verlaine1979

Since your opening premise is that we've only scored 4 goals from open play this season, your subsequent argument isn't as strong as you think it is.

Since your opening premise is that we've only scored 4 goals from open play this season, your subsequent argument isn't as strong as you think it is.

He's already probably first in line with Ancelotti for the next CL level European job that comes up. Nobody is going to look at a Saints team that has struggled to achieve a goal a game over the course of more than a season now and think we're a smart career move.

Lemina and Boufal seemed to link up well when the latter came on - both very energetic, always looking for space and both equally happy/capable of passing or running. Get those two playing close to each other with Gabbiadini ahead of them on the last defender, and build the rest of the team around that combination. Who else comes in seems largely immaterial - the rest of the squad have demonstrated comprehensively that they aren't really capable of influencing games, so just pick whoever is most likely to put in a hard-working shift, and whose ego wont get in the way.

If the official formation graphic is genuine, that's an absolutely bizarre lineup.

Any evidence of those numerous meetings?

Hah just when you think the insane bias in SD's favour can't get any worse, people are now rating him above Lambert! Utterly, utterly insane.

No, me neither. He'd pop up centrally from time to time, but was almost always positioned out wide. The wing is a safe place for cautious managers to put unpredictable/unreliable players - they're less likely to lose the ball catastrophically, but less influential. Three points off relegation, in one of the worst goal droughts I can remember, and with Romeu and Lemina providing the most solid DM pairing we've had in years, I'd say it's time to abandon caution.

Davis and Redmond are both pretty cowardly in possession. Both prefer to offload to someone else rather than attempting something that would risk losing the ball. In Davis I suspect that's just a natural conservatism in his game, whereas with Redmond I suspect he tries to avoid doing anything that might make him look bad (hence why he's never slow to criticise the player he's just passed to if they don't magically engineer a decent chance).

Boufal gave the ball away twice that I counted, but in 20 minutes on the pitch showed more creativity and intent than either Redmond or Tadic have all season. Absolultely mind-blowing conservatism from the manager that he'd rather persist with the 'senior' players established under his predecessors than take a risk with the line-up to try and address our woeful attacking.

Long, Austin and Gabbi on at the same time? At least the get-it-in-the-mixer crowd will be pleased.

He isn't - in the sprint data the club accidentally shared in the Hoedt video, Redmond was no quicker than Tadic (or JWP for that matter on most sprint distances), and substantially slower than the likes of Long and Sims etc. He's not fast.

Lemina, like VVD, already looks several degrees better than anyone else we've got.

I don't rate him. Gets forward well, but pretty much the same booming, overhit cross every time.

Redmond isn't quick. According to that spreadsheet of player data that appeared in the Hoedt video, his max speed is actually slower than JWP's, while his individual sprints are no faster than Tadic's. While it's nice to have data to back this up, the truth of whether he's fast or not should really have been apparent to anyone who has seen Redmond being reeled in time and again when attacking on the break. He has no sustained pace, which is why he generally always slows after about twenty yards and plays the ball back.

He did good work in the build up and it was a decent finish, but it was also his first goal in 16 months according to the commentator. Moreover, if you think that was a consummate attacking midfield performance, then you're very easily pleased. The only other thing Davis did of note was overhit a simple pass into touch on the left that would've put someone (Lemina maybe) clean through. Bearing in mind Forster's two point blank saves, Palace's attack forged more and better chances than we did.

Lemina was great, and some of Hoedt's passing was superb. Davis also did well in the build up to the goal, and it was a good finish with his weaker foot (credit where it's due). That said, I wouldn't get carried away with the result or the performance. We managed a single goal against what is now historically the worst team to ever begin a top flight season, and didn't exactly dominate the second half. We still have almost no pace in transition, and the likes of Redmond and Davis still slow down the attack the majority of the time looking for the most conservative pass.

Once upon a time maybe, but they're much of a muchness these days in terms of pressing, closing and giving the ball away in dangerous positions, and have been at least the last two seasons. Which just leaves JWP's marginally more productive attacking contribution.

12/13 - 32 games - 2071 minutes 13/14 - 34 games - 2499 minutes 14/15 - 35 games - 2647 minutes 15/16 - 34 games - 2612 minutes 16/17 - 32 games - 2643 minutes 17/18 - 4 games - 350 minutes Total 171 games - 9 goals, 18 assists, a goal every 1425 minutes played Bit unfair to bash JWP for his stats when our most lauded-yet-underrated midfielder's stats are actually worse. What's more, they've occupied very similar positions in their time at Saints, operating as both deep and attacking central midfielders, so the comparison is about as fair as you'll get. I rate JWP's technique striking a dead ball but don't think he's an exceptional player, and nor is he likely to become one having reached this stage in his career (though that's not to say that he wont be a completely serviceable master-of-none midfielder for many years yet). What this does illustrate perfectly though is how some of our players get completely battered on here, while one in particular is regarded as spotless, despite having an almost identical (or even inferior) impact on the outcome of games. It's very, very odd.

Heresy. We finished sixth once, so we're now incapable of being relegated ever again.

Another one of the mysteries. He's like God to some posters on here - responsible for anything good that happens, but completely immune from blame when things are bad. The problem is, the description of him as playing nippy one-twos and always looking for a forward pass is a complete fabrication. He's the key culprit in our slow midfield transition and tendency to shovel it out wide for lack of a better or braver idea.

According to Transfermarkt, his appearances for Lille were split about evenly between left, right and central attacking midfield. Looking back through his videos though, one thing is pretty clear - his first inclination even when receiving the ball wide isn't to drive for the byline, it's to drive towards goal. He also doesn't mind picking the ball up from deep, so no reason he couldn't link effectively with defensive midfield. I hope having Romeu and Lemina providing a solid base behind him will get the best out of him, as he's basically the only hope we've got until January of not being completely one dimensional and turgid in attack.

When we bought him I asked a friend of mine in Paris what he thought - said he rated him very highly, but was mystified when I said he was assumed to be our replacement for Mane. Said he wasn't remotely the same kind of player - much more central, a lot slower, intricate rather than explosive. I think we've done what a lot of clubs do when bringing through unknown quantities, which is stick them out on the wing on the assumption that they can do the least damage there. However, if the player wasn't a winger in the first place, what's the point?

One of the great mysteries of Saintsweb. He could spend the entire 90 minutes squeezing out a dump on the centre circle, and 90% of post-game comments would insist that he'd been one of our better players.

Would be a mistake to say that Watford simply overpowered us, though the difference in strength and pace was significant. Chalobah looked a vastly more accomplished footballer than anyone in our side, while Richarlison and Carillo both showed better touch and movement (especially movement) than any of our attacking players. They looked a better organised, stronger team, but their best individuals also put ours in the shade today. Lemina will add dynamism to the midfield, but we'll still be a comparatively slow, weak side even when he starts.