melmacian_saint

First proper run Djuricic does with the ball is an hour into the game. Wasn't he meant to play in the Davis forward role?

Depending on FA Cup final yes. But I somehow feel that we will pull a Hull and get knocked out by some unknown average side who just happens to want it more than we do.

Chris Baird still exists?! Incredible.

I know Koeman only has masterstrokes but I don't think Elia is one we should be looking to sign permanently.

Forster is a rather slow player.

I agree with this one. Mane and Rodriguez are the incisive forces and Davis to bring the ball forward and speed up our passing while attacking. Like he did last season with Lallana, Lambert and Rodriguez themselves.

He's neither a defensive midfielder, neither an attacking-minded CM, nor a box-to-box...oh and he's not a creative number 10. These kind of players eventually stagnate. And so far the club has given him a lot of opportunities, and in recent weeks we've sacrificed Davis by playing him as a DM for JWP to focus on creating our attacking play, only for him to roam around ineffectively. I hope Koeman and the staff in Staplewood take note of this and try to reinvent his position, for his own sake.

The problem with Thomas Lewis Way is that it ends at the most abhorrent roundabout below the M27 near the airport. That's where the traffic starts to pile up. Both of them would make more sense in a dual-carriageway format, or simply with two lanes for each direction of traffic. Neither are significantly urbanized along their way (Apart from the beginning of the Avenue maybe) so I don't think it would be difficult. Plus if you're heading North or West TLW is not really an alternative for 2/3 of the city.

And then they play the Liquidator which makes the whole thing sound a mix between a boxing match and a circus exhibition. Don't think it's a great idea, we need a sort of anthem that most of the stadium will sing along to.

Southampton will be a normal city traffic wise when they decide to duplicate the Avenue and Thomas Lewis Way. And remove 25% of existing traffic lights.

I remember Davis once said that one of his roles was also to nurture and help with the development of the young CMs, who would eventually take over him. While JWP has been seen as the next one, I think Reed may actually overtake him. Seems to offer much more, and unlike JWP seems to have a carved out his main tactical role as a good defensive CM with good and resolute passing and vision.

Now that's some progress from your usual negative propaganda. I also saw that he hit the left winger (and the right winger once) at least three times before that (including a good Mane chance), and set a good number of JWP and Clyne crosses, as well as recovering a number of loose balls in midfield and distributing it with his usual efficiency (no mistakes today in that chapter!), and took on the box-to-box role very well and provided excellent cover for Wanyama and the FBs, something I'm yet to see any other midfielder of our squad actively do but he ALWAYS does. You're right, I do like his work ethic because it works for us, in fact very well most of the times. But hey, if I preferred a player that has now left I'd be biased too!

Hello Freya/Alan/Cork family member, glad to know you still follow Saints!

YEESSS

Elia and Mane are so erratic with their movement that they're always off balance in the best positions.

But Davis is having a good game IMO.

He did the right thing though, they have some tall players.

Dunne is such an atrocious football player.

This. Also those who drive with maximum lights on urban roads in clear night weather.

Hello Alan, enjoying Swansea?

I follow Sporting Lisbon due to my Portuguese roots, and as a result follow the Portuguese League where he played last year...well, kind of, because he didn't play much in a Benfica side that had a good number of games and where unlike what was done in previous years, their manager (who is still the same now, unlike what I've read here) rotated the squad fairly frequently fearing the repeat of a 2013 end-of-season debacle where they lost 3 out of 3 titles (won 3 out of 4 this time round). To be sure, Benfica did have the best midfield in the league, which included Argentine international Enzo Perez, Rodrigo and Liverpool's Markovic, but even with the considerable number of games and injuries that occurred during the season Djuricic struggled to make himself counted in the opportunities he had, and ended up falling behind (the much overrated) Andre Gomes in the pecking order, even for European games where his most regular game time was coming from. The level of the Portuguese league, outside the big 3, is very low, defensive tactics are just a cover up for a lack of pace and creativity that exists in 70% of teams, and being in a good team as he was his performance was poor. Moreover, Benfica have sold a number of their midfield stars (including young prospects to Monaco and Valencia) and highly-rated Gaitan should follow soon, and yet they have not considered calling him back, nor did they consider him in pre-season. Food for thought, but as I said the jury is out as with anyone else.

Not convinced or excited, but in any case he's got the benefit of the doubt. Seems like the first "carried away" signing of the Koeman era, but as always the jury's out.

That Mane-Reed substitution tore us apart. We should've kept the midfield of 3, and changed like-for-like up front. Instead, we gave up a lot of space in midfield, forced JWP and Davis into never-ending sprinting between attack and defense, were left too exposed when our FBs went forward, and eventually that cost us with a 2nd Shelvey shot after a serious warning with the first. Reminded me a lot of the Villa game last season in December. No matter what we did, they were always going to win the game. I'm starting to think that teams are now fully aware of Pelle's threat and weaknesses, so we should look to play with another striker/central attacking player until the end of the season. Tadic has not been at a good level, and is now starting to look a bit lazy too. Needs a kick up the back side.

Off-game by wingers, no involvement with CMs and FBs, lots of possession, no good chances, no goals, no wins.... We just can't attack any other way.

How many loans left before we let him go?