Bournemouth would bring back some recent memories. If it was away, I'd be tempted by a day at the seaside in August. Do the cynics who sneer at this competition hold the same opinion of the JPT? Because I wouldn't mind another day out at Wembley like the last one.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Claridge (pictured with League Trophy outside SMS) is quoted in Echo as saying this is a big chance of a trophy for a team like Southampton. Was also complimentary about our style under Mauricio. He is a pundit on the League Cup Show...would rather listen to him than the lot on MOTD.
I doubt Pochettino will play an entire reserve side. Pochettino said he will take the cups seriously.
Our reserve side is pretty strong nowadays. Kelvin Chambers Fonte Hooiveld Fox Cork JWP Davis Puncheon Guly Mayuka Subs: Gazzaniga, Isgrove, Rodriguez, Yoshida, Shaw, Schneiderlin That's just one of many possibilities.
Gazzaniga Chambers Stephens Turnbull Targett Moore Gape Rowe Ward-Prowse Isgrove Sinclair That'll do for a League Cup side.
No thanks - I want Saints to take it seriously. Davis Chambers Fonte Hooiveld Fox Cork Wanyama Puncheon JWP Lallana Mayuka Subs: Boruc, Shaw, Lovren, Morgan, Ramirez, Rodriguez, Lambert.
Prestige aside, the rewards are essentially the same. For practical purposes, why favour one over the other?
The League Cup is over quicker and you have a nice outing and a trophy in the cupboard (hopefully not followed by relegation). Top clubs who don't take it seriously at first can get knocked out early, further increasing the chances for a decent side like us. Although you do get cupsets (as coined by tomw19 recently) in the FA cup, there are usually a lot of big boys still in at the quarter final stage.
