I've seen quite a few posts calling for the immediate reinstatement of Jack Cork ahead of Victor Wanyama, who had a good pre-season and opening two games - a player who is just four games into his early Saints career. I initially intended a short reply elsewhere, but as the post grew and grew - I decided I'd like to write something longer. Here goes... Our problem hasn't been defending, it's been with scoring goals. Jack Cork would be making absolutely no difference to the poor finishing and heavy control in and around the penalty area. I like Wanyama. He's a big unit who has assisted us in asserting dominance and adding bite to the midfield and defence. His passing was poor first half yesterday, granted, but second half he was alright in my book. For what it's worth, VW's pass completion was just 1% behind Morgan's, with VW actually making more attempts to pass than Morgan. Victor had 52 passes, with a completion rate of 81%, whilst Morgan obtained an 82% completion rate with just 38 passes made during the duration of the match. The only player to attempt more passes than Victor was Jose Fonte, with 62 passes - a pass completion rate of 84%. The only players to obtain a higher pass completion rate than Victor's 81% were Calum Chambers (100% of 4 passes being accurate), Jose Fonte (86% of 63 passes) and Morgan Schneiderlin (82% of 38 passes). Victor made 3 interceptions to Morgan's 2, whilst they both provided 4 clearances each. Both committed 3 fouls against West Ham. I've not been overly impressed by Morgan this season, but Victor looked good against West Brom and Sunderland. I didn't see Norwich, but did see West Ham, as stated above. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I can't help but feel people are overstating Cork's important to the goalscoring process, which is at current our weakness this season. That said, I don't understand why he isn't making the bench in the last two games, I'd certainly pick him over Steven Davis. Cork is reliable and was a good player for us last season, coming third in the player of the year vote, if my memory serves me correctly. As with anything, it takes time for things to settle in, bed in, and find some rhythm. I remember people were sceptical over dropping Hammond for the more 'slight' Jack Cork at first, worrying that we'd lose presence. I think that a pre-season, coupled with the introduction of Dejan Lovren and Victor Wanyama in front of Artur in goal has enabled us to look far more secure in an area that was considerably poor last season - shipping silly goals. People seem to want everything yesterday. I've seen enough to encourage me so far that we're addressing our weakness from last season. I have to say that whilst we have failed to score more than one goal in the last ten league games, I believe, that I have seen enough improvement in the defensive area, where you'd expect Pochettino's expertise to come to the fore, to deserve a bit of patience with the attacking elements. Rickie and Dani are currently working out each others games, I think we have to utilise Osvaldo as the furthest forward striker, but there is a place for both, and when they click - which I believe they are beginning to already, we will start to be far more impressed with this side. All statistics drawn from WhoScored - and are viewable here: http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/71...Premier-League-2013-2014-Southampton-West-Ham Your thoughts are welcome DTLW
Totally agree with you DTLW. Wanyama is not the reason why we haven't scored enough this season. Cork is a great player, and did a superb job last season and not much wrong. However, he wouldn't offer anymore, in an attacking sense, than Wanyama would. Big Vic still gets my vote. Although, on the flip side, there is perhaps a debate to be had on whether we needed to invest £12.5M on a slight upgrade on Cork. But, I think it is fair money, considering his performances for Celtic, his age, physical attributes and the fact he offers a quality option in CM. Last season, if Cork or Schneiderlin were injured, we may have struggled, even if Steve Davis would have done a stellar job.
The thing about Cork is he is extremely disciplined and rarely ventures forward, which frees Schneiderlin up to be a bit more adventurous. With Wanyama in the team both him and Schneiderlin are playing a similar role, and they don't seem to have built an understanding between them yet about how to play together, and I think that's what's been hampering Morgan's performances. So in that sense, while it would be stupid to blame Wanyama entirely, I think that reinstating Cork would help our attack, because as evidenced yesterday, Schneiderlin is quite useful when he's able to get forward. It may be that they will form a useful partnership in future, but they haven't really yet, and maybe some more work on the training ground between them is required. In the meantime, it seems prudent to get Cork at least into the matchday squad, and I would argue, the starting eleven to get the best from Schneiderlin against Liverpool, who will give us more problems than a weakened West Ham.
If you drop Wanyama then it won't do his confidence good and people on here will start calling him a flop. I'm torn - maybe not drop Wanyama but instead rotate our CMs more?
Surely if Morgan managed to get forward and show us that attribute yesterday, then Victor wasn't hampering him from doing his job? Both got forward on occasions, and both tested the keeper. As you correctly pointed out, these partnerships take time. Victor Wanyama was signed by Nicola Cortese and the transfer committee and was given a four-year contract. It's a long-term commitment, hopefully from both parties. I'm still excited about Wanyama's potential. However, he's clearly a rough diamond with a few edges that need to be chipped away. If I have faith in anyone's coaching and set-up to get the most out of a talented and ambitious young footballer, it's Saints. I do agree that Cork needs reintroducing to the set-up though. I'm still interested to see how a three would function, and how Morgan's role could change if that were ever to be installed as a tactic. I can't understand Steven Davis being picked over Jack though. I appreciate they are different types of midfielder, but I'd take Cork personally.
Well no player can expect to play in every game, especially after that mediocre showing. But yes I would agree that we should rotate them, so there is even a case for dropping Schneiderlin, frankly. Out of the three of them, the only one who will sit back and not be tempted to go forward is Cork, so although he is on paper the weakest of the three, he brings the most balance to the midfield and maybe should even be picked ahead of the other two. It might even be worth playing all of them against a team in the form that Liverpool are in.
He is. Maybe Poch will consider playing a more 4-1-4-1 Formation, with Wanyama sitting behind an attacking midfield 4 including Schneiderlin.
Schneiderlin scored against Liverpool last season; as did Lambert and Rodriguez. They could all do with a goal.
Of course it's too early. There's a great deal of change at Saints in terms of Poch getting things the way he wants them. I was slightly astonished though, that a player of Jack Cork's quality can't even make the bench. In terms of difference to both Wanyama and Schneiderlin, he can be more ambitious in his passing. I've seen him arrow passes out to the wings and they've hit their targets 99% of the time, and we know he's pretty solid everywhere else [importantly, except scoring..!]. These aerial passes may be an asset that Poch doesn't particularly want. Besides, Lovren seems very capable of them too. Fine, if he doesn't want that, but I think it would be remiss to forget what Cork brings. Let's not forget that when he returned from injury last season, Saints performances stepped up a gear. Also, there is the little known bit of evidence that, in one or two important areas, he was actually superior to Morgan once Pochettino came to manage. If I could find the bloody stats I would, but I certainly remember reading them at season end. If I do find them I'll post them up. Anybody else see those..? They were linked to the forum too, because I remember reading them off the link. Does one displace Steven Davis..? That's a hard one. I'm a fan of his contribution. He gets on with it and is pretty good in almost everything he does. He's a good 'un to have on the bench. Dare I suggest **Guly could have made way for Jack..? With obvious apologies to Godders. I like Guly too.
In Wanyama and Cork we are lucky to have two fine players. Their abilities are different it is true perhaps on the distribution front, but Wanyama for me just edges it for experience. Davis would play more forward than these two. Spider on the other hand would be the first on my team sheet....no matter who of the others played. He is really turning into a first class midfielder. Surely it won't be long before he gets his full call up the French team!
I disagree. For most of the first half Victor was stood deep in the holding position. Nearly all our passes from the back went via Him in a Central position, and thus Morgan should have been free to get forward. Sorry but this holds no water for me based in yesterday's first half. In the second half I think Morgan borrowed the number 10 shirt anyway. I'll agree they need to work out each other but that is not stopping Morgan getting forward. If anything it should be easier as you pretty much know where Vic will be be where he is less mobile than Cork.
Yes, he was free to get forward, but he didn't, and neither did Wanyama, and they were both kept under pressure by West Ham's midfielders. In the second half they both got forward more, but the whole team played higher up in the second half. Generally a lack of understanding was shown by both about when to stick or twist.
Victor was a beast vs Sunderland, and it's understandable that he's our first choice in that position. It would have been good to have Cork on the bench vs West Ham, he can come on when It's not working with Vik there, and he also doubles as back up full back. Please tell me if I have this wrong (it happens sometimes), but Cork has a better range of passiing. He will often ping it long, or out wide, where as Viktor is pure side footers.
Cork and Spider-Man controlled the midfield well last season, I am not yet convinced Wanyama can play a full 90 mins as consistent as cork did - there are flashes from Wanyama but his reputation at Celtic has travelled with him, his passing isn't great. As to the scoring debate, I still can't believe we let Puncheon go on loan after the season he had last season....
Cork seems to pick out more forward passes where Wanyama is more a side to side passer. Don't know why this thread is suggesting that people think Cork is the answer to our goal threat. IF so that would only be due to him being able to pass the ball more accurately to a more advanced area of the field. Nothing to do with assists or key passes, just that he has a faster brain and more accurate passing. From what I saw last season Morgan and Cork played almost side by side. Morgan would be the one to sprint when 'the red arrow' attacks were on but in the main they were side by side and both playing further up the pitch. At the moment Victor is playing deeper than Cork would and Morgan seems to be affected by this sometimes covering the same area as Vitor, sometimes being too far from him and other times just looking like the kid who can't cope with the new school. Its very easy to use the 'Morgan has looked worse this season argument. Is he playing worse or is it due to the change of personnel/slight change of tactic? For me against Liverpool I would put the smooth accurate and controlled passing of Cork in there. We are going to have to either dominate the game or play on the counter. Morgan and Jack's range of passing could get it up to Lambert and Osvaldo while the others who are sprinters can join the attack quickly. The boot is on the other foot for this game and I think we could get something as long as we don't waste our possession passing it between our back 6.
