HarvSFC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cly3z0rjq4xo He's doing it again.

The player who was offside went to play the ball?

Well that was a fast piece of play. Fernandes wins the ball, one pass to Archer, goal. Simple.

I posted in the non-Saints games thread that it's a weird era for football, and it really fucking is. You've got League One and Two clubs playing this way also, which is inevitably upping their goals against tally. A few years ago conceding a goal was the worst thing you could do on the pitch. Goalkeepers would berate their defenders for allowing a shot on target. These days, manager's risk conceding a goal by playing it around at the back and I'm not sure it's giving us much of an advantage, as the ball ends up going backwards, allowing the opposition to reset and reposition, negating any advantage we did get by beating the initial press, or hoofed up the pitch when the options aren't there. So, it's a risk of conceding a goal, but it's a few phases of play before you get the reward of scoring a goal so can't really be attributed to scoring, unless you're doing it in under 10 passes, which we never do. Essentially, the risk far out ways the reward. Now, I know Guardiola and Manchester City play this way. The best club in the country and probably the best manager in the game of a top club in the game. But, that last bit is important. Guardiola doesn't play this way with anything less than top quality footballers. He hasn't proven he can work these tactics with your Southampton's, Wolves', or even a Tottenham. He has always handpicked the best club in the country, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Even then, Manchester City's defensive record is pretty poor for their standards. They have kept one clean sheet in their first six league games this season and they kept 13 over the entirety of last season. So, for 25 games they had to score at least two goals to win a match and that of course is a lot easier when you have a free scoring robot upfront, but no other clubs have this. I just don't think these tactics translate to a club like us in the football hierarchy. I think we work better when we press and outwork the opposition while playing good attacking football. This was us under Koeman. While Pochettino and Hasenhuttl for a period got us punching above our weight with a fairly limited inherited squad. I just remember the immediate uplift we had when we went from Hughes to Hasenhuttl and our squad was poor back then too. Perhaps we need another one of these: https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/tactical-football-evening-with-russell-martin-and-jason-wilcox

Yeah, there was a stat on Sky last night that we're the 19th slowest club in the league at moving the ball up the pitch. God knows who the 20th club is, those poor fans. But, I don't think it's helping our forwards. Whenever they get the ball, they've then got to get through a defence which has had the time to setup. Only Dibling is good at getting past players with individual skill in our attack. If they get the ball in the box, they also have to try and work a shot through a crowded defence. While our forwards have been poor this season, they also aren't getting the chances due to the slow tempo that we play at. You look at Ipswich at the weekend where Delap had a few one on one chances, scoring one. We just don't give our forwards those chances. The only time really was one Archer chance against Ipswich where he hit it at Muric. But, as I said. Delap missed one, one on one against Villa, with Martinez saving with his foot, but he then got another chance which he put away. There are ways to play football and slow and ponderous isn't one of them. An old saying in football was that you always had to keep the ball moving, but watch how many times our players stop it dead.

So that's what happens when take a free-kick quickly. Will never see us do that, we go back to Bednarek when the defence has set up.

Tonight's triple sub will be Stewart, Lallana and Brereton-Diaz on at around 60 minutes. The latter will play out wide again. Adam Armstrong will get the last 10 minutes and then the additional sub in extra time could be anyone.

Lavia, at a similar, or same age went for £50m after one good season in the Premier League, which was also affected by injuries and our relegation. Solanke had one good season in the Premier League (His highest scoring in the top flight prior to the last one was 6). He still didn't hit 20 goals and he cost £65m. Also 9 years older. We should be looking at big, big money for Dibling if he continues on this trajectory. It is a shame this is how we look at football these days, but then we only got half a season out of young Walcott, a season out of Bale, a season out of Oxlade-Chamberlain and two seasons out of Shaw. These elite academy talents have never stuck around for long.

This and the Leicester game are must wins in between Arsenal and Manchester City now. Also, another international break coming up after the Arsenal game on the 5th October. 🤢

This era of football is so weird.

Same as Lavia. You just know Chelsea have got a sell on clause for a month's work as well, which is annoying. Something must benefit them for them to let us have him back.

The officials were shit today for the match. Ipswich players going down at every opportunity and the ref stopping the game each time, we started doing it and we were getting the same soft fouls, but it ruined the flow of the match. Lallana got booked for winning the ball and then he evened it up a minute later, booking an Ipswich player for a foul which wasn't a booking. Also ignored there being two balls on the pitch, which should stop the game. We were obviously using a bit of gamesmanship, with the ball boy clearly being told by a member of staff not to get the ball despite standing a few yards next to the ball, but the rules are the rules. Also 7 minutes added time, where from? He blew soon after 97 minutes as well despite the Ipswich goal. Not that we were playing for another goal, mind. But, can't use the officials as an excuse. It's another game leaving you thinking where the goals are going to come from. Archer had three good opportunities. The one where he hit the post, the one where he worked a similar position to the one Dibling found himself in for his goal, but he hit it at Muric and the one where Fernandes passed up a shooting opportunity and played it across the goal, but Archer wasn't ready for. He did at least run this week, which was an improvement on last week. He's just not a good focal point for the attack. Each time Ramsdale went direct to him, he couldn't keep the ball. One slight on Martin was his subs again. The match didn't need a triple sub, but he thought. I will also repeat once again, as I do every week that he doesn't need to play all five of his subs every match. The top managers don't do so because it disrupts their side too much. Guardiola doesn't use all five, Slot today only used 3 in Liverpool's 3-0 win and Klopp rarely used all five. Ugochukwu for Lallana did make sense, especially with Lallana on a yellow as he had to avoid making some tackles. But, Ugochukwu looked uncomfortable and clumsy on the ball today and didn't do much in breaking Ipswich's attacks. BBD still looks a bit poor. He runs in slow motion, but still gets put out wide and when Fernandes gave him a ball on the edge of the box he just swung a leg at it that didn't move the ball anywhere near to testing Ipswich's goal. No composure at all. Stewart puts himself around a bit, but again looks a bit clumsy on the ball and doesn't jump for the ball in the air despite his height. Armstrong had no impact on the match. Probably the sub I'm most critical of. Strikes me as Martin getting one of his favourites on, like when Stephens would come off the bench last season. We have Cornet, who should be ahead of Armstrong in the pecking order. Aribo was a late sub, no time. A couple more nit picks, is that we don't shoot from distance with these tactics and hope to get a deflection, like Ipswich did today. Sometimes it comes off! And we were told last season that our passing game would make the opposition tire out as the match goes on, but I don't think I've ever seen it happen. Onto the positives. Lallana's good once again, at 36. Martin has often said the team needs Stephens in the line-up for his character/leadership. But if you watched Lallana closely today, he never stopped barking orders, or leading the team. I have the faintest hope that Lallana's leadership may make Martin surrender that he doesn't need to play Stephens. His ball through to Dibling for his goal was also top quality. THB looked good again. He may have been a victim of the start of the season tactics. He has a good partnership with Bednarek, they proved that last season and they both looked good again today. THB may just not be able to play in a back three. He did come through the City academy and I doubt they ever played a back three. Dibling's still class. You just know Chelsea put a sell-on clause in the deal when they gave him back to us, which is annoying. Taylor did give us more balance. I love KWP, but he needs to play on the right. Fernandes is a gem. I knew nothing about him when we were linked and feared he was another SR dud, but he's very good. I'd go for him as MotM today. Ramsdale, Sugawara, Downes and Fraser also put in good performances. It's just shit the way we drew the match.

It is a bit humorous that Ben Reeves was re-signed to play for the U21s team, but now can't play because he isn't registered in our 25 man squad. But, it would have also been idiotic to give a squad space to Ben Reeves.

Worth noting that Fraser was a lot quicker when he was proven in the Premier League. He's a good finisher, probably our best last season when given the chance. He just needs to get into those positions, but it's a bit harder with his pace on the decline now against Premier League defences.

https://x.com/JustSaints_/status/1836349306770534519 Shane Long's on the side that Mane was bad when he first joined us and praises Koeman's coaching for creating the player he became.

This is the thing. Onuachu has scored goals and has a good record everywhere apart from us. 17 goals in 25 in the league in Turkey just last season is good. There would be some team in the world who think they can get him in and scoring with us netting around £10m for him. But, because it's clear we don't want him and he's frozen out, club's are only willing to offer us measly fees.

I'd have gone with the back two that I'd also pick to start against Ipswich. Give them a match in a lower pressure environment against Everton in the cup to allow them to get their partnership/cohesion back (If it's THB & Bednarek), or start building their partnership (If it's ABK & Bednarek). Centre-backs should also be able to start 2 or 3 games a week, especially after a two week break. But, that isn't the centre-back duo that's going to start against Ipswich. At least I hope it isn't...

Another Saints link is that he often partners Martin Caceres in the LA Galaxy backline. Although, he's injured at the moment.

It still astounds me that someone who played their entire career in defence, at a high level as well doesn't know how to setup a defence as a coach.

Adding to the already mentioned Idiakez penalty, Leon Best on the same night. The occasion and the penalty. How does a professional footballer hit it so far wide. You often see a footballer hit it over, but rarely wide. Best's penalty starts at 10:00

Well, I was hopelessly wrong. So disappointing. If you lack talent, make up for it in working hard. I don't know what our instructions are, but we walk on the ball and we walk off the ball, giving the opposition the freedom of the pitch and all the time in the world. Get in their faces, force them into making mistakes. We didn't do that today. Only Dibling forced them into an error when he took on some players and won a penalty. If Martin goes, I really hope we go back to a pressing focussed manager. We were successful under Pochettino and for a large time under Hasenhuttl. Play it quick and keep the opposition on their toes, don't allow them to set up and try and play it through them. We didn't test Onana in that second half when we were 2-0 down at half time. On individuals, we haven't had a good penalty taker since Lambert. It's so frustrating. Tadic was shit at them, Ings was shit at them and Ward-Prowse was shit at them. Just smash the ball on target and don't give the goalkeeper a chance, like Lambert did so many times. Goalkeepers are so handicapped these days with the not being able to come off their lines and we're still hopeless at them. Brereton-Diaz, okay he may be a flop, or he definitely isn't a left-winger. He lacks any speed, both physically and in his mind, he was always behind the play and not technically gifted at all. He may have suited a Chris Wilder chaos team more than us. He flopped in Spain, he isn't particularly good for Chile, just a novelty because he's English and plays in the Premier League. He might not be good enough for us. Archer was also played out of the game by the United defence and was Mara-esque off the ball. Didn't chase down anything. I'd rather watch Shane Long, at least he tried and scored a few under Koeman. Stephens' red card might not be the worst thing. In hindsight, his injury last season allowed Bednarek and THB to form a good partnership at the back after our awful start to the season. It was only when he was being brought back into the side, disrupting that partnership did the season tail off again. Now, Martin will be forced to play somebody else and if Bella-Kotchap is in the squad then we might as well make use of him. Onto the positives. Dibling, obviously. A class above every outfield player in the team. If we don't get him signed up to a new deal it will be an unforgiveable error by the decision makers at the club. Ramsdale. If McCarthy or Bazunu play in this match, it's a lot more embarrassing than 3-0. But, yeah, not too many positives. I think Martin has enough credit in the bank from last season to at least take him to next week against Ipswich. But, if we lose again without breaking a sweat then serious questions need to be asked. Ipswich is now a must win.

I'm confident we can get a result from this. Don't show them any respect, they aren't the Manchester United of old. Play our strongest eleven, no excuses for not playing the new signings now after two weeks off and get at them with our passing game at full flow.

The Bednarek redemption has been pretty incredible. Hated him two years ago, Nathan Jones brought him back in and now he's a definite starter in the eleven and it's a question of who he partners at the back. If we're to progress as a club then we can do better and Bednarek should be put in the Gardos/Yoshida role in the future, but for where we're at now we need him to put in consistent performances each week.

https://x.com/CuriosidadesBRL/status/1830352730805633486 It was Yuri Alberto, that striker who apparently wasn't very good that we were linked with that started it. To be fair, Alcaraz doesn't appear to do that much in the video. He did a lot more against Lazio.

These snippets from Nathan Jones' interview after their 2-0 loss against Reading are comical. https://twitter.com/JustSaints_/status/1829950361802772832 https://twitter.com/JustSaints_/status/1829950564106715486