Match Day Thread Southampton V Liverpool - League Cup - 2nd December 2015 ko 19:45

Oh **** yeah it might of done, think we're still okay for now! Defeat on Saturday though... I will definitely be avoiding here if that happens

 

Here's one we are never going to agree on FLT. I though it was brilliant. Sturridge slowed his run down and suddenly sped up so the defender couldn't react quickly enough. The pass was absolutely in the right place. You could see the reaction of the Liverpool players who mobbed the passer (whoever that was).

Anyway, a minor point really. I think we can safely agree that we weren't at our best defensively!

 

Emre Can.

 

Can say that again! I would go and analyse each goal but I think this is one of those games where I don't see the highlights until years later, I had never seen the goals from Eng/Ger in WC2010 til last year. Think this will go in that folder

 

It was a good pass. Good, but simple.

 

Didn't see any of the game so can't (won't) comment....just roll on Saturday (I hope ).

 

I think you should follow JWP's example and maybe watch it in 10 years time.

I have to say though, and I hate saying this, Liverpool played very well. We contributed obviously, with some poor defending but they are a changed team who could yet put in a title challenge (or at least a top 4 challenge).

 

Not sure about title challenge (not this year anyway) but last night did show how far ahead of us they are, they also had a £32m striker who didn't get off the bench. Shows how clueless Brenda was though.

 

Just watched the second half back again. We are bad. We are really bad.

 

Absolutely disgusting last night. Caulker and Cedric - wow, hope we never see them paired together again.

I'm once again, and not for the first time this season, questioning our summer transfer activity. Martina? Caulker? Juanmi? Romeu? Even Cedric doesn't appear to be trusted that much, and on last night, you can see why. Jack Stephens would have been a better shout than Caulker for this season - instead we send him out to the Boro bench.

We started well, first 20mins or so, then, once again, the opposing team equalise and their heads drop, that's it. That second half was an embarrasment. They have a lot of making up to do in the FA Cup.

The worst thing about it all, though? Smug twatbeards face at the end. Prick.

 

Wow, you really are a sucker for punishment! I could watch our first goal again but thats about it.

 

Yes, I agree that Liverpool and Spurs have a habit of constantly sticking it to us more than any other teams. That Spurs comeback from 2-0 down, and the fact that we cannot beat them, sticks in my mind. Maybe its time we drop this chip about Lallana and Lovren (keep it amongst ourselves, but don't take it out in public), as they are constantly getting the last laugh.

 

Had to watch game in pub,awful experience,think overall the posts on here are sensible and quite balanced. (better than others).

I'm like fats don't like singling out individuals but whilst the team didn't seem interested at times three players stood out like sore thumbs to me.
Caulker just hasn't got a football brain and oh so slow to react.
Cedric,ball watches too often,not sure he can defend.
Clasie,so far midfield much weaker with him in it,hope he lives up to fats expectations ,he isn't so far.

Just read this back maybe it's the letter C, I married Carole 39 year ago.(she doesn't look at this site).

 

Stek..... Didn't make a save.. 4
Cedric... Truly awful, positionally dreadful, contributed nothing positive. 0
Bertrand... Started OK, but got lost in the storm...6
Caulker.. Dreadful, can't mark, no speed of thought or movement, a sedentary liability..0
Van Dyke.. A finger in the dyke who ran out of fingers...4
Clasie.... Was he playing????! Ability to read the second ball non-existent 0
Wanyama... Only ball winner in the first half .. so move him back to centre back for the second half when we are losing.. 5
Davis... Bright start, faded quickly...3
Mane.. Worked hard but found to many blind alleys, scored and remained a threat 6
Tadic.. A constant threat whenever we got the ball to him...7***
Pelle.. In Lovren's pocket..3

So we played with 8
Tactical decisions were in short Baffling. As was team selection. We seem to have no idea about how to play against the press.
Only Bertrand, Mane and Tadic were pluses, Though I felt sorry for Victor.

 

Frustrating bit for me is how many times this sort of run happens every season, and almost always follows an international break. I am internally absolutely spitting those two words, so much do I hate everything about international meets and everything they represent to us in particular. I know other teams face the same problem, but it always seems to break our momentum, and it is Saints' problem to deal with - whether that is through managing the first return match differently, making sure the quality in depth is there (it of course currently isn't, and we all know this is a tough ask for a team such as ourselves) , or through some other method. Whilst not a given, Stoke at home isn't the toughest game to at least get a point from to steady ourselves back from the break.

I can accept (because we have to) a drop in general quality with our cover, but all our replacements seem to have huge errors in them, as well as, in Caulker's case, some sort of inability to have learned anything about basic defending in his experience as a regular starting CB over the years.

I expect us to win on Saturday, but a draw wouldn't be out of the question, and unfortunately if they get the first goal and defend like they did against City, a win certainly isn't guaranteed. This scoreline has definitely tainted for me what was a Fort Knox-ish, slightly bulletproof element to the Saints teams from this current era. We are now, like most of the teams in the PL right up to Arsenal, susceptible to a beating like this.

 

Wow I don't think I've ever seen someone give a player a 0 rating let alone 3 at once!

 

Probably no point in worrying - what can possibly be worse than what happened yesterday? And we experienced that.

 

As has been stated before, we really need to work out how to play against the high press. We're constantly undone against it. Any opposing manager worth his salt will realise that.

 

Brenda is obviously clueless, but in all the Klopp excitement everyon is forgetting that Liverpool, whilst getting some results, are not putting in universally excellent performances. They are benefitting from a new manager and the impetus that brings, much like Brenda had an effect in his one good season (albeit with Suarez). It is relatively easier for them than other teams at this stage. Whilst Klopp is undoubtedly a great manager, he should not have been able to get his team to the point of battering us 6-1 via a few hugs. We covered him in glory more or less by ourselves. The press won't shut up about the indomitable spirit of the Liverpool team to shrug off our goal. It was scored in the first minute FFS - hardly an achievement to come back from a goal down over 89 minutes!

What I don't like about this current slump is we have always had an underdog spirit, and the ability to surprise teams, not only by beating them, but at least giving them a tough game. I haven't seen that lately in this team. I have been proud of all Saints' players who have worn the shirt in the years since we started the stride up the league tables, but Caulker is the first player who I am a bit ashamed of. He just has never looked right to me in that shirt, and his journeyman profile is completely wrong for this club. I wish we had never signed him. That was the case before this game.

 

I think that we 100% need a right back in January. Even if Cedric comes good, which I believe he will, we need cover as he seems to pick up injuries due to his small stature.