When I eventually got home and to bed last night, I was disappointed but proud. But waking up this morning I do just feel so deflated.
We put in a defensive performance to be proud of as the massive underdog that we were. I wonder how many times over you could have bought our entire squad with the players they had on the field. But we battled, we ran, and threw our bodies on the line time after time after time. It's disheartening because it get's tiring being proud despite defeat, why can't the stars just align for us one time? and when Azaz scored that goal it really felt like they had. What an unbelievable moment that was, and for the few minutes afterwards we were absolutely bouncing. Bloody typical that it was a deflection that got them the equaliser so soon afterwards, but the amount of shots we were having to dive in front of there was always the potential for that to happen.
First half I thought we were relatively comfortable in defence and were good on the ball too when we had it. There were relatively fewer last ditch tackles and blocks and we mostly kept them at arms length. Second half however we just couldn't get out at all. Not sure we won many if any clearances or second balls and they just came back at us relentlessly, and I think the work rate that Fellows and Scienza had to put in defensively killed the potential counters. That said, it was really the change of wingers for Man City that changed the game. We could not live with Doku in particular and were not covering the space or backing each other up as we were in the first half. Tired legs, tired minds. Poor Fellows was left 1v1 with him time after time. Wellington started to get beaten more often on his side too and it just felt inevitable that they'd score. We ended that game without a proper RB or LB on the field! The whole defence and defensive work of the entire team was magnificent, THB, Wood, Wellington stood out to me, but I will just single out one player in particular who I think was the MOTM, not the Man City guy that got given it. Casper Jander. What an incredible performance! Well played lad.
That Azaz goal and the minutes after it until they scored will live long in the memory. It would be nice not to have to live off scraps like that, but where we've come from this season and the efforts the players put in yesterday you just can't knock. I genuinely believe that if we weren't already mentally and physically fatigued going into that game that we would have won it. Man City played just 3 games between the quarters and yesterday. We've played 5!! AND we have a game again 3 days later and they don't play again for over a week. How are we supposed to compete when the odds are so stacked against us!? How we now pick ourselves back up and go again on Tuesday I have no idea. I'd be amazed if we get anything from that game.
A deflated but proud Saints fan
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