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Saints v Arsenal - Build up and Match


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2-0 win. We have turned the tv curse round and don’t we’ve been beat on tv this season.

They need to have a wobble and have some inconsistent performers. Hopefully Utd defeat has derailed them. Equally could easily turn on the style and turn us over comfortably.

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PEH put in a man of the match performance vs Everton, played really well for the hour he was on vs City, and was then rested at Bournemouth... I feel like that was in preparation for this game.

 

If Cedric isn't fit then Sanchez and Özil will cause all sorts of problems down the right edge, particularly if Dusan "I never come back behind halfway" Tadic plays on the wing.

 

Forster

Pied VVD Hoedt Yoshida Bertrand

PEH Lemina Romeu

Long Redmond

 

Best way to play Arsenal is on the low block, they thrive when there is space to run into on the counter but struggle when teams set up deep and look to break against them... Particularly because Xhaka, Ramsey, Bellerin, Kolasinac all push high up the pitch leaving them very vulnerable to quick counters. With Mustafi out they will also be slow at the back (Monreal, Mertesacker and Koscielny) ... Opportunity calls if Southampton employ a defensively solid base.

 

Austin over Long and Davis over Romeu and thats right for me.

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PEH put in a man of the match performance vs Everton, played really well for the hour he was on vs City, and was then rested at Bournemouth... I feel like that was in preparation for this game.

 

If Cedric isn't fit then Sanchez and Özil will cause all sorts of problems down the right edge, particularly if Dusan "I never come back behind halfway" Tadic plays on the wing.

 

Forster

Pied VVD Hoedt Yoshida Bertrand

PEH Lemina Romeu

Long Redmond

 

Best way to play Arsenal is on the low block, they thrive when there is space to run into on the counter but struggle when teams set up deep and look to break against them... Particularly because Xhaka, Ramsey, Bellerin, Kolasinac all push high up the pitch leaving them very vulnerable to quick counters. With Mustafi out they will also be slow at the back (Monreal, Mertesacker and Koscielny) ... Opportunity calls if Southampton employ a defensively solid base.

 

Gulp, you have picked the worse possible lineup in my book. Boufal, Austin and Tadic who are all coming into form and you would drop all of them. This is a home game right?.

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I think he might be from Hojbjerg's family

 

Based on recent performances, you'd get more intensity and forward passing from Hoj than from Davis. The idea that either of them is a DM is erroneous - they're both plain old utility central midfielders, so pick the one more likely to contribute to dominating the central midfield.

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Based on recent performances, you'd get more intensity and forward passing from Hoj than from Davis. The idea that either of them is a DM is erroneous - they're both plain old utility central midfielders, so pick the one more likely to contribute to dominating the central midfield.

 

Disagree with that. Our midfield links so much better with the forward line when Davis plays so for me he has to play. If PEH plays, it should be in front of Romeu who has been substandard anyway.

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PEH put in a man of the match performance vs Everton, played really well for the hour he was on vs City, and was then rested at Bournemouth... I feel like that was in preparation for this game.

 

If Cedric isn't fit then Sanchez and Özil will cause all sorts of problems down the right edge, particularly if Dusan "I never come back behind halfway" Tadic plays on the wing.

 

Forster

Pied VVD Hoedt Yoshida Bertrand

PEH Lemina Romeu

Long Redmond

 

Best way to play Arsenal is on the low block, they thrive when there is space to run into on the counter but struggle when teams set up deep and look to break against them... Particularly because Xhaka, Ramsey, Bellerin, Kolasinac all push high up the pitch leaving them very vulnerable to quick counters. With Mustafi out they will also be slow at the back (Monreal, Mertesacker and Koscielny) ... Opportunity calls if Southampton employ a defensively solid base.

 

This lineup would guarantee 0 goals, why go back to that way again? I like PEH, but we need some scorers too. Haven't we learned this lineup just creates a lot of possession time around midfield.

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Disagree with that. Our midfield links so much better with the forward line when Davis plays so for me he has to play. If PEH plays, it should be in front of Romeu who has been substandard anyway.

 

Romeu was one of our best players vs Bompey

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I think the performance is key, if this team player with more purpose and tempo, like they have over the last few games then we have a good chance of beating Arsenal.

 

But Arsenal have some top players, so we could easily play well and get beaten, but I'll accept that, as it shows progress and those sort of performances will get results.

 

But a turgid performance will be worrying as either Arsenal will smash us, or they will sneak a win playing badly and we'll have thrown away another winnable game.

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Disagree with that. Our midfield links so much better with the forward line when Davis plays so for me he has to play. If PEH plays, it should be in front of Romeu who has been substandard anyway.

 

This is the Saints equivalent of 'you always get a 7 out of 10 from James Milner'. A falsehood that has been repeated so many times that it's achieved the hallowed status of cliche. How exactly does Davis link the midfield and the forward line when he seldom manages to steel himself to trot forward more than five yards, and when he's so averse to turning on the ball that he'd rather pass back to a marked defender than risk looking at the open space behind his back?

 

Hoj's performance against Everton was exactly the kind of dynamic, determined busy linking game that everyone claims to see in SD. That so many on here took notice and declared Hoj outstanding after that game suggests to me that we haven't seen someone impose themselves on the midfield like that in quite some time.

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Disagree with that. Our midfield links so much better with the forward line when Davis plays so for me he has to play. If PEH plays, it should be in front of Romeu who has been substandard anyway.

 

Fine if you rate Davis, but very surprising that you'd be so quick to write off Romeu. Romeu hasn't been as good this season, but he's still been decent and was excellent vs Bournemouth. I think in some ways it's because Lemina has taken the attention and some of the workload off him. In the same way that a goalkeeper playing for a poor team gets lots of chances to make saves and shine, last season every opposition attack had to get past Oriol whereas this year we have someone else in there too.

 

If everyone is fit, to me the choice of a central midfield three is Lemina, Romeu + Davis/Hojbjerg/Tadic/Boufal. Each have their merits.

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Disagree with that. Our midfield links so much better with the forward line when Davis plays so for me he has to play. If PEH plays, it should be in front of Romeu who has been substandard anyway.

 

Romeu has not been sub-standard Pete. At least I'm pleased to note you no longer nominate JWP as an automatic starter.

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Based on recent performances, you'd get more intensity and forward passing from Hoj than from Davis. The idea that either of them is a DM is erroneous - they're both plain old utility central midfielders, so pick the one more likely to contribute to dominating the central midfield.

 

Or, alternatively, the one more likely to contribute to us scoring a goal. You know, the one has scored times this season, as opposed to the one who hasn't scored in a full competitive match since May 2015.

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Or, alternatively, the one more likely to contribute to us scoring a goal. You know, the one has scored times this season, as opposed to the one who hasn't scored in a full competitive match since May 2015.

 

Davis's scoring record isn't a stat I'd be using to try and win an argument. And besides, I'd be more confident in a high tempo, forward-looking midfield without Davis contributing to more team goals than I would be allowing him to sludge up possession in the hope that he'll nod in another rebound from a JWP freekick at some point this season (as let's face it, he's not going to ping another one in from distance for another five years going on previous form).

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Romeu has not been sub-standard Pete. At least I'm pleased to note you no longer nominate JWP as an automatic starter.

 

Just was a big fan of his setpieces austsaint, but no point putting him in now with him clearly being second choice.

 

I think Romeu has been substandard but only from the standard he was setting last season.

 

I'd play Romeu over PEH but my point was if PEH replaces anyone- for me it should be Romeu not Lamina or Davis who I am liking in our formation this season.

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From the guardian: Southampton have had precisely 200 shots in the Premier League, fewer only than last season’s top six (and only 12 behind Manchester United), suggesting that they are something of a creative force. But only 45 of them have been on target, more only than Swansea, Huddersfield, Brighton and West Brom, suggesting either that they are wildly profligate or that they favour hopelessly optimistic efforts from long range. Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadichave had seven shots on target this season from 28 and 21 attempts respectively. Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal’s sharpest shooter, has had precisely as many shots on target as Redmond, Tadic and Charlie Austin put together, despite having had only half as many (52.3%, to be precise) shots overall. It is hard to know precisely what conclusion to draw from this knowledge, but it should reduce any feeling of surprise when Petr Cech watches yet another effort sail helplessly wide of his goal

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/dec/08/premier-league-10-things-to-look-out-for-this-weekend

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From the guardian: Southampton have had precisely 200 shots in the Premier League, fewer only than last season’s top six (and only 12 behind Manchester United), suggesting that they are something of a creative force. But only 45 of them have been on target, more only than Swansea, Huddersfield, Brighton and West Brom, suggesting either that they are wildly profligate or that they favour hopelessly optimistic efforts from long range. Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadichave had seven shots on target this season from 28 and 21 attempts respectively. Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal’s sharpest shooter, has had precisely as many shots on target as Redmond, Tadic and Charlie Austin put together, despite having had only half as many (52.3%, to be precise) shots overall. It is hard to know precisely what conclusion to draw from this knowledge, but it should reduce any feeling of surprise when Petr Cech watches yet another effort sail helplessly wide of his goal

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/dec/08/premier-league-10-things-to-look-out-for-this-weekend

 

I expect if you compared where Lacazette takes his shots from, they are a lot closer to goal, or in a much more promising situation than where (or when) Redmond takes his from. Another factor is of course, that Lacazette is better than any of our strikers, but notwithstanding that, I think the most likely conclusion is that Arsenal fashion better chances than we do.

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From the guardian: Southampton have had precisely 200 shots in the Premier League, fewer only than last season’s top six (and only 12 behind Manchester United), suggesting that they are something of a creative force. But only 45 of them have been on target, more only than Swansea, Huddersfield, Brighton and West Brom, suggesting either that they are wildly profligate or that they favour hopelessly optimistic efforts from long range. Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadichave had seven shots on target this season from 28 and 21 attempts respectively. Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal’s sharpest shooter, has had precisely as many shots on target as Redmond, Tadic and Charlie Austin put together, despite having had only half as many (52.3%, to be precise) shots overall. It is hard to know precisely what conclusion to draw from this knowledge, but it should reduce any feeling of surprise when Petr Cech watches yet another effort sail helplessly wide of his goal

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/dec/08/premier-league-10-things-to-look-out-for-this-weekend

 

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42212590

 

LAWRO'S PREDICTION

 

Southampton came back to get a point against Bournemouth last week and I am going to go for another draw here.

 

I don't think Saints will test Arsenal's defence in the same way United did, but they won't give too much away at the back either.

 

Prediction: 2-0

 

He has gone 1-1 in the article !

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This lineup would guarantee 0 goals, why go back to that way again? I like PEH, but we need some scorers too. Haven't we learned this lineup just creates a lot of possession time around midfield.

 

Exactly. 8 defensive players is overkill. As someone said on tv the other day our problem is we used to try and win games regardless who it was against. We now try not to lose games and hope we can get something. We have won 2 of our last 10 games. The defensive **** does not work.

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Looks like it's going to be a perfect storm tomorrow: gale force winds, torrential rain and sleet, trains cancelled, road traffic affected by the terrble conditions... A lot of Arsenal fans with tickets are not going to be able to make it.

 

All this should work in our favour and help us get a good result, although a lot may depend on winning the toss as playing into the 45mph winds in the first half, which are expcted to moderate significantly after 1pm, is going to be a hell of a disadvantage for one of the teams.

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Looks like it's going to be a perfect storm tomorrow: gale force winds, torrential rain and sleet, trains cancelled, road traffic affected by the terrble conditions... A lot of Arsenal fans with tickets are not going to be able to make it.

 

All this should work in our favour and help us get a good result, although a lot may depend on winning the toss as playing into the 45mph winds in the first half, which are expcted to moderate significantly after 1pm, is going to be a hell of a disadvantage for one of the teams.

 

A good point regarding weather, hopefully our captain sticks his finger in the air before kickoff.

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A good point regarding weather, hopefully our captain sticks his finger in the air before kickoff.

Absolutely Tropical for our captain given where he hails from!!! :D

 

Oh oh dear just seen we have Bobby f'ing Madley on the whistle tomorrow, that's going to be like playing up hill into the wind based on our games he's previously officiated in against the big boys............ Emirates in the league last season being a notable stinker from him!

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Depends what iteration of Arsenal turns up.

 

Not really, we've failed to beat anyone who has been even slightly better than utter sh*te this season. even arsenal at their worst will fail to be as bad as Everton, west ham, west Brom and palace were.

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