The Preseason Thread - 2025/26

I blame Pep

 

Or find a path to keeping Mateus Fernandes

 

I didn't read into it that we need midfielders that could shoot, the more telling quote to me was this - "This year, the timing and quality of our crosses, having bodies arriving in the box at the right time, will make the difference in winning a game", like were the managers just hoping kicking the ball from the wing and vibes were going to do it? It's no secret we love crossing a ball into the box, we did it a LOT under RM and IJ and it was a common complaint that they seemed to be aimless and we seemed to cross to no one every time. There was also that insane stat of like 70 corners without a goal. But now we have a player coming out with the epiphany of good timing and accuracy. Genuinely makes me believe the instructions were "just cross it in the mixer and pray".

 

Gary Neville went on a bit of a rant about it a little while ago. Saying that every team pretty much plays the same way and all that means is the teams with better players tend to win. Most managers have one way of playing and won’t adapt regardless of who the opposition is.

The days where smaller teams would set up to frustrate and nick a draw or a win against the better sides are gone (think he used Stoke and Bolton sides of the past as examples), as managers don’t radically change style based on opposition. Said football is in danger of becoming boring and predictable because of it.

It’s been that way in other countries for ages and a more recent thing in England. There is a reason why Barca and Real would batter teams by 5 or 6 every week historically, and that is because most Spanish teams would just be open and expansive against them. When a team there (Getafe this season is a good example) play more physically and try to get results like a Stoke side of the past, they get hounded by the media and pundits for killing football and not playing the right way. Their manager is known as the “most hated man in Spain” or something for setting up that way.

Autonomism has been part of football for decades now and unless you are a really top player (like one of the best in the world) then individuality is not what coaches want.

 

The comment about “bodies arriving in the box at the right time” is one of the reasons why I enjoyed watching Matsuki against Eastleigh. Several times he took positions on the edge of the penalty area giving the wide players opportunities to pick him out.

 

In the last championship season, Smallbone was good at this also, scored a couple of goals from balls being pulled back from the byline. If a winger gets to that position and pulls the ball back, it's extremely hard to defend against

 

Can’t argue with that. Going forward Smallbone is very capable at this level but his defensive ability, even high up the pitch, is dreadful.
Again, referencing the Eastleigh game, I can recall 3 occasions where he was so slow to react to a player that he automatically commits a foul. The first foul had the commentator suggesting that he might have been carded for the first challenge, had it not been the first friendly of the pre-season.
I see Smallbone primarily as a bench player now, coming on if we are looking for a goal rather than defending a lead.

 

I don't think it's that, i honestly believe they were discouraged from crossing the ball, as it risks giving away the ball when not in an XG moment. It would be interesting to see some crossing stats for Prem teams last season - i don't think we would rank very highly.

 

I quite agree. We need to be aspiring to stronger midfielders than him.

 

He'll be an asset this season but only if he's played in his best position, people often overlook what he's good at, passing and taking up intelligent positions, but in no way is he a tough tackling DM which was Martin's mistake playing him there. We went 25 games unbeaten with Downes at 6, Smallbone at 8 and Stuey at 8/10.

 

Yeah the reason I mentioned shooting is because it has been my biggest annoyance these last couple of seasons. Even in the Champ we’d often get to half time with just one or two attempts on goal. Every other team seemed to actively be trying to create chances from the edge of the area. By contrast our players look clueless whenever given space to shoot.

 

'Pep'-ball has taken the fun out of football. Fans are inspired by a 30 yard screamer, a jinky little run and a crunching tackle. Passing 5 yards and back again is monotonous and draining.

 

It's football without purpose that drives me mad. The amount of teams both last season and in the Champ who managed to do in 4 passes what we fail to do in 36. Teams who were able to slice us open without any trouble whatsoever but we would lazily make our way up field, pass to the left, pass to the middle, pass to the right, pass it back and then repeat that until we lose possession. I love possession football if you have the team that moves around and makes probing runs and you pick out the right pass at the right time and you've bypassed the defence. We never ever did that, it was just pass and pass and pass. It removed all energy, pace and effort out the game, it was like everyone was running in treacle.

Basically if the game wasn't played to our very very specific slow and meandering tempo, we were ****ed. Even in the champ we looked so open if the opposing team just set up properly.

 

A draw (1-1) and a 1-0/win in the two matches this morning.
Downes went off injured.

https://southamptonfc.app.link/QoQstKwv6Ub

 

Hopefully nothing serious and a precaution bringing him off.

 

No Dibling today or Matsuki?

ah, just read, missed games with minor problems.

No Bazunu either