Match Day Thread Saints v Wolves Sunday ❤26th September❤ K.O. 14.00
- Thread starter San Tejón
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Yes, I don't think that it was a truly awful display from us and we did get into some useful positions in their half, the problem was that our "creative" players (Redders, Mo El and Moussa) tend to be in their own little bubble and usually pick the wrong option when in those promising positions. I'm sure that Che and AA would score with better service from the 10s in particular.
I also think that the service from KWP is limited because he is not on his stronger side but I still like him in the team.
No, it isn't time for a change. There isn't an option, available or not, that will do better with the resources that Ralph has to hand be it financial or on the pitch. Perhaps you or anyone else in the sack the manager brigade have some ideas on the way forward, constructive criticism is always welcome, Ralph out is elephantine bollocks.
Yeah, Ralph said the same thing - it's not just about the strikers. The 10s are getting themselves in good positions and then failing.
Please hurry back, Stu.
I'm not convinced that Mo El has enough to ever cut it in the PL and Moussa and Redders are very inconsistent but have had good spells in the past. Tino further forward is certainly an option and Tella must be due for a run out. Stuey and KWP together on the right were probably the best thing about last season but then it's difficult to drop Tino although I thought when he signed that he could operate on both sides. It's not the first time that JWP has started the season slowly either but he usually gets better with more games
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We also spent pretty big (for us) anyway on an actual left back. I think the best option would be Livramento further forward with KWP behind but Ralph clearly doesn’t at this point.
I would’ve thought it would be more likely in the City/United games because on paper it’s more defensive than having an actual attacking mid playing.
See what happens because surely Ralph has spotted how awful the attacking mids have been and it doesn’t seem like rocket science to try Livra and KWP as our right hand side
Spot on.
Think Walcott deserves another chance now he’s fit. Was crap against Everton but desperate times call for desperate measures.
I'm not Ralph out at all, far from it. I'm very much Ralph in, personally.
But for the first time, I can see their point. 4 wins since January is quite simply, shocking. Worst record in the PL in that time.
I said at the end of last season that he has until Xmas to get the team playing the way that he wants them to with good performances to match reasonable results.
Now, after just 6 games of a new season is not the time for a change IMO but there should be no excuses about the quality of the squad as Ralph has had plenty of time with them now and 2021 so far has seen some very poor results.
He picks the team and must stand by his decisions good and bad and he himself will know that the buck stops with him. We have seen, particularly in 2020 how good it can be and he must somehow get the team playing to that standard again and I still believe that he can but time is running out and performances like the one against Wolves are not to the standard that he surely sets himself.
Now, after just 6 games of a new season is not the time for a change IMO but there should be no excuses about the quality of the squad as Ralph has had plenty of time with them now and 2021 so far has seen some very poor results.
He picks the team and must stand by his decisions good and bad and he himself will know that the buck stops with him. We have seen, particularly in 2020 how good it can be and he must somehow get the team playing to that standard again and I still believe that he can but time is running out and performances like the one against Wolves are not to the standard that he surely sets himself.
I'm also really dubious about the proposition that we're more talented than any of the teams around us. Do we have a recognized scorer? No. A top-tier creative player? Nope. Elite defenders? Not that, either. We have a workmanlike squad, which is fine if you have Burnley circa 2019 levels of solidity, but we don't have that, either.
We have one standout in Livramento who could probably play for much of the league (arguably two in KWP, unfortunate that they're both RBs), a handful of young players that could grow into that, someone in JWP who could likely play a role anywhere (though I'm still somewhat uncertain of what his best role is, even), and a bunch of guys who'd be squad players for most PL teams. We're not really underperforming our talent level, we just aren't that talented.
Since his arrival Ralph has been drilling the team to play the way he wants then to play. His emphasis on ‘automatisms’ or whatever he calls them. And it has been successful in so far as we do now play in a certain way. I can now identify exactly what we will do almost all the time. The pressing triggers, the quick closing down, the overlapping fullback runs, the pass back and reset. As an oppo manager I could go and watch any one of our games and see 90% of what I needed to see. There’s a predictability about our play that is proving very easy to deal with. Not easy to beat - important point - but easy to deal with. Our goal scoring of late has been focused almost entirely around pressing and winning the ball in the final third, creating dangerous turnovers. As a unit we are so focused on getting back we are playing like a team that’s worried about losing the ball which doesn’t make sense when we setup to press hard and win the ball back. We should be seeing lots of turnovers but instead we are stifling ourselves and getting lots of possession and we aren’t doing anything with it because we lack the creativity. We can’t create automatisms for creativity and unpredictability and even when we have that ability in the squad - the djenepo’s we play them at LB until they’ve had the creativity filed off.
eventually we have to ask, what next? Are we still absorbing the automatisms so we can become free flowing or do we need to try something new. Do we persist with Redmond because he covers the LB well or do we look to a player who can score or create chances which he isn’t doing - tella or djenepo. Do we stick with 4222 or look to play with a single DM or a single ST and find some creativity in the middle so we aren’t so reliant on overlapping FBs. If planA is keeping clean sheets how can we add the goals?
sorry, long post, feeling thoughtful.
eventually we have to ask, what next? Are we still absorbing the automatisms so we can become free flowing or do we need to try something new. Do we persist with Redmond because he covers the LB well or do we look to a player who can score or create chances which he isn’t doing - tella or djenepo. Do we stick with 4222 or look to play with a single DM or a single ST and find some creativity in the middle so we aren’t so reliant on overlapping FBs. If planA is keeping clean sheets how can we add the goals?
sorry, long post, feeling thoughtful.
garysfc
Well-Known Member
Ralph seems to have a bit of a stubborn streak in him, together with a freakish penchant for trying players out of position. Maybe he thinks he’ll find an unknown jewel!? KWP on the left was / is just plain weird. I assume it worked in training which makes me wonder who the **** he was up against!
Ralph seems to have a bit of a stubborn streak in him, together with a freakish penchant for trying players out of position. Maybe he thinks he’ll find an unknown jewel!? KWP on the left was / is just plain weird. I assume it worked in training which makes me wonder who the **** he was up against!
Redmond/Walcott/Djenepo
Ralph seems to have a bit of a stubborn streak in him, together with a freakish penchant for trying players out of position. Maybe he thinks he’ll find an unknown jewel!? KWP on the left was / is just plain weird. I assume it worked in training which makes me wonder who the **** he was up against!
Worked against City too in fairness.
I think, as others have already alluded to, our biggest issue is the lack of quality in the No10 position.
When Lallana left, I was calling for him to be replaced by two players of similar style, to either both play in the team or to at least pressure each other to play at their top level, but the nearest we have got to that is Stuart Armstrong, who IMO is not as good as Lallana at his peak. Not a criticism of Stuart, just how I see it, and I can’t wait for him to come back from injury.
Redmond should be able to play that role - he has the ability and has the vision to make a pass, but all to often he plays it safe and doesn’t take responsibility.
I get that he’s a confidence player, but even without crowds in the ground to get on his back, he never consistently stepped up to the plate.
Alien Lucy has surprised me with his endeavour and willingness to run the ball from deep, but lacks pace and often gets closed down before he can create much.
Djenepo - very talented and has improved massively, defensively, but so frustrating that he never knows when to release the ball or where to release it to.
Theo, when he first came to us, was very positive, always receiving the ball on a half turn, so he could immediately drive forward with the ball, but that seemed to change over the season with him becoming more Redmond like, taking the safe option instead of running the ball and committing defenders.
As others have also said, I am in the try Tino in the role, as he has the engine, pace and ability to move us forward very quickly and can beat a player for pace and with a little trickery at times. Could he become a right footed equivalent of Bale? I wouldn’t mind seeing him in front of KWP or Perraud. On the left he could cut in, or release Perraud out wide to hit the crosses.
Bottom line is that we can’t afford the quality we need, for a No10, and will need to rely on finding a bargain like Tino, or continue with what we have.
When Lallana left, I was calling for him to be replaced by two players of similar style, to either both play in the team or to at least pressure each other to play at their top level, but the nearest we have got to that is Stuart Armstrong, who IMO is not as good as Lallana at his peak. Not a criticism of Stuart, just how I see it, and I can’t wait for him to come back from injury.
Redmond should be able to play that role - he has the ability and has the vision to make a pass, but all to often he plays it safe and doesn’t take responsibility.
I get that he’s a confidence player, but even without crowds in the ground to get on his back, he never consistently stepped up to the plate.
Alien Lucy has surprised me with his endeavour and willingness to run the ball from deep, but lacks pace and often gets closed down before he can create much.
Djenepo - very talented and has improved massively, defensively, but so frustrating that he never knows when to release the ball or where to release it to.
Theo, when he first came to us, was very positive, always receiving the ball on a half turn, so he could immediately drive forward with the ball, but that seemed to change over the season with him becoming more Redmond like, taking the safe option instead of running the ball and committing defenders.
As others have also said, I am in the try Tino in the role, as he has the engine, pace and ability to move us forward very quickly and can beat a player for pace and with a little trickery at times. Could he become a right footed equivalent of Bale? I wouldn’t mind seeing him in front of KWP or Perraud. On the left he could cut in, or release Perraud out wide to hit the crosses.
Bottom line is that we can’t afford the quality we need, for a No10, and will need to rely on finding a bargain like Tino, or continue with what we have.
Think he's being sarcastic (whilst cunningly not actually coming up with anyone that could, and that would be realistic for us).
He can’t really be any worse than the alternatives.