Saints V Arsenal build up & match thread

Dear footballing gods,

Please can we have the version of Gabbiadini back that was scoring goals for fun from half chances a few months ago?

Yours sincerely,

Saints Fans

Dear footballing gods,

 

Please can we have the version of Gabbiadini back that was scoring goals for fun from half chances a few months ago?

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Saints Fans

To do that he needs service and a midfield that gets up with him

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Same old **** we have seen for a lot of this season. Hardly any attacking, set up to stop teams scoring. Which is anti-football. When things go wrong the changes (if he ever does any) never seem to work.

Arsenal are a good team but they were hardly amazing tonight. Add to that their recent away record isn't anything to write home about. If it was a team ie Chelsea who are in form and scoring tons of goals you could accept it. But Arsenal are average this season and we gave them far too much respect. 270 mins without a goal is **** poor.

Get Puel out. We were ragged, we were poor, our passing was well below par. We need to act now. With a few new signings in the summer we can still be decent, but our decent players look confused and its obvious to me that they don't believe in Puel. I am not going OTT but if Puel stays i fear many players will want out and a relegation battle next season is VERY LIKELY!

What makes it worse. Arsenal could be below average and still get a 2 goal win

Just so poor

Tadic, long, redmond, boufal, Rodriguez, Gabbiadini and we muster just 2 shots on target in 2 Fecking games

To do that he needs service and a midfield that gets up with him

 

Fair point, although he had a few chances today that he would have buried if he was playing with the same confidence and composure he had before he got injured

I thought that, too.

 

GK pathetic.

Strikers pathetic.

 

No wonder we're fading. It's so disappointing to see this lack of heart.

Really blaming FF for that? Giroud was about 3 yards out with a free header, no chance.

Too many players like Davis who will do ANYTHING but shoot. Need much more opportunism

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Spells of bright play marred by complete cluelessness around the box. First goal was nice by Sanchez but if centre backs had of worked as a team it could have been shut out. 2nd was just awful.

Thought the 3 in midfield were quite bright today.

Gabby looked very off the boil.

Can't quite understand our utter desperateness to work the ball out wide given how poor we are at getting on the end of anything.

3 corners, spoiled by twice not attacking the back post and once not having anyone on cech when he spilled.

Got to say i'm fast running out of patience with Puel. Time for someone new and hopefully some good summer signings to add some directness to our play.

Commentary really annoyed me, saying Saints fan would be happy losing to Arsenal and what a good season it is to lose as many as you win.

Deckchairs at the ready ... largely since EFL cup final out season has sort of just fizzled out. We are rarely terrible and occasionally decent but just seem to be bumbling through the rest of the season. Everything just seems to have lost a bit of sharpness and urgency with the odd first touch seeming to take our play from promising to frustrating.

Do hope this is a end of season blip on account of sod all to really compete for rather than a permanent decline in our quality of play.

But the big zip we need, the connecting 'glue' that turns us into a unit is provided by the manager. And this guy hasn't got it.

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Get Puel out. We were ragged, we were poor, our passing was well below par. We need to act now. With a few new signings in the summer we can still be decent, but our decent players look confused and its obvious to me that they don't believe in Puel. I am not going OTT but if Puel stays i fear many players will want out and a relegation battle next season is VERY LIKELY!

You see, if we lose at Middlesbrough, I'll forgive such a reaction. But against Arsenal?

Come on, pull yourself together.

Sick and tired of our weak fan base.

You see, if we lose at Middlesbrough, I'll forgive such a reaction. But against Arsenal?

 

Come on, pull yourself together.

 

Sick and tired of our weak fan base.

Arsenal were totally average tonight. Didn't have to try and comfortably beat us

Would be happy to play Sims, McQueen, Hojbjerg and Pied on Saturday as it would be nice to mix it up and hope for a goal.

Really blaming FF for that? Giroud was about 3 yards out with a free header, no chance.

Fair point. I'm not really blaming him, but he didn't exactly do the 'Schmeichel spread' with energy, or even arm-waving, moving towards the striker, challenging for the ball (at 3 yards out he could have reached it!). He just fell over in a lacklustre way hoping it would hit him. Not very good effort imo. Didn't even look good!

Defence should have done better with marking, though.

I've given up, our players clearly have as well.

Complete ineptitude in the final quarter of the pitch cost us that game. Whether it was dreadful shooting, dreadful decision making or dreadful aimless crosses. We looked in the game for a long time but didn't show any sort of conviction once we got in and around the penalty box.

 

I'm finding it hard to single out a single player. I think the central midfield is our weakest position, because while we look solid enough with the three today, they offer no attacking threat, so when Tadic is woeful there isn't anyone to pick up the slack.

 

Can't help but feel that a team that can't convert attacking play into chances, or chances into goals, with a tendency to concede through a defensive lapse here and there (because we were decent defensively overall) are the sort of things you say about a team heading for relegation. Starting to lose faith a bit now.

Going to end up as next seasons Middlesbrough if this doesn't get sorted out. There is a predictable trait emerging in ALL of these games and it does not bode well.

season.

Shame Cech is so good or we'd have gone in ahead.

Need to win the last three for the 8th place dream to be realised.

Arsenal were totally average tonight. Didn't have to try and comfortably beat us

I agree, but they have better players than us.

We should beat a Middlesbrough side that is already relegated, no ifs, no buts.

I agree, but they have better players than us.

 

We should beat a Middlesbrough side that is already relegated, no ifs, no buts.

Will require an OG or two for that to happen.

You see, if we lose at Middlesbrough, I'll forgive such a reaction. But against Arsenal?

 

Come on, pull yourself together.

 

Sick and tired of our weak fan base.

No, enough is enough today, it was weak all round, yet again. An Adkins' Saints would've scored 3 against this lot tonight and maybe lost, but it would've been enjoyable. Arguably, Pochettino's and Koeman's Saints would have beaten them easily. This was yet another dull, insipid match. I've been giving the guy another chance, match after match, but I'm done.

We were so slow when we attack. By the time we decide to try and pass forward, the opposition have got their shape back.

Big summer coming up, god help us if Yoshida is a first choice CB next season.

Well at least Puel tried something different with 3 strikers.

Problem is look who he took off again. JWP for Boufal.

Pamplemouse you have to be Puels son, brother or lover! No right minded Saints fan can seriously believe that he is up to the job. THE PLAYERS ARE NOT PLAYING FOR HIM. You have lost the plot ..........end OF!!!

The real worry is that the same excuses have been trotted out all season. We aren't improving and, if anything, are getting worse. We need to stop the rot and unfortunately that means a change of manager as soon as we can feasibly replace him.

Well at least Puel tried something different with 3 strikers.

 

Problem is look who he took off again. JWP for Boufal.

Agree however why did he not change formation? We created **** all, he put on 3 strikers and played 2 of them out wide. Its progress though, I suppose.

Why is it I don't give a s-h-i-t any more? Been going since 1963, never felt this disinterested!

Anyone who blames Gabbiadini being off the boil for our lack of threat in front of goal is an absolute clown.

The poor blokes presses the back 4, no one is there to help him. Makes very good runs off the ball getting behind the defence, we decide to pass it sidewards. The only service he gets are long hopeful balls then has no one around him.

He's not gone backwards in terms of ability, we have as a team.

At 1 point today he collected the ball on the edge of our box ffs. I feel sorry for him and can really sense his frustration.

We have absolutely no pace on the counter at all. We either seem to be too defensive or too attacking, no inbetween.

I'm sure Claude is a good manager, he's just not suited to the Premier Leauge. Slipping towards relegation next season if this continues.

What really pleases me is playing at home and scoring so many goals.

It's so exciting!

Puel bye bye

season.

This.

Pamplemouse you have to be Puels son, brother or lover! No right minded Saints fan can seriously believe that he is up to the job. THE PLAYERS ARE NOT PLAYING FOR HIM. You have lost the plot ..........end OF!!!

No doubt, ALWAYS_SFC would have something to say about some of that.

You see, if we lose at Middlesbrough, I'll forgive such a reaction. But against Arsenal?

 

Come on, pull yourself together.

 

Sick and tired of our weak fan base.

I think most of us are sick and tired of your blind faith.

I've been out so missed all the action. Can't say I'm surprised at the result. Saints home form is dreadful. There's something not right there. I reckon we'll lose all our remaining games and end up closer to the bottom 3 than to the top half.

Enough is enough, I'm fed up with this tedious negative rubbish week in week out. 11 goals in our last 13 home games says it all, it is a real chore going to SMS atm.

IMO we have good players but the manager is not using them properly. Gabbi worked his socks off tonight but gets no service as we are set up to try and keep a clean sheet rather than try and win the game, he was ridiculously isolated. Many times when Arsenal were in possession we had 11 men behind he ball.

The whole place needs livening up as it feels like there's a real apathy setting in and it needs to start with a new manager who actually knows how to attack.

Season can't end soon enough.

Not quite sure where to start with that, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as some are saying.

First half we really should have gone ahead, they were there for the taking I felt. Their back 3 was all over the place and the width was exposing the formation and their wing backs. We were let down by a lack of quality with the final pass once we got in behind, Redmond especially guilty of that in the first half. But the intensity was there, the purpose was there, we just couldn't make it count.

2nd half was a totally different ball game, obviously Arsenal re-shaped a little - but what on earth was said to the players? We stopped doing what we were good at in the first half, it all became too central and we became frustrated. This played into Arsenals hands and they got a grip, although they still didn't really play with huge pace or purpose. But once we stopped doing what made us tick in the first half, it was always going to be a back to the walls job. Now, was that something which was said to them? Were we told to change it? Or did Arsenal really improve that much? Probably a combination of poor half time management by us and a good one from Arsenal.

Another game goes without a goal, this has been the most non-season at home that I can remember for a long, long, long time. I know I keep saying it, but it's like this season has just never started, I'm still waiting.

Puel didn't do himself any favors with the 2nd half, still can't bring myself to listen to his pre or post-match stuff, but I don't think we're a bad side, we're not miles away from anything - but you do start to wonder if it's the management and instructions holding the players back, are we being told to play within ourselves and not take the game to teams? There was 40m odd worth of attacking talent out there in Tadic, Gabbiadini, Boufal, Redmond at points in that game. We really should have got a goal or looked more likely. I feel sorry for Long, there are goals in him...but I don't think we know how to utilize him - or jay....or boufal correctly.

Long summer ahead, big thinking to be done. Don't think he'll go personally, but a few players will likely go before him.

I didn't see a lack effort today, just a lack of quality/decision making. I don't think there is any evidence that the players aren't playing for the manager, even if the performance was a little listless. I think that comes more down to the lack of cohesion when we attack. And for that you can ask questions of Puel. Are the players not capable of executing a plan? Or are the ideas from the training ground just not transposing well onto the pitch? I used to think the former, and still think it could be that, but am increasingly thinking it could be the latter - i.e. Either the wrong ideas or not clear enough instruction for those ideas to work.

(Just seen S-Clarke's post, very similar thoughts!)

Too many players like Davis who will do ANYTHING but shoot. Need much more opportunism

 

 

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Spot on.

But the big zip we need, the connecting 'glue' that turns us into a unit is provided by the manager. And this guy hasn't got it.

 

 

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No. As you said before, the glue is someone like Davis or JWP to actually have a go. For most of the game all Arsenal had to do was mark Gabbi out of the game and the rest was easy. They knew no one else was going to shoot (and get it on target even less likely). Puel can do very little once the players cross the line. They were well up for it at the beginning so Claude set them up well. Admittedly we looked more of a threat with Long, Boufal and JRod on the pitch which begs the question why did he not make the changes earlier. Most of us could see JWP and Tadic were losing touch with the game around them from about 65 minutes.

Redmond's shot aside, we were poor going forward, very pedestrian in midfield, and defended poorly for both goals.

In short, a typical performance from Puel's team. He cannot be risked next season.

Because Arsenal finish better than us?

Because so many games this season have been bereft of entertainment, goals and positive play.

I have a sneaky feeling that puel may go by mutual consent this week. The atmosphere again was pretty dire around the ground and surely the board must be seeing this.

Tonight's performance was huff and puff and that was it, just nothing to get the fans going and you could see the frustration building in the players. After the first goal heads were down and nobody was trying to get the players up for it, not even from the bench. Why would any decent player want to stay and settle for another season of this? Puel needs to go now and black also.

We don't have anyone to join the midfield to the attack, that has been the issue all season. The full backs can do that if they provide the width, they did that excellently in the first half....but we need a proper midfielder who passes forward and can dictate it. Someone of the style of Cesc (not saying him...!) - but he looks forward, passes, spreads it etc. Our midfielders are all too samey. Recycle position very well, but not penetrative enough with it.

Mane gave us a huge 'mold' last season, we still lacked that in our midfield last year...but Mane's ability to come into midfield, pick the ball up and run at the team sort of nullified our lack of a penetrative midfield. Now we've not got Mane, it's all very obvious and samey. No one willing to break the line.

Top post hypo, top post.

 

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Why is that controversial?

I thought that we looked decent in the first half. We seem to have put a lot of similar performances against the top 6 sides - play well without scoring in the first, come a cropper in the second and then concede again when pressing for an equalizer. It's a shame. Arsenal were crap especially in the first. They were there for the taking.

We can't play off the break anymore. So many teams play off the break and we've forgotten how.

But,but,but Saints have avoided what the bedwetters were frightened of i.e. relegation by a massive amount and don't forget Saints went to Wembley.

See us happy clappers only see the bright side of everything so how dare those worried people say anything against that elite manager etc.

With about 10 mins to go and 1-0 down we bring everyone back to defend a corner. Just don't get that whatsoever. We make scattergun substitutions under puel. Under previous managers substitutions were made with just cause, just feel now we make for the sake of it. It looks like we lose all cohesion after the subs come on and that surely be down to lack of planning on the training ground

Not quite sure where to start with that, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as some are saying.

 

First half we really should have gone ahead, they were there for the taking I felt. Their back 3 was all over the place and the width was exposing the formation and their wing backs. We were let down by a lack of quality with the final pass once we got in behind, Redmond especially guilty of that in the first half. But the intensity was there, the purpose was there, we just couldn't make it count.

 

2nd half was a totally different ball game, obviously Arsenal re-shaped a little - but what on earth was said to the players? We stopped doing what we were good at in the first half, it all became too central and we became frustrated. This played into Arsenals hands and they got a grip, although they still didn't really play with huge pace or purpose. But once we stopped doing what made us tick in the first half, it was always going to be a back to the walls job. Now, was that something which was said to them? Were we told to change it? Or did Arsenal really improve that much? Probably a combination of poor half time management by us and a good one from Arsenal.

 

Another game goes without a goal, this has been the most non-season at home that I can remember for a long, long, long time. I know I keep saying it, but it's like this season has just never started, I'm still waiting.

 

Puel didn't do himself any favors with the 2nd half, still can't bring myself to listen to his pre or post-match stuff, but I don't think we're a bad side, we're not miles away from anything - but you do start to wonder if it's the management and instructions holding the players back, are we being told to play within ourselves and not take the game to teams? There was 40m odd worth of attacking talent out there in Tadic, Gabbiadini, Boufal, Redmond at points in that game. We really should have got a goal or looked more likely. I feel sorry for Long, there are goals in him...but I don't think we know how to utilize him - or jay....or boufal correctly.

 

Long summer ahead, big thinking to be done. Don't think he'll go personally, but a few players will likely go before him.

Spot on, as usual.

Redmond's shot aside, we were poor going forward, very pedestrian in midfield, and defended poorly for both goals.

 

In short, a typical performance from Puel's team. He cannot be risked next season.

That simply wasn't the game I've just watched.

We had purpose, pace, intensity, but just lacked the final quality and movement needed in the final third.

Tadic was a little below par, Redmond had a poor game. Gabbiadini was isolated but worked hard. There were plenty of good performances.

The biggest problem was, when the full backs got into good advanced positions, there was a lack of movement inside them resulting in hopeful crosses with not enough players attacking the ball, or it had to come backwards.

We tried to play an open, fast, expansive game but that inevitably game them chances, and the difference was they had the quality to put two away. Otherwise very little between the teams.

But there is no way you can call that a bad or boring performance.

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Slightly off topic but does anyone know if the young lad who collapsed towards the back of Block 39 is alright? He looked in a bad way...hope he's alright.