There was too many mistakes at the back today..........Stephens made a couple but Maya was very panicky at times. Bertrand really did not look too interested imo. Cedric did pretty well. We are lacking bite in mid field thats for sure. Thats most of the negatives.......Stephens was excellent at bringing the ball forward and was very tidy with most of his passing. WP was in and out of the game I felt, as was Davis. Tadic did well on the right. Gabby ran his heart out. Mid field also was caught in possession far to often. There was some good open play at times and some decent attacking moves but fair play to Sevilla they didn't come to muck around and played a lot of possession football. In truth another team might have punished us for the panic and mistakes we made defending. Verdict........ generally ok there are things that still need to be worked at hopefully we will get there Saturday...........COYS
Sevilla did have some good quick breaks and were relying on them, because most of the time although they had possession their build up was slower than ours (and there aren't many slower than us!). Our defence stayed on their feet and didn't dive in when Sevilla came forward and their attacks mostly faltered at the last hurdle with a lack of actual striking ideas especially second half when the Northam were in more danger than the back of the net..
Yes, I concur with that, JWP and SD were involved in much off the ball work which goes unnoticed. It is amazing how one second we have won the ball and mysteriously bounces back to the opposition! Lot's of lessons learned both positive and negative, it is a pity the result didn't have any real meaning, but it sure cheered me up. I think Bertie tweaked his groin early doors and may have been a bit uncomfortable?
One thing I forgot was that if I was a Referee I may well have waved several yellow cards at Oriol! He didn't take any prisoners and may not always get away with it. Moss made a number of what I thought were wrong 'uns, but none were critical except perhaps the Stephens offside!
Slightly better than last year & a reasonable Christmas period is miles away from your view? It's not exactly asking the earth!
Anyway, just back home after the match - a bit light in midfield after JWP went off in particular (he's become one of those players noticed by their absence far more than what they do on the pitch), but Jack has shown he's an excellent prospect at CB & Gabbi looked up for it. Can't say I was too impressed by any of our other attacking options though. Long in particular looked more of a liability than anything. Redmond & Boufal really need to be pushed to step up their game too.
Just seen a replay of JS 2nd attempt and it was off side the ball came off Oriol after it had hit the Sevilla defender, unfortunate but the decision was right.
I thought it was offside live and only stood up to celebrate because It looked like the linesman had missed it and it would stand...then 5 minutes later he waved for offside (I may be slightly exaggerating).
Yeah, I was in the Chapel - it was clearly off-side. I cheered it on impulse, but when the lino put his flag up I didn't complain.
Really? That's hilarious - I didn't spot it, but I was sitting one row from the back and could tell it was off-side. Even so, Jack is replacing Yoshi in my Fantasy side on today's performance - he was one of the stand out players for me today & I think it might be a breakthrough season for him.
For what it's worth.... I thought.... FF- kicking is still causing concerns, just struggling with confidence, but I get the impression he's working on it. Not massively tested, but a steady presence. Cedric- must be knackered, dependable and hard working, some encouraging early link up on the right. Jack- very hard to believe that a year ago, he was only considered as "adequate" back up, a few mistakes early on, nothing major, confident runs from defence a la the Dutch bloke, but he's one of ours, so they're automatically better. Should've had 2 goals, but 1 will do for starters. Yosh- love this man, a few Yoshi-sequels moments, otherwise dependable, struggling to imagine him ever not at Saints. Bertie- on the upside, he doesn't seem to have to put much effort in to look ordinary, but doesn't seem like he wants to be better. Seems to be playing like a player promised a move in a years time, and struggling to make his peace with it... bit at least he's training and trying a bit if that is indeed the case. Redmond- frustratingly ineffective again, seemed to be played out wide on the left, with not much joy, then came central eventually and was equally ineffective. Needs to use his main weapon (pace) on his favoured side more often, otherwise seems a wasted position. Tadic- I think my patience with him has run out, numerous mangers and numerous positions/combinations but never a consistent end product, same as Redmond for me, a waste of a position, at least Redmond could have pace, but Tadic hasn't even got that. Romeu- we need to build a team around him to help keep him long term, lucky the ref forgot his cards, will really benefit from having someone else to effectively break up play rather than just him. Davis- been a fantastic servant, but just seems like another wasted position, was wayward and out of position/lost the ball too much. A couple of nice touches, especially the goal, but feel others are carrying him a bit. JWP- interestingly started supporting Gabbiadini. He'll run through walls but was then moved positionally and became less effective and anonymous, late returner lacking some fitness...? Gabbi- seeks sharper abd genuinely excited to see how he hits the ground running, wants to do well and with slightly better service, could do very well. Flannigan- (sub) very composed for his age, some nice touches and passes, even had the confidence and composure to chest the ball down near the goal after a cross and beat an opponent to take it out from defence. Bouff- hmm.... havent seen anything yet to convince me he's anything other than sub material but want to be wrong. MoPel- the more I read about him and the more I see interviews, the more I like him. He has charisma, only nagging thought in my mind is that Saints chose not to employ him a year ago...?!?!
http://readsouthampton.com/2017/08/05/southampton-match-ratings-sevilla-h/?index=12 One bloggers match ratings. Rated Romeu low and considered Stephens as the best player.
Seeing Gabbiadini in the highlights made me think of Mick Channon or Frank Worthington in the 80s equivalent. That sort of wash and go style or maybe just go
Didn't see the game today, however Davis was MOTM against Brentford and dictated the play. He didn't play against Augsburg and we lacked ball retention in the midfield. I wonder if he is just one of those quiet unassuming players that is impactful by keeping it simple?
I'm not 100% if I'm honest.... he has flashes of good stuff and better games than others but I'm not really sure if anyone knows his best position.... this may be part of it....?