WALK DMC

Last night, Romeu had an excellent game. Diallo didn't have his best game and was poor with his passing. I think we're sometimes too quick to write players off and last night showed that it is too early to trample on Oriol's grave .... Diallo is the future, but Romeu won't give up his place lying down. I still think that they have the potential to play together as their strengths are complementary, although judging by the injuries it may be sometime before we see that again.

I always think Saints play better when Che is on the pitch and his hold-up play, spreading of the play and through balls are all Premier class. However, he refuses to kick the football with his left foot. This isn't a weaker side, it's a total no-go zone. He will do ANYTHING to avoid the round thing touching his left foot, contorting his body into strange positions, or wasting precious seconds while he moves his whole body so that he can kick with his right. Watch the video of his 20+ goals in his last season with Birmingham, with the exception of a knock in on the goal line EVERYTHING is right foot. He scored this season with his left (away Chelsea) but again it was close to the goal line. There has been the odd faint bit of hope - he crossed a ball with his left against Arsenal (our household erupted in cheering), but nothing has significantly improved. And that's my point. What the hell have Ralph and his coaching staff been doing for the last 18 months ? How difficult is it to develop a professional footballers left foot so that they can kick it in the direction of the goal with reasonable accuracy and power. He'll always have a stronger side (Ings does), but surely it is possible to avoid the total reliance (and predictability) on his right ? Romeu is slow. No amount of fitness training will make him quick. Learning to kick with both feet can be learnt and developed. Of course, some of this is up to Che, but he has a clear choice; Be a moderate 1 footed Premier footballer, or develop his limitations and be a feared Top 10 striker. The potential is clearly there. Ps Don't get me started on his heading 🙂

There have been some good moments since his return; goals at Wolves & Arsenal, the last minute assist against Chelsea and the cross that put us ahead against Newcastle to go top of the league. So yes, maybe the gloss has come off in recent weeks, but I don't agree that it has been a total failure. I also think that it would have helped for him to be rested more, but injuries didn't allow . I'm in agreement with you that we shouldn't extend his contract on the wages he is on today, but this is where supply and demand kicks in; I'm assuming that he won't have a long queue of suitors wanting to sign him on an expensive contract so perhaps his wage demands won't be excessive. Overall my instinct is not to extend (even at reduced wages), but we have half a season left, a few players coming back from injury and the team and Theo may yet rediscover their mojo. Let's see ....

Apparently a lot of fans were complaining that his name was difficult to spell.

Despite many strengths, Romeu's big limitation is a lack of pace. In recent years he has always been partnered in midfield with people who are also lacking in pace (JWP/Hojberg). I'd like to see him paired with Diallo for a few games who has pace to burn as I think that would be two good players with complementary styles. I don't like moving JWP who has performed very well over the past season or two, however I am assuming that KWP will be out for a while (I did what no person should do with a health problem - I googled "quad injury" and full recovery could take up to 6 weeks). On that basis, if Romeu is fit and with our next two opponents playing on the left wing probably being Grealish and Rashford, I think that we need as much quality at right back as possible. On that basis, I'd rather JWP went right back than Valery. What happens if KWP is back earlier or whenever he returns ? I don't know, but if it is successful playing JWP at right back and Romeu/Diallo in central mid then it is a great problem to have.

I don't think that the Premier league will let Bertrand play 🙂

Nicely said and I'm not sure I agree with the comparison on football brain. However, there was a break early in the 2nd half by Pepe and we were exposed on our left. Diallo outpaced Pepe and the threat was nullified. I'm not writing him off and he brings other elements to our team, but Romeu just couldn't have done the same.

It wouldn't surprise me if the source of this "leak" was the agent, but it also wouldn't surprise me if Arsenal are looking for cover. They recently loaned out Kolasinac with a view to him leaving permanently. Bertrand would be a very similar acquisition to Cedric last year, so there is a precedent. Whether Bertrand would actually want to play reserve to Tierney (who is an excellent player, but does seem a little injury prone) is anyone's guess. Money (or a longer contract) talks and we all know players on their last big payday have a tendency to chase the cash. We'll see, I still think he'll stay with us, but the longer it goes on I become less confident.

We should be able to virtually field the same team (or better) on Saturday that we used against Liverpool (who even in current form are better than Arsenal). McCarthy and Adams who were missing would both be able to play, I'm assuming Danny will be back and there is a chance that Djenepo and/or Romeu could be close. I'm not under estimating it, and I agree that the priority should be the league, but let's not write it off just yet. I'm worried about tonight's match - Shrewsbury have got good recent form and we may play a number of youngsters tonight, so depending on how much youth is in our team, it could be a close one. However, Saturday I think we can bring some of our more experienced players back ....

Perhaps we learned from our mistake and realised giving older players longer contracts wasn't such a good idea. Also, Bertrand is younger than Long so his wage demands are likely to be significantly higher meaning that a 3 year contract carries a much higher risk in the event that Bertrand loses form/sustains a major injury. I'd like him to stay, but we need to be disciplined and keep to our wage structure; it also sends a message to other players about our approach.

Top idea. Bertrand has played as part of a back 3 in the past, so think that he could adapt. With Vestergaard and Salisu seemly out for a while it could also serve as a little bit of practice in the event of Stephens or Bednarek picking up an injury .....

Maybe this was one of the reasons that Saints were so amenable to postponing the game

If we beat Arsenal, we will then do the same with Wolves; play them twice in a matter of a few days both away in the cup and then in the league. Of course, if we don't beat Shrewsbury ................................

Che brings lots of good physicality and hold up play to our team, but even his mother would say that he is underwhelming in heading the ball. If we need plan B we could use Vestergaard (when he returns) as an emergency centre forward.

I share your concerns, but with Redmond & Djenepo both likely to be out, we are on our bare bones. So if we get an injury or need to shake things up I think that it is worth considering ..... I would be worried that it could have a negative impact on JWP - being shuffled around from position to position again, he may be less effective further forward etc etc, but sometimes you have to make difficult decisions. I don't see Diallo playing further forward though. I see him more as someone who retrieves the ball and gives it to one of our players (similar to Romeu rather than JWP who possesses more creativity).

I agree, but still feel that we will get to a point when Romeu, Diallo & JWP are three of our best players, so maybe we should try to play all three. With Redmond & Djenepo out for a little while yet, the option of starting Romeu & Diallo as the defensive midfielders and stick JWP further forward. Shouldn't be necessary for Shrewsbury, but worth a consideration for Leicester if we still have a few injuries with our attacking midfielders.

I agree. Demarai Gray is the right age and with Premiership experience. His goals/assists ratio is similar (slightly worse) to Redmond's and Leicester fans don't seem too disappointed that he is leaving, with lots of comments about his lack of delivery and poor decision making. However, there is also a feeling that he has never realised his full potential even though he possesses the right attributes (pace/physically strong), so maybe this is something that Ralph could develop. If we can get him on a free (preferably with a short term loan from Jan), then other than a very large signing on fee it would be a reasonably low risk purchase. As somebody else pointed out, if this is true it could mean that one of Redmond, Djenepo or even Walcott won't be with us next year.

I thought that Diallo was tidy and competent on Saturday, but understandably he will lose his place to Romeu tomorrow. He doesn't appear to have exceptional creativity or passing range, and is probably best suited as a defensive midfielder. With Redmond injured, Armstrong not in great form and Walcott possibly partnering Che up front, perhaps one option would be to play JWP further forward (right attacking midfielder) and allow Diallo & Romeu to play as the defensive pair. I recognise breaking up JWP/Romeu is a risk; they have been the foundation of much of our achievements this year, but getting Diallo further integrated into the team and rewarding a good performance with another opportunity could reap benefits tomorrow and into the future. I wouldn't suggest this change if all of our key players were fit and in form, but with the current circumstances it could be something to consider and would have the added benefit of not changing Ralph's preferred 4-2-2-2 formation.

They also played well against Liverpool a few games back when two penalty decisions went against them so that they had to make do with a draw. We will be probably be without two of our best players (Romeo & Ings). Of course we can win but I am with Toussaint, play our best available team - it's going to be tougher than it would have been a month ago.

I wouldn't be surprised if the outstanding issues preventing Bertrand from signing a new contract is the length of the extension. Understandably at his age he wants as long as possible, while Saints don't want to have an excessive commitment to a player who will start to decline and/or pick up more injuries as he gets older. It could explain why Bertrand says that he is waiting on the club; maybe he wants to see if they'll offer a decent 3 year extension. It could mean that the perceived positivity in Bertrand's statements this morning may not bear fruition. I'm a little puzzled why he went public with those statements; it feels a little bit that he was trying to put pressure on Saints - which wouldn't indicate a smooth negotiation. Pure speculation though - I'm probably completely wrong.

Interesting stats. To back up your theory, I'd add Pompey away in the League cup when he scored the 4th in the 4-0 victory. I'd also highlight that the majority of the examples are away (exception being Sheff U). I've always felt that he is less effective at home (possibly because he lacks a real spark to unlock deeply packed defensive cover). He was truly awful on Saturday, but I'm still a fan and I'd always pick him for away games where he does a great deal of covering and support work which is needed when we have less possession. For the same reasons, I'd consider him for home games against the bigger teams. He will always lack genuine pace and probably strong decision making, but he can add value to the Saints team. I personally hope that he starts on Boxing day as Fulham away is the sort of game he excels in ....

With Saints attacking presence diminished in the last 15 minutes, deploying Vestergaard as an emergency Centre forward wasn't the most stupid idea in the world. We'd tried 85 minutes of our usual approach without success and sometimes trying something unconventional can work. Vestergaard's mere size and presence can create for others - not something I'd recommend outside of the last 5-10 minutes, but when you're desperate for an equalizer, try anything ........

I have mixed feelings about Theo. Like you, I've noticed the number of times that he gives the ball away cheaply, but I also recognise he always seems to offer a goal threat (Chelsea (assist), Villa (strong chance), Newcastle (assist), Wolves (goal, missed chance), Brighton (strong chance). He may be one of those players that doesn't look great, but somehow is always involved in the "business end" of the game. On the whole, I'd keep with him for a few games more games to see how it goes, but I understand the frustrations. Djenepo is best with the ball (rather than chasing back all the time) and against Sheff U we will probably have more possession so having someone with a bit of magic might help. For Arsenal, I'd bring back Redmond to add better balance against a team who are likely to have more of the ball (even if they're not playing great)

Saints - 0.50 v Man U 2.48 EPL xG Table and Scorers for the 2020/2021 season | Understat.com

Bednarek is to blame. He has scored in 3 games now. Chelsea home - Two nil up in the 2nd half and we lose 3-2 Wolves home - Two nil up in 2nd half and we lose 3-2 Man U home - as you were .... Somebody needs to tell him to stop scoring .....