austsaint

Nice assist by WP for the Vardy goal.

Selecting players like Gunn, Ward-Prowse and Valery week after week is going to end very badly for Ralph...and us.

Yes, would have been the right player to assume the AM role we have lacked for so long. Romeu, Hoj and Maddison would be a pretty good midfield.

Agree. At home, we need to be playing a 4-2-3-1 with Djenepo, Redmond, Boufal combining with Ings - and Romeu and Hoj in midfield. That is clearly our best attacking formation.

Even though he lost the ball a couple of times - Boufal immediately made us look more of an attacking threat - he should have been on earlier. The Wolves Manager made two attacking changes - one of them at half time - which changed the momentum. Wolves defence looked suspect today but with only ings and Redmond as attack minded players, the situation called for Boufal on earlier. Once again Ralph kept JWP on for the whole game despite him being anonymous throughout - apart from the well taken free kick. A good point which could have been three.

Romeu, Hoj, Bertrand and Redmond all good so far. We only have two attack minded players with Ings and Redmond - would love to see Boufal on to run and stretch their defence - which looks shaky.

Yes, I think your last sentence nails the problem. We are astonishingly light on in mid-field depth. For what it's worth I don't see JWP as being out of form - his performances this season have been reminiscent of most games I've seen him play. The goals you talk about were a few penalties, a set piece free kick and a couple of open play goals - his overall tally from 240 appearances is very light on.

In my book Ralph loses a lot of credibility if he continues to play Ward-Prowse.

I'm fairly confident your evaluations of JWP and PEH are the wrong way round.

It's grossly unfair to lump Romeu's performances in with those of Ward-Prowse and Hojbjerg. Yes, as a collective midfield there is a lack of pace, movement and cohesion, but all season Romeu has carried the other two, particularly Ward-Prowse!!! When is Ralph going to drop him out of the starting 11? He has to try Romeu/Hojbjerg with Boufal as the attacking midfielder linking with an Ings, Moussa, Redmond/Adams front three. Today at 3-1 down a pro-active Manager would have subbed Long and Ward-Prowse for Adams and Boufal. To drop Boufal after his recent performances and then delay meaningful change until the 81st minute was painful to watch - what the feck has happened to Ralph? If Gunn and Ward-Prowse continue to start there is something seriously wrong.

Two obvious changes need to be made at h/t. Long and ward-prowse off for Boufal and Adams. Will it happen? Probably not.

How can he play Long and even Prowse in front of Boufal...on current form? Losing some trust in Ralph.

True enough - but for a Club our size, the recruitment of the last 2-3 years has been abysmal; and whether you measure it according to financial year outlays or the motley style of Football played post-Koeman, Pochettino, it reflects badly on the Club recruiters/decision makers.

Spare us the contrarian outrage. Blind Freddy can see the Club has spunked tens of millions on crap players and Reed L. and Wilson R. have been at the heart of the decision making.....it's a reasonable complaint.

True enough, but having two specialist FB's and Yoshida/Bednarek would have given us more chance.

. There was nothing clever about playing Ward-Prowse at RB. Son exploited the weakness ruthlessly

The main problem with the second goal was RB Ward-Prowse being out of position since he had charged up field and then couldn't recover in time with the Spurs counter. Ward-Prowse was also beaten repeatedly by Son - hard on JWP since he is not a RB but a mistake by Ralph in not replacing Cedric with Valery.

Derry, I’ve watched most of JWP’s 200 plus appearances for Saints and I’m still scratching my head wondering what it is about his game that some supporters and up to this point RH decide is good enough to keep including him. By any objective measure he’s been mediocre this season. When is the penny going to drop. When is the mythology of JWP being some sort of dead ball genius going to be laid to rest? He’s been tried in every position on the pitch except CB and Goalkeeper and hasn’t demonstrated a fit in any role. I find his unchallenged selection this season bewildering.

Are you serious - Boufal was very good tonight. He balanced direct running at the defence with deft passes and touches and tested the keeper on three occasions.

But he should be...shouldn’t he? I know you are a JWP fan but surely you must concede he has been very average this season. Ralph has tried him at CM, RB and right side “wing back”, winger; and it’s the same old problem, he can’t fit in to any of those roles well enough. Adams, Djenepo, Boufal and Redmond are superior attacking players...PEH and Romeu are better midfielders and Cedric and Valery are better full backs. Even the corners and free kicks are not justifying his continued selection. I am interested to read your argument to the contrary.

Boufal I mean.

Great to get off the mark. Djenapo and Bourland have to be involved regularly.

Trying to find a place for JWP has been hard to understand especially since Ralph professes to want speed and creativity in his attackers.

Ings for Long (subs bench) and Boufal on with time to influence the game would be my changes to that side. Ralph won't drop Ward-Prowse though and he may consider Danso and Djenepo not ready. Nothing to lose though is there - in taking them on.

Poor defence apart - we won't be winning many games playing a two man midfield of Romeu and Ward-Prowse - absolutely no connection with the attacking three and Romeu isolated as the holding midfielder.