I can barely identify this feeling. It's, like, I think things might go well? Is this what they call optimism?
Careful, you could be on the rocky road of "Saints deflation" if we don't do so well...the higher your hope is the further it falls...
No, no, no. I know that feeling. The buildup and vague hope that maybe this time will be different, with the general acceptance that everyone will be disappointed in the end? Very familiar with that as a Saints fan.
I'd argue that the right kind (and properly applied) aggressive pressing and/or high line tactic will help shield rather than expose a weak defense. Yes, there is a tendency to get caught out and then you've got to have a great defender to track back and/or stop a 1 v 1 or 2 v 1 situation. But how many defenders can really do that? Only the real elite ones. In most situations if you suck or are average it's a goal either way. Mostly teams with bad defenses get beat the way we get beat. Someone is given too much space, someone else isn't paying attention and is in the wrong place, or gets the ball but makes a stupid decision, etc. Or basically the other side just has the ball and camps out in your zone because you can't take it away from them and if they do that long enough eventually they score. The press stops that because instead of just defending your half relying mainly on your backline, you are defending the whole field and distributing the defensive duties amongst the whole team. Which means you are taking away the responsibility of defending from a bad defense. I like the odds of Shane Long "defending" against a CB much better than the odds of one of our CB's defending someone's striker. Shane Long does more, Hoedt does less. That's a win-win in my book. Or really more of a 0-0 draw since Long can't score but you get the idea. Caveat is, you have to have the players with some tactical nous or who can follow instructions. Because an unorganized, poor press with a bad defense is a 4-0 defeat every time. Also, on the plus side, I think we have the right midfielders to pull it off. For all the JWP fans, there's probably a role for him now whereas before there wasn't.
I’ve felt so detached and disappointed by Saints for too long and now I’m polar opposite. Hasenhüttl is the sort of appointment we would’ve seen from Cortese-era Saints. Very excited! Hope he gets patience and time from all involved and is empowered to mould things the way he wants them.
The club approached him, but as has been alluded to by some of the media, the club is not directly replacing Reed and looking to split his role across 2/3 people. A sensible decision, based on how Reeds unchecked tenure concluded. I suspect Wilson will end up taking one of those positions. I guess it’s whether the position outlined to Mitchell is of interest and usually people in Mitchell’s position are traditional employees with long notice periods(many will remember the six months he had to give Spurs). Suspect we may hear more in the future and Mitchell is an obvious link between the club and Hasenhüttl. Will be interesting to see if Ralph mentions him in his first interview
Report yesterday that Mitchell is not imminent. I dont think they've had joy convincing him to jump ship yet.
