"Once again we are in transition. New manager, new players, new formation. It's going to take time to adjust, not only to the new stuff but also to the Absence of the old" That's all that needs to be said at this time, the new manager needs time for his methods and style of play to work fully.
One thing though, considering how well we started, shows the players do know how to use the formation. Just didn't keep it up.
One thing I will add is that if Dusan's final ball had been just a tad better, we would've scored at least three goals today.
Actually, it was partially the opposite. In the first 15 minutes, both Austin and Redmond were playing high up the pitch, and fairly centrally; when we got the ball back, they were in positions to generate chances quickly. Later, as Sunderland grew into the game they split wide more and we had to slow down on changes of possession in order to wait for the attacking formation to assemble; there's a moment about midway through the first half when Tadic receives the ball in a prime position to start a counter, only to have to turn back when he looks up and realizes the forwards are well behind him.
^^^ Exactly this ^^^ Forget the defence. We took NOT ONE shot from inside the 18 yard box today. If this was against a Mourinho team it's not as much of a problem, but at home against the team that finished 17th last year with the 5th most (62) goals conceeded it's appalling. Puel needs time and support sure, but him trying to defend that performance by saying we had 'many great opportunities/actions' is quite frankly ludicrous.
If Whoscored is to be believed, we didn't even touch the ball in the penalty area within the width of the six-yard box. Our heatmap is a lovely jumble of colour with a neat grey rectangle on one end.
Wait a minute. Isn't this the Southampton who build their whole philosophy in flexibility? Weren't we told it doesn't matter if a manager leaves as we'd scouted out ten and we always have a perfect fit? Don't we always swap expensive successes for cheap young improvements direct from the black box? Ultimately, we'll probably be fine this year. But this league is rough. Look at Chelsea last season. This bad start could have been averted by actually being consistent and sticking to a club philosophy of strategy - and by getting transfer dealing done quicker.
It's as if the opposition didn't want us to do that. I reckon Moyes highlighted before kick off that allowing us possession right in front of their goal would be a bad idea. Another pointless statistic
Right. So there are teams which want the opposition inside their box, shooting? The point is our system was not good enough to get past their system.
Yeah, it's referred to as the Forbidden Zone. Players talk in hushed whispers about it; wondering what mysteries lie within, and wonder whether one might make it out alive if they breached its bounds. Some imports from faraway lands claim to have gotten in and out and lived to tell the tale, but few believe it to be more than braggadocio.
No, I was highlighting how zero or minimal touches in the most heavily defended area of the pitch is not a very useful statistic and means very little
Ah, but I remember that you weren't a fan of Koeman's style of play either last season, Spaced...it turned out ok then. Just give it a bit of time, we have good, intelligent players, they will make it work i'm sure.
We appear to be the first team to have done such this season; closest I can see is Burnley vs. Liverpool, and that's because they played on the break and barely touched the ball anywhere. Managing zero touches in the central part of the box when having the lion's share of possession is pretty rare.
I'd have to disagree there. Having no shots from inside the box is beyond poor for a home team. Though of course credit does have to go to Sunderland too.
