Phew! Debut for a young keeper in front of the Kop not to be recommended. For all you travelling. Safe trip and bring back the 3 points. COYR!
I think as there's an U21s game today as well, Gazzaniga has stayed in Southampton to get some game time and Cropper has gone with the first team to act as third choice in case either Boruc or Davis get injured in the warm up.
My guess would be Gazzaniga is going to play for the U21's this afternoon, so Cropper has gone as third choice.
Does this suggest that Cropper is actually good.... or that none of our 3rd choice keepers are particularly useful?! Depends which way you look at it.
As already mentioned, Cropper went to the U20 World Cup with USA. He's no mug, and given that Saints like to give their youngsters a chance, he may be going along with the first team for the experience. That's my guess. It doesn't mean that anyone is being preferred over anyone else, it is just to introduce a young player into the first team environment. Part of the plan of player development.
Looking at the sky synopsis it says they only have audio match commentary. 5 live are also covering it.
Yeah, I realised that ... all I saw was the title Live Match in the EPG or sometihng haha. Edited the post now anyway.
#SaintsFC team versus @LFC: Boruc, Clyne, Fonte, Lovren, Shaw, Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Lallana (c), Rodriguez, Lambert, Osvaldo.
#SaintsFC substitutes versus @LFC: K. Davis (GK), S. Davis, RamÃrez, Ward-Prowse, Cork, Chambers, Hooiveld.
Ordinarily I would find slightly strange. But then we have little pace out wide, nor natural wide man, to attack the fullbacks. So why not pick your best actual defenders, be they CBs or FBs?
Because Liverpool's full backs are a huge attacking threat for them. Johnson especially was terrifying at Anfield against us last year. As the favourites and home team you'd think they'd be more concerned with creating chances than they are with stopping us, which is why this is such a strange line-up.
