Based on what i saw today we still need a CB and an upgrade on what we have alongside PEH. The rest of the team looks alright. Boufal played well and Adams looks decent.
Boufal was a luxury we could not afford in the drab team that played under the last 3 managers. Now we can build a team around him. (cue OS announcement that he has been sold too Nice....)
I was always hoping he would get a chance under a decent manager.........bags of talent managed correctly could be brilliant.
Also, the kit actually looks nice when watching on a broadcast. Just a shame about that awful black block at the top of the shirt itself. As a kit, it looks good. Always a fan of Saints in hooped socks.
Well, I didn’t learn a great deal from that game that I didn’t already know. We’re still awful at the back, dodgy down the flanks there and can be pulled apart by a quick ball splitting the centre backs. Yoshida is better than Stephens. Vesty is ok, but slow (I did see him sprint at one point so there’s hope yet) I thought Adams played better alongside Ings rather than as a target man. Ings shouldn’t be allowed to take pens Boufal is class and could prove to be a match winner Djnepo had no time to impress - he’ll need more time to settle I think the starting team against Burnley will be almost the one which started today except Yoshida for Stephens. Let’s hope we can chase, harry and press like we did at the start of today’s game and let’s hope Burnley’s finishing is as good as Koln!!!
Romeu recently had an injury scare and missed several training sessions and is probably a bit behind on fitness levels.
The trouble is making sure he doesn’t get sulky again from lack of playing time. I might be surprised, but can’t see many times we’ll play more than the three forwards and if Ings, Adams & Redmond get off to a good start he might find himself constantly on the bench
To be fair, we don't know if it quite as simple as 'not playing' as being the reason for why he was 'sulky'. Might just have been that he could see we had a **** team with ****, overly-conservative managers for quite some time and yet he still wasn't getting a fair crack of the whip. Would be a perfectly fair reason to be pissed off. I would be. We were crying out for some creativity and flair. He's a character, yes he clearly has a petulant streak, but he's popular among teammates. That's because they know he has match-winning qualities (and they must like his personality) but Pellegrino's football, and also the football of Hughes, was soul-destroying and devoid of much in terms of creative freedom and room for mavericks. It'll be interesting to see him as a team/squad member among a smaller, more successful group (we hope!) and with a far superior coach on both a footballing and a personal level.
^^This x1000 Le Tiss wouldn't have shone under Pellegrino or Hughes either. Not putting Boufal in the Le Tiss category, but you know what i mean.
It was almost worth the entrance fee today just to see the little half back heel dink through the legs of the defender. Sweet ......
LeTiss would have shone under any manager that didn’t drop him to the bench. Do what Alan Ball did and build a team around him, and you got the absolute best from him. Building a team around Boufal would be like building your house on the edge of a cliff - great sea view, but not really worth the risk. I hope he stays and does great things, but I’m not getting too excited just yet. Mind you, I haven’t actually seen him in pre-season.
Surely JWP should be taking pens Looking at his stats he’s scored 3 but I don’t know if he’s missed any. Can’t remember him missing for Saints We need someone who hits the ball with conviction like SRL did
Ings hasn't missed a penalty in competitive games for Saints either. Every time he seems to fool the goalkeeper into going the wrong way. Ings will continue to take pens while he's on the pitch I'm sure.
Ings needs to be careful, stuttering run up works best of you don’t do it every time, keep the GK guessing
