I 100% would rather have gone out tonight than get that injury to Leoni and a suspension for Ekitike. Just not worth it. A ****ing cruciate at 18 will be horrendous, and it means we're relying on Joe and/or Endo stepping up before January (when I hope we realise we have to pay whatever Palace want now), and after tonight's pantomime, I frigging dread that. Just pray we get an 'easy' draw again, because if we get a top six side we'll feel obliged to play Virgil and/or Konate. ****e.
Thought our midfield was dogshit, tbh, and our best defender got carried off with a horror injury. Apart from Chiesa, the goalie, and Ekitike (idiocy aside), there nothing to write home about here.
Leoni looking like the player we thought he would be. Hopefully the injury isn't as bad as it looked. Brilliant debuts from him and Mamadashvili. Chiesa MOTM by some way. Ekitike, what can you say. Nice cool finish for his first goal from Isak.
Much closer game than I anticipated. Thought we played really well for the most part, such a shame to miss an open goal and then give a silly one away in the space of 40 seconds right before HT though. We were always up against it after that and didn't offer as much second half despite getting the goal. Our number 42 who came on Downs was utterly appalling. Chiesa your best player by a mile imo. Isak looks some way off full fitness understandably, should have buried that chance right at the beginning too. Overall gutted to lose it at the end with the defensive line not being anything like a line but happy with our performance. We just need to take that into the weekend now or it means nothing.
Slot looks absolutely fuming and rightly so. Imagine getting that excited by scoring against ****ing Southampton...
Thought defensively you were solid. Was very much a 5-4-1 and closed off all space in the middle forcing us wide and then doubling up on the Rio with Robbo offering no help. Worked well where we’d normally want to work it through the middle but gave no space. I guess far easier to do that when you’re the underdog than doing it in Champ where he’ll be expected to be on front foot. But other than keeper passing it to Chiesa, thought your passing and movement in midfield got around our half hearted press well.
Thought defensively Endo was brilliant as usual - excluding the goal - but on the ball got it’s a hard watch when usually watching Grav manc. Szobo wirtz. Was one moment ball was played to him edge of area just had to control and shoot or roll sidewards and first touch went about 5 yards ahead of him and turned it into a tackle.
Yeah most championship teams will sit off us so requires a different skillset to approach than we did tonight. For many years now we've had a habit of putting up a good fight and losing narrowly to a top side and then being ****e in the next game so will be interesting to see how we do v Boro on Saturday.
Very modest of you (especially as it's actually Soton reserves), but you score another late goal for the team in a cup tie, and you'd be excited even if it's against Braintree, Solihull Moors, or Man Utd. Utter dickhead to rip your shirt off though, even had he not been on a card.
Wouldn't really class it as our reserves mate. Most of us are wanting to see a similar team come the weekend. As I said earlier in this thread Still doesn't know what his best team is yet so it's hard to quantify what full strength/reserves actually are.
I'm kind of hoping they don't given how well they've played and how vulnerable we've looked but they'd be daft not to having watched tonight and our recent league games.
That press was woeful today. Nyomi is decent on the ball, but there was no press from any of them except Endo, and subsequently, they just played the ball around him.
Yeah - not like it's an exclusive club. Anyway, by the end of the season he'll probably have scored against most clubs.
