To quote the old cliché, in one respect it was a game of two halves yesterday. One of the things which has impressed me this season has been the composure on the ball of our defence, when they win the ball back around our area. In the first half we had that same calm approach. Win the ball back, pass it around and build an attack again. In the second half this went out the window and we more often than not, punted the ball back, giving them possession back. It was fortunate that their finishing was so poor. Definitely a point gained.
You were much better - easily the best team we have played this season. We played well in parts against you but you took us apart.
Bloody great day. Change of plans and we all went by train, which practically became a football special. Apologies to the poor couple from Birkenhead who were off to pick up a cruise ship - look at the fixtures next time! Great laugh going down and back and honours even. Was there a match? Some of us are old enough to be wise enough to restrict alcohol content so that we saw it. Liverpool were very good and should have come away with the points. We were second best and didn't threaten, but as others have said the defence played well. Thought Dejan Lovren showed real bottle to come up to the Liverpool fans after the game as the Northam was braying at him. Can't help feeling it's time for some closure on this one. Surely singing songs for our team is the way to support. Keeping up an obscene chant about one of their players starts to feel puerile. But this morning I can reflect on a point won and being able to pop into the pub tonight without risk! Three points next Sunday now, please.
I watched the game yesterday, and I've read though the pre-match, match and post-match comments on this thread, and one thing that stands out (or, more precisely, doesn't stand out) is the expected attacking threat of Sadio Mane. As a Saints player, he could tear up defences and provide assists, as well as scoring goals (or is that just my misty-eyed memories?) but yesterday, I never felt that he was causing us serious problems. Fraser saved well from one shot, and VVD tackled him with consummate ease, but Mane just wasn't a (constant) threat. Liverpool fans will say that Mane was exhausted after the international break, but is this another example of Saints making players look like superstars when they play for us/fit in our system, so other teams (OK, Liverpool) look enviously at our players, then pay large amounts of money, in the, as yet unfulfilled, expectation that they will always perform like they did when they play in red and white (stripes)?
The difference for me ... Chelsea broke us down just as many times with probably half the possession and scored twice. = better team (for me).
or, Saints shaded glasses. Mane was not that great last season. Yes, he scored 10/11 goals and had some magic moments (Liverpool and Man City), however he disappeared for a lot of the season. Hence my disbelieving looks when the doom mongers cried that we had undersold him for £36m. He is good and I am sure will improve, but he doesn't deliver as often as people remember.
Clyne was the one we undersold. Of course Mane played better for us than for them....he didn't have to face a Saints defence. Mane can be a game changer...at the moment we are missing that. Chap next to me kept moaning about why we didn't play forward more....you don't want to give Mane a chance to get into space.
We did buy him for £1.5m though so don't tell Crystal Palace that. It was nice to have Cedric back. I hope he can play there for most of the rest of the season now.
The Lovren thing is a bit strange, you have a faction where goading him is a bit of banter, there is a small minority that actually hate his guts and are the prime factor in the nastiness. It is time some of them grew up and and moved on, we are getting a reputation of bad sportsmanship and that ain't Saintly. If they had put more effort in to supporting our own players they may have made more influence on the game, in my own opinion. I still don't like Lovren or what he did, booing him just doesn't change that at all.
Earlier I likened Lovren to the pantomime villain. Didn't like how he left, but he isn't the devil incarnate and his personal life should never be dragged into it. Unpleasant and, as said, not Saintly.
Oh yes he is! Actually the panto thing should be extended. We could all shout "Behind you" when he goes to clear the ball. If anything shows this booing is puerile it is this analogy. Like it, Fran. As for the comments about his personal life, certain elements enjoyed this "banter" about the unfortunate Kevin Phillips. I hated that too. If Fonte goes to United, will we sing songs about that nice Mr Pardew and Jose's wife (allegedly). I come from the old school. You shout "**** Off" at their best player if he comes near you but otherwise you support your team. Some of my fellow Northam inhabitants need a course on terrace etiquette.
First time this season we've come away with more than we deserved? Very good, if fortunate, point. Although it adds further credence to my belief that against the best teams, when we're under pressure and probably not seeing much of the ball - or simply struggling to create anything, Austin isn't the man. You need possession of the ball, you need bodies up there with and around him, for him to thrive.
Don't know if youve seen the replay, although it looked an amazing tackle - Jose didn't get anywhere near the ball, in fact Coutinho sliced his shot horribly out of play and then Jose cleaned him out
Have to point out a quote from the Mail's match reviewer : 'A point at Southampton is, of course, a good result'. That sentence just shows how far we've come. He also gave us decent player scores (with VVD man of the match)...obviously recognising that defenders doing their job deserve as many or even more plaudits than Liverpool attacking players who don't.
It usually seems to be Saints who have most possession, and most attempts, but still end up not winning. Nice to see that trend reversed for a change.
24 hours on, my take: Gritty perfomance against a team pressing like mad. I was expecting Liverpool to run out of steam but they just kept coming. Sans European diversions, they look like title challengers at the least. Must be fun watching them every week. Very entertaining team. Sofiane is looking to me like the real deal. He's still settling into the Premier League pace but he's getting better every game. JayRod looked like he is improving. I desperately want him to succeed (more for his sake than for the team) but even taking off the rose-tinted, he's looking better, IMO. As regards Charlie apparently needing 300 chances for each time he slots it in. I don't see the problem. Yesterday he had one opportunity to score and missed. Firmino missed three but I bet Liverpool fans aren't saying he's not good enough or needs to be replaced in January. The guy's doing fine. I was mildly ridiculed for saying he was ninth top scorer but bear in mind that one more goal and he'd be 6th top scorer. It's fine margins between being worth having and being an utter duffer, it seems. His current scoring rate continued would give 16 goals for the season. I'd be quite happy with that. No striker scores every chance. The mist disappointing performance for me was Redmond. He looked uninterested. When Charlie was left on his own up front after that sublime capture of a ball over his shoulder, Redmond was standing way back up the pitch like he was a spectator. He also has a horrible habit of berating other Saints players for his errors. I hope yesterday was a blip. I'd certainly be on his back before I jumped on Charlie's. Lovren abuse: "Pantomime villain" is the right phrase and the abuse should be taken in that spirit, IMO. Vin
