No kidding. I looked at your schedule before posting that, to see whether you had to go on the road in the midst of the insanity that is December in the PL this year. Looks like you play twice in every week but one from November 23rd through to 2014, with a short jaunt over to Switzerland smack in the middle. Would imagine that Laudrup gave them strict instructions prior to the League Cup match that anyone stupid enough to try to win it would be cleaning toilets for the next three months.
If we had beaten Birmingham we would have had 6 games in 16 days at the end of Oct/start of November. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Dropping Lambert would be a stupid move now. He had a good game against Palace regardless of the goal. He and Osvaldo were showing signs of clicking. They were both getting frustrated at the midfield's reluctance to pass the ball forward early to them. Don't think there's anything in this at all. Lambert's started every game and will continue to do so.
To end this discussion I refer you to Mauricio's last press conference where he was asked about the possibility of dropping Sir Rickie or even selling him. He dropped all pretence of thinking the press warranted a reasoned reply . As David the interpreter said, 'I'm being less sarcastic than he is.'
Lambert isn't just a forward player for us. He's taken on the role of AMC swapping with Osvaldo to hold up the ball. Dropping back into midfield when needed. Also becomes a additional centre back when defending corners and free kicks. It's how the team plays not individual players anymore for us.
I'm sure some Saints fans want Rickie to be dropped. It's quite obvious that if we had got Banega or Damiao or both Ramirez would be surplus and may well have been shipped out in the summer. As it is I think he will be gone in January or Summer anyway as he hasn't shown that he can do the AMC job for us apart from lower league opposition. Even then it's only glimpses. Not getting Banega and Damiao should have meant he got starts in that position and the fact that Pochettino prefers to try Adam, Davis and Rickie in that position tells the story and in each case they have all done better than Ramirez. I think Rickie will slot right in there eventually once he gets used to it. Years of being the lead man mean he has to get that 'second nature' out of his play and he is great around the box creating, keeping the ball and provides a threat from that position too. No doubt in January and the Summer we will try again to fill the role but it isn't a problem while we have Adam, Davis and Lambert to fill in there. More important is that we get the right player that can suit the role, has years ahead of him, fits into the dressing room and doesn't end up in the reserves while we revert back to Rickie. I am sure there will be games where we go with 1 up front again and there will be games where Rickie is rested just as there will be games where Dani is rested. That is the nature of the modern game.
Rickie has played all 44 Prem games, of course. If Poch wants to drop him then then he's not doing a very good job of it.
Exactly..! In the season's to come I expect him to play gradually less, as other options become available. There was a time when, for example under Adkins, that if he didn't start or played the entire game, then there was supposed to be something amiss. There was nothing wrong then and there's certainly nothing wrong now.
