So you designed my broken heater unit!!! Having problems getting parts its a pre-facelift 1.8ts. Any advice or bits lying around?!
Yes, well we're starting to fly a little bit too high to be missed now. I've read a couple of serious articles in the last week or so talking about Saints chase for a Champions League place [no kidding, not just Europe], with Koeman saying that it will be very hard, but not impossible. There's a lot of awareness which isn't being written about in many articles yet but it's there in the odd comment and opinion by journos and pundits. In all honesty, I think we are being taken more seriously this season than last. Last season was generally thought to be an entertaining flash in the pan, never to be repeated. This season we are building again and we've got their attention.
I've just watched the replay of the match on football orgin. Overall a very good performance, we've enjoyed a nearly complete dominance over a slightly more organised than expected Sunderland side. They defend very well, were disciplined, and considering we had the ball a lot more and also an intent to attack, they held us relatively well. But nevertheless, we have created enough chances to comfortably win the match, but couldn't convert them, so we had to wait for a mistake by Sunderland to take the lead. They were always going to make at least one such mistake, and M'Villa was the one to make it, which was a bit cruel or him as he was their MOTD until that moment (also, Kaboul played very well, it's only fair for me to admit that after criticising him in the buildup of the match). Tadić took a superb penalty, gave no chance to Pantilimon who got the side right. I'm always a bit worried when Tadić is taking the penalty, because there's no player on the pitch less hungry to score a goal. I was positively surprised with Koeman's selection in the midfield departement. I expected he would pick Romeu, but was very pleased with selection of three 'small' players. The interplay between Clasie, Davis and JWP was great at times, and they really showed you don't need a proper defensive midfielder against some opponents. Clasie impressed me the most, a great display, truly a midfield general, getting better every match. Koeman's decision to pick Yoshida and he on the right back really limited us today. He's not a full back, and he's not even playing as a full back when deployed on a full back position. He's more often than not staying in line with the other two center back making it essentially a back line of three players. He also never ever makes an overlapping run, therefore whoever plays on the right wing has to take on two players, which is too much even for Mane and Tadić. So with Yoshida on the right full back position every attack on the right side is a dead end. We won relatively comfortably so no need to make a fuss about it, but I just wanted to point out that, had Cedric played today, we would have probably slaughtered Sunderland. We were effectively only attacking them from left side, and they had to defend only that side, and yet enough times failed to do that. Normally, I don't see any justification ever to pick Yoshida ahead of Cedric if he's fit.
Cedric was on the bench. We don't know why Koeman didn't pick him but I guess it was something to do with adding a bit of height to the defence as we were playing quite a lot of shortish players in midfield and attack. I don't think you can say we would have slaughtered Sunderland if Cedric had played: it may well have given them more of a chance when they did attack, and Yoshida did handle Watmore very well.
Yes, I just saw that he was on the bench so I've edited my previous post. But it still contains my explanation why I think we would have been so much more dangerous going forward with Cedric on the pitch so I don't feel the need to repeat it twice. Yoshida did very well defensively indeed, dealt with every threat. Though, given how Cedric played the last several matches, there's absolutely no reason to doubt his ability to deal with the same threats equally good, if not better. Yoshida's height advantage might be a good shout, but it's really the only thing. And the question is, is it enough to justify picking him head of Cedric? In my opinion, no.
More to the point why did romeu not start? He seems the logical choice to add bite to midfield as well as height.
We won. Three points. Easily. We may have won with even more ease under the circumstances you describe. We may have been more vulnerable. We don't know. But we won. Ask Mourinho what he'd like most right now. Three points.
Just to clarify that further - I may not quite be Godders vintage, but I'm old enough (despite the occasional happy clapper moment) to generally worry in most Saints games. If you check what I said before the game, and at half time, I have never, ever felt so secure in an away game when at 0-0 that we'd come away with three points. Maya was in to add some height and shore up the defensive line. Yes, we may have negated some attacking threat as a result, but what's important to recognise is that BS CLEARLY targeted Maya as a possible weakness by chucking everything possible to Watmore and their left hand side. Maya passed that test handsomely in a defensive sense. Had Cedric played, BS may well (I think definitely would have) targeted that area by plonking Fletcher far post up against him aerially. We might well have been found wanting in that scenario. We might not. We might have won 5-0 with three assists from Cedric. Who knows? Point being, despite everybody's (including those who are softer to him) reservations about playing Maya as an RB, today we won. With a clean sheet. It worked. So hey, credit to Koeman, and Yoshida, for executing a tactic which ended up with us earning three points.
No it's not about only talking about our awesomeness and not being critical at all. As I said above, we executed a tactic well today. It was in no way a lucky win, or a lucky clean sheet.
I've just finished watching the game via Footballorgin as well. Their stream was exactly the one I had live of the game and this time I could hear all of Danny Higginbotham's compliments towards Saints. Being the second time around the game was a lot duller, which isn't always the case. Often the second viewing is just as entertaining and maybe even more enjoyable because one knows of the delights in store. But not today. It wasn't the best match. Sunderland got 10 men behind the ball when they could, sat deep and organised, and Saints didn't have the zip and imagination to really confound them. Everybody worked their socks off and there was a smattering of skill, but it didn't occur when it was important. It was a dominant performance, but just like Bournemouth v Toon, dominance doesn't automatically give you victory if you can't outwit your opponent. But Sunderland didn't have a clue and barely tested Stekelenburg, so the least we were going to get was a point. One mistake by their best player gave us the penalty to win it, which Tadic despatched brilliantly. Then we just played as before. I've always said I'd take a season of 1-0 victories if I had to, but I don't have to because, professional though it was, we're much better than this performance.
I do not think so, either. But Yoshida played well on defense and they tested him with a faster player. And we won. So I am not really going to question Koeman on this game. I can only assume he wanted Yoshida for a specific reason, and gave him instructions. Either his call was correct or it did not matter. I differ from you in that I do not think Soares would have made much of a difference. They were pretty much giving us the flanks anyway. Tadic was able to get off crosses, no problem.
It's true, they gave up the flanks as they were playing narrow, until Borini came on. We only had an attack route via Tadic and Bertrand down the left side really, and that turned out to be enough. Someone said Koeman didn't want Soares to be caught one-on-one with Fletcher in the air at corners, and if that was his reasoning then fair enough. We won, so Koeman's tactics worked. Enough said really.
For me it's interesting he went without Romeu considering that he's played Wanyama and Romeu together in some games, even at home. Then with Wanyama suspended he doesn't even bother with Romeu. The midfield today is what I'd have gone with. The strange part was the Yoshida selection. It might have worked, but in my view Cedric would still have been a better option there. I'd play Cedric over Yoshida no matter who the opponent was home and away personally. I suppose the main part is we won and kept another clean sheet. But we won't get away with playing Yoshida at right back against better teams.
For those saying playing Cedric would have been better and we would have slaughtered Sunderland, you just never know. For what it's worth, if would have picked Cedric but Ron went with Maya and it worked. Not one of you can say it would have been better with Cedric because you just don't know. If you do really, 100% know that playing the better player at full back would have been a better outcome, please feel free to telling Mourinho why the first, second or at the very worst, third best squad in the Premier League are near the bottom of the table. I'm sure he'd appreciate it. I'll also look forward to listening to you on Match of the Day as the BBC must be really annoyed that their pundits have got things wrong and outcomes haven't been as they predicted. No-one knows what would have happened if different layers had played, no matter how good the player and no matter how much you believe it. Before I get met with a barrage of "Blah, blah, blah" )) the same statement applies to if we'd have lost.
I genuinely feel sorry for you TinTin, I really do. You've not posted too much on this thread and it feels as if that's because things went well. When things go bad, you post like a champion of posters, full of passion and desire. You are perfectly entitled to post as and when you feel, but it is an observation that your passion and desire only comes out during negativity. This is why I feel sorry for you, without any sarcasm at all. It's almost as if something is missing from your weekend and you have a tinge of disappointment that you "suppose the main part is we won" Me, I'm glad I sit on the positive side of the fence.
I am thrilled with the win because forgetting the huge gulf in quality between the teams we hardly every travel to Sunderland and win. Finding more ways to win and converting away draws to wins will present a serious stab at top 6. I am a purist and would just rather play our best team which for now on his current form means Cedric at right back. Tinkering with non standard tactics rarely works (I refer to our dismal Europa exit). Fair play to Koeman yesterday - he got loads right - I'm not sure I would have gone with that small midfield in the absence of Wanyama but it worked really well. Can't wait for Long to come back as I think we get a really good sub option back. Going to enjoy the international break glowing in our club's brilliance....
