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Saints V Villa Build Up Thread Capital One Cup


Stepgar

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Chelsea look so broken. I've never seen Jose look so vulnerable before, he's seemingly a dead man walking. I can never in my life time remember a Mourinho team which surrenders most weeks as easily as this.

 

It's nuts, the only explanation that presents is the players or Jose are doing it on purpose.

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It's nuts, the only explanation that presents is the players or Jose are doing it on purpose.

 

Something has gone tits up there, look at pre-season and the way they couldn't get the targets they wanted, their **** pre-season results and then the physio-gate. Lots has gone on there behind the scenes.

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Seem to be a LOT of injuries tonight - if they weren't for teams and players with regular midweek European matches I'd be mooting some half-baked theory about not being properly prepared for midweek games in colder evening conditions. However...

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Shaquiri can be great, but Afellay hasn't done anything in years now. Stoke look pretty poor most weeks when I see them, not as good as previous seasons especially defensively.

 

First game back for Shawcross which might make a difference. And yeah, the names are more impressive than the product, but I'm just being easily impressed by a bloke who was at Barcelona 9 years ago. :)

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When it comes to cup competitions I think its fair to take it on a case-by-case basis.

 

The infamous Sunderland defeat in February 2014 came in a competition where a maximum of only two of the 'Big Six' would make it through to the 1/4 finals (Spurs and United already out and Liverpool/Arsenal/Chelsea/City running into each other), along with plenty of easily-beatable lower-league fodder guaranteed to make it through.

 

It turned out that had we beaten Sunderland (who played just as weak a team as we did by the way, and would certainly have been there for the taking if we had gone for it), we'd have been two cup fixtures against relegation strugglers Hull City and third-tier Sheffield United away from a cup final against Arsenal that we genuinely could have won.

 

All in all, given the way the cup opened up for us that year, it was a huge opportunity missed for a club of our size and people were justifiably angry.

 

However; this year's league cup competition just hasn't gone that way. The big guns have all avoided each other, we haven't got as strong as squad as we did two years ago and aren't as liberated from the perils of a potential relegation battle as we were then.

 

As such, in this case I'd be happy to play a second-string team. If we 'wake up' in the Semi-Finals then of course, let's go for it, but it looks very likely that we'll simply be faced with a run of big clubs that will prove to be a bit of a brick wall.

 

What a complete load of tosh this post now looks.

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Win tomorrow. Draw Sheff Weds away in the quarters. 3000 Saints up there again for a dismal defeat.

 

We've had some dismal days there to be fair! I Remember the game there in the Burley days when we let their f*cking keeper equalise in injury time.

Edited by Jack
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We've had some dismal days there to be fair! I Remember the game there in the Burley days when we let their f*cking keeper equalise in injury time.

 

Just count yourself lucky you weren't at the 5-0 defeat in our championship relegation year, terrible performance and I remember Kelvin Davis losing it with some of our fans behind the goal.

 

I'm pleased with last night's results but won't give them too much thought until we are actually through as well, I allowed myself to get carried away forward planning in the Europa league for us to go out anyway.

 

There is definitely a 'northern' look to this competition now would expect the last 8 to be ;

 

Sheffield Wednesday

Hull

Stoke

Everton

*Manchester United

*Manchester City

*Liverpool

 

So there is a lot of responsibility on our shoulders to keep the southern flag flying.

 

I'd play

 

Stekelenburg

Cedric

Fonte

Van Dyke

Targett

Romeu

Clasie

Ward-Prowse

Ramirez

Pelle

Juanmi

 

Bench - K. Davis, S. Davis, Yoshida, Tadic, Bertrand, Seager

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Strongest side possible please. How great would it be for another top side to drop out today OR for the quarters to be Saints v Hull then a mersey side and manchester derby. Fingers crossed the big teams drop out. We could get to a final at last!!!

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Some in the media saying RK will rotate the squad tonight but that can only be speculation. RK tends to limit the changes he makes for the cups and this time he has the enforced resting of Mané, together with the unavailability of JRod and Long, so tonight's team is likely to be quite similar to last Saturday's starting line-up. My guess would be no more than three changes and a strong bench.

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Some in the media saying RK will rotate the squad tonight but that can only be speculation. RK tends to limit the changes he makes for the cups and this time he has the enforced resting of Mané, together with the unavailability of JRod and Long, so tonight's team is likely to be quite similar to last Saturday's starting line-up. My guess would be no more than three changes and a strong bench.

 

It isn't speculation - He said himself that he wants to rotate the squad. Just have a look on saints media. He put it in a positive light - basically saying that we've got a very strong squad, not just the starting 11, so that fringe players deserve a chance to get a game. He didn't say cup doesn't matter - he was just saying that we have enough quality to give some players a rest and others a chance.

 

I think that's fair enough. I could see someone like caulker and romeu getting in, maybe ramirez also. But since we have some injuries and suspensions, bottom line is certain players (pelle, tadic, etc) will definitely play.

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Dear Ron, please don't play Kelvin tonight. We will lose. This is a big chance to progress to the quarter finals. Please play as strong a side as possible.

 

If you can think of one reason which isn't "Stekelenburg isn't available" why he would do that, I'll be impressed.

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No away wins tonight! There will be at least one tomorrow and Liverpool, City and Utd look to be bankers! Plus Villa are a bogey team! Not confident!

 

This isn't 1996, Saints very rarely mess up like this any more (ok, Midtjyllland and Sheff Utd), why the "we will lose to everyone" stress?

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Some in the media saying RK will rotate the squad tonight but that can only be speculation.

 

Someone hasn't been paying attention...

 

Decisions I can see being relevant. Assuming players other than Mane, Long, Rodriguez, McQueen are fit.

 

Stekelenburg unless Koeman really needs to see Gazzaniga. Playing Davis is nonsensical by any measure other than 2 injuries.

Usual back 4 - unless Koeman wants to rest Cedric (Yoshida or Martina could start), or wants to give Caulker a run (Van Dijk or Fonte could be rested). Can't see Bertrand missing out as he's only just come back.

 

Midfield - we won't play Wanyama AND Romeu, but Romeu is the obvious replacement if Wanyama is rested.

Clasie seems likely to play to get him more gametime.

JWP didn't start on Sunday but Tadic did.

Juanmi will probably start and Ramirez will appear at some point. Juanmi is a possible Pelle replacement (as we played without Pelle in the last round) but so far has played as an AM.

 

It's very difficult to know which midfield options RK will go with:

 

-----Stekelenburg

Cedric-Fonte-VVD-Bertrand

-----Romeu-Clasie

JWP-Ramirez-Juanmi

--------Pelle

 

But it could just as easily be

----Romeu-JWP

Tadic-Clasie-Juanmi

------Pelle

 

or

 

----Romeu-Clasie

JWP-Ramirez-Juanmi

------Pelle

 

or he might pick Wanyama. We could have Mane/Long/Rodriguez all back on Sunday for AFCB so that's got to be a consideration.

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It's very difficult to know which midfield options RK will go with:

 

-----Stekelenburg

Cedric-Fonte-VVD-Bertrand

-----Romeu-Clasie

JWP-Ramirez-Juanmi

--------Pelle

 

But it could just as easily be

----Romeu-JWP

Tadic-Clasie-Juanmi

------Pelle

 

or

 

----Romeu-Clasie

JWP-Ramirez-Juanmi

------Pelle

 

or he might pick Wanyama. We could have Mane/Long/Rodriguez all back on Sunday for AFCB so that's got to be a consideration.

But probably he will play Davis who you seem to have forgotten...

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It isn't speculation - He said himself that he wants to rotate the squad. Just have a look on saints media. He put it in a positive light - basically saying that we've got a very strong squad, not just the starting 11, so that fringe players deserve a chance to get a game. He didn't say cup doesn't matter - he was just saying that we have enough quality to give some players a rest and others a chance.

 

I think that's fair enough. I could see someone like caulker and romeu getting in, maybe ramirez also. But since we have some injuries and suspensions, bottom line is certain players (pelle, tadic, etc) will definitely play.

 

Good to hear that RK is rotating the squad as I was hoping. Not only does it give some of the other players a chance to prove themselves in a competitive game, it keeps our 'first teamers' fresh for the next league game.

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Although one of the two Manchester clubs must be favourite to win, as long as we avoid one of them we have a great chance of reaching the finals.

I really hope RK gives it a real go.

The final against Forest was a great experience, I watched it with my late father. He bought us a great fillet steak lunch in Harrow, and he had just bought his first automatic Audi and I almost put him through the windscreen when I automatically went to use the clutch in Wembley car park!

Heart permitting I would love to be at next years final with my son. Football finals are about fond memories almost as much as the result.

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Let's be honest, villa are Shyte this season.

 

We will make a couple of changes but I can't see changes that will raise an eyebrow. Juanmi, gaston, rom, caulker will probably feature

 

Getting knocked out tonight will be a dire result. Going for a 3-1 win in normal time

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