more game and then do all the 'resting' you want against Swansea.

 

[ChilcoSaint]

Chilco I 100% agree with you.

Just to play Devil's advocate and to show those in disagreement that I can see both sides here, there is something else Puel could have done. He could have played 5 or 6 of those who played on Wednesday. We may still have lost. We may have won. They may have added to their fatigue, leading to injury or future injury.

He made the right decision, in my opinion.

Again, with the benefit of hindsight, and bearing in mind the looming Wembley trip, is there anyone who isn't secretly (or openly) delighted that we didn't get out of our Europa League group?

 

[ChilcoSaint]

The only decision I'd question at all really was playing Lewis in goal. He's not had the best start to his first team career and there was always a chance we'd concede a few yesterday, which may affect him. Not sure that was smart. Otherwise I have no complaints.

Alex McCarthy is injured and Stuart Taylor is about as much use as a traffic cone. Fraser needed down time after his heroics on Wednesday. And Lewis did OK in the 2 games against Norwich, apart from conceding the penalty. Why not play him?

 

[Lff]

I don't understand how people have such little logic.

It's the arguement about cup vs League. This game didn't matter to us. Not simpy because it was the fa cup, but because it was only the 4th round and we are already in the league cup final!

The league has to come before the fa cup because of our EFL cup run. Big games in the league coming up that are certainly winnable. Whereas even if we played our best team against arsenal we may well lose.

Totally disagree. Are we going to be relegated whatever the result at Swansea? Hopefully not. Are we going to qualify for Europe regardless of the result against Swansea? Very unlikely.

So, for me this was a hugely more important game. A half decent side could have won that game.

 

[Saints_Alive]

I don't understand how people have such little logic.

It's the arguement about cup vs League. This game didn't matter to us. Not simpy because it was the fa cup, but because it was only the 4th round and we are already in the league cup final!

The league has to come before the fa cup because of our EFL cup run. Big games in the league coming up that are certainly winnable. Whereas even if we played our best team against arsenal we may well lose.

Beat Arsenal, who were beatable IMO and two kind draws and we could've been in the semis. Maybe i'm being greedy, but I HATE losing.

 

[St. Luigi Scrosoppi]

I am quite philosophical about last nights game. I am not sorry we lost as we have already paid a heavy price for the number of games we have had to play. We don't have the sort of squad that the top six clubs have that enable them to field strong second teams and we still have along haul to the end of the season. I would rather we now get back to regular PL games and try to establish a settled side that is not continually disrupted by changes. I agree with those who have praised Sims' performance last night but we were leaderless on the pitch. I do hope that the five goal defeat has affected player confidence. Finally I have seen flashes of brilliance with Cuco but I am left concerned that despite the opportunities Isgove who was by ne means the youngest in the side last night has not progressed and maybe will not now.

 

[fatletiss]

As you know, I'm with Beddy on this one. To me, one more game and then do all the 'resting' you want against Swansea.

yesterday you said you agreed with me when I suggested that the Swansea game could have been irrelevant in his decision and Puel chose to rest players because of Wednesday's efforts. Now, you throw the Swansea game back into the mix.... I suggested you didn't really get what I was saying and this proves that.

Just humour me for one minute and forget we have a game on Tuesday. Is it understandable that the manager decided to rest those players who were involved in such an emotionally and physically, energy sapping game as Wednesday clearly was? If that is understandable (and to me it is) then the next game and whether we have a game mid-week is irrelevant. If the scientists told him that the players needed that rest straight away, then rest them straight away, which is what he did.

Forget Swansea
Forget the next game.
Forget Cup or League fixture.

 

[fatletiss]

Beat Arsenal, who were beatable IMO and two kind draws and we could've been in the semis. Maybe i'm being greedy, but I HATE losing.

If, If and IF.

All fans hate losing. Some have a better understanding of why and how.

 

[fatletiss]

As you know, I'm with Beddy on this one. To me, one more game and then do all the 'resting' you want against Swansea.

Just to add, I think this is just your personal preference of Cup over that league game... my view is nothing to do with that at all. It is just understanding reasons for his decision.

 

[Archers Road]

I'm ecstatic and grateful that we are at Wembley, but we could lose the final, and I happen to believe that professional sport is about competing, you should never just throw in the towel.
Liverpool are out as are most of the top 12 in the PL, it is an opportunity wasted if all we are doing is keeping players fresh for Swansea on Tuesday IMO.
Why couldn't we try and win the FA Cup as well?.

I don't think we did throw in the towel. We took a chance, and got beat (granted, a bit more severely than we'd have liked).

If the side we put out had beaten the side Arsenal put out yesterday, fans and pundits would have accused Wenger of throwing away the F.A. Cup. The point being that every club - including Saints, including Arsenal - has to manage their resources coming off the back of a midwinter fixture pile up.

 

[fatletiss]

I'm ecstatic and grateful that we are at Wembley, but we could lose the final, and I happen to believe that professional sport is about competing, you should never just throw in the towel.
Liverpool are out as are most of the top 12 in the PL, it is an opportunity wasted if all we are doing is keeping players fresh for Swansea on Tuesday IMO.
Why couldn't we try and win the FA Cup as well?.

Read my posts about ignoring the Swansea game. Perhaps it had nothing to do with it.

 

[Saints_Alive]

If, If and IF.

All fans hate losing. Some have a better understanding of why and how.

Not like you to be patronising FLT....

 

[Puck]

Alex McCarthy is injured and Stuart Taylor is about as much use as a traffic cone. Fraser needed down time after his heroics on Wednesday. And Lewis did OK in the 2 games against Norwich, apart from conceding the penalty. Why not play him?

I don't want to make it seem this is a huge issue but, as you ask, because he'd already made one bad mistake in his short first team career and there was always a risk this team might take a beating against Arsenal.

Harry Lewis has now played 3 first team games, made a howler in one (that probably cost us a win) and conceded 5 in another. That could harm his development. It may not but I'm not sure I'd have taken the risk. I would have been tempted to protect him at this stage in his career. We're already playing a shadow side. Why not play Taylor?

 

[Archers Road]

Totally disagree. Are we going to be relegated whatever the result at Swansea? Hopefully not. Are we going to qualify for Europe regardless of the result against Swansea? Very unlikely.

So, for me this was a hugely more important game. A half decent side could have won that game.

It would actually have taken a bit more than a "half decent side" to have beaten yesterday's opponents. And that's before they brought Sanchez on. With the injuries we have, a full strength Saints side might still have lost.