That just proves my point. A frustrating start to the season, and the angst that has built up as a result, is preventing people from being objective about yesterdays game. We had a better rythm for much of the game than we have had for some time. We completely dominated, we worked their keeper, we didn't score. They had one attempt on our goal and our keeper appears to have been wearing divers boots again (though I haven't seen the goal on tv yet. Doubt I ever will).
He brought Boufal on at 80 minutes in the West Brom game, and Boufal scored a stunning goal. Boufal has started both the games since then, against Brighton on the wing, and yesterday at 10, which most of us agree is his best position. He was probably our MOTM yesterday. Whatever you think of MP, he isn’t completely stupid, and he is just beginning to work out his best team, 11 games into his time at Saints. I did read what you said originally, and my point is that while Boufal was on the bench early on, he is beginning to get a run of games now, which he needs to prove himself. If he can form an understanding with Gabbiadini, who is still our best attacking player despite having had almost no service since the League Cup Final, then things might begin to turn around. We do still have another 27 PL games to go this season, plus the FA Cup, so there is plenty of time to make something of this season.
My overriding emotion whilst watching Saints this season is frustration. Firstly, frustratiion with the sections of the support that couldn't appreciate the difficulties that Puel had with fixture congestion and long term injuries to key players and failing to acknowledge it was a decent season all things considered. Frustration at the senior players that unforgivably stopped playing for him in the final two months of last season and frustration with the Board for giving in and sacking him. Having got that out there i'll not mention Puel again after this post. Now on to Pellegrino, I haven't been this worried and had such a lack of confidence in a manager since the Poortvliet/Wotte days. Okay, the squad is not good enough to challenge for Europe, but it should finish 8-10th this season and it is currently performing like a 14-16th team potentially getting sucked into trouble IMO. I'm concerned that a lot of players are not showing their true quality collectively, is that the coaching?. He does not seem to trust younger players, JWP and Redmond made the England squad last season, why have they regressed so much? The set up of the and shape of the team seems all wrong and his game management is baffling to me. Under Puel we played intricate passing around the box and worked the ball to the byline, now we just sling aimless high crosses into the area for Bertrand!. Here are a few telling stats from the season so far. Just 9 goals scored from 12 games in all competitions and just 36 shots on target overall. Of the 9 goals, only 2 have been from passing moves, the rest being from penalties , set plays and individual efforts. This is just not good enough from 12 games of which 8 have been at home and only 1 against a team that finished above us last season. I'm generally an optimistic Saints fan, but things have to change before we start performing the way that we should be.
Seeing Gazzaniga have a decent enough game for Spurs makes you realise how bad Forster actually is. How McCarthy hasn't had a chance yet...
Went to my first game for ages. The team played well...they were better at tackles and passes than Burnley. If you got points for play, we would have won. Burnley attacked when they could which wasn't often and did a job on us for the rest of the time....as they are perfectly entitled to. Dyche said a few days back that he is only interested in effective football...not style or entertainment. We were trying to score through virtually their whole team....which is an effective way for Burnley to play against a more skilful side who will have possession but struggle to score. This game was only ever going to be a draw or a 1-0....we are so out of luck it was never going to be us. Had to listen to people on the way home going on about how little the team care and how some players made little effort. This was not the game I was watching....everyone tried. There are obviously problems but lack of desire isn't one of them.
Reading the other forums and numerous Facebook pages I suspect MP will be getting the CP treatment from the crowd real soon until the board react in sacking him probably around Xmas with the new manager coming in quickly with a transfer fund to sort out the attacking options.
Just watching City (no, I know) - when they go wide, they also have a very short, non physical front line, and ALL their crosses as a result are low, driven crosses. It doesn’t take a genius here. Some of that is the player’s game intelligence. A lot of that is basic coaching.
I don't disagree with a lot of this and in isolation it's fair. The problem is it's happening every week. Week after week month after month. It's not bad luck.
To me we are sleepwalking into a relegation battle and the sooner the board wake up to this the better.
They also have two players in Silva and De Bruyne who are instantly looking to pass a fast through ball in behind fullbacks to Sane and Sterling (who really stay wide), for them to cross. Literally as soon as they turn, those two are looking to set Sane and Sterling off, who are both always looking to get in behind.
