Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Yeah, I wont be commenting on the referee's performance today...

Southampton are an interesting team, I don't know what our resident followers think, but at times they for me try to play a little bit too precisely with their passing, and teams are learning to simply drop into zones in defence and ask them to play through them. When it works its pretty unstoppable, but when its not working it can look a little tame and same-ish.

Personally think they need to mix their style of play at times to give defences other things to think about.

sussexpob wrote:Southampton are an interesting team, I don't know what our resident followers think, but at times they for me try to play a little bit too precisely with their passing, and teams are learning to simply drop into zones in defence and ask them to play through them. When it works its pretty unstoppable, but when its not working it can look a little tame and same-ish.

Personally think they need to mix their style of play at times to give defences other things to think about.

Indeed, we are very much a poor man's Arsenal or Barcelona - albeit with the capacity of being able to defend.

And it's nothing new under Koeman. Wanting to pass and score the perfect goal, rather than just pulling the trigger, is a trait we had under Poch and Adkins too.

We don't have an Hazard, an Eriksen, a Sanchez etc to break down the opposition putting ten men behind the ball. Expect a 0-0 next up, away to WBA.

We do try to go long at times, whether it is to Pelle now or Lambert in the past. But partly because we play two holding(ish) CMs (hence our ability to defend), we rarely have much support around them. No Carroll knocking it down Nolan type situations. And therefore it's generally pretty for opposition defenders to deal with.

You dont have to go long, I think at times they just need to play the ball forward a lot quicker. When teams play like Swansea did against you, ie got battered in an open game for 20 minutes then played for a draw, they seem to revert to passing it around between the CM's and dont really go forward quickly enough to force teams to give up space..... and often the result is to switch the play to the overlapping fullback who has to control a high ball all the time, and that gives the fullback the extra couple of seconds to get back in. Id just like to see them take more chances for a few killer through balls when they have teams on the break.

Im not a great fan of the 3-5-2 type thing anyway. It always leaves me feeling that you have an extra man doing nothing in defence all the if you are the type of team that is going to get a lot of defence walls to break down

Unfortunately we're persisting with Pelle through the middle alone at the moment. Threading a killer ball through to him simply isn't an option. He doesn't have the pace, and he starts too deep. Unless we drop him, 4-3-3 doesn't really allow us to do that.

I think we are much, much more dangerous when we play 4-4-2 or 3-5-2, with Mane through the middle with Pelle. You just need to look at Mane's goals against Palace and Chelsea as evidence of that.

st_brendy wrote:Such a dive from Kane.

Poor defending. Why out your hand on a players shoulder/back in the area, even if Kane made the most of it.

Matic has had his ban reduced to two games. Why, because he was fouled? This will set a precedent now. Hit back if you've been wronged and only get a two game ban.

Gingerfinch wrote:Matic has had his ban reduced to two games. Why, because he was fouled? This will set a precedent now. Hit back if you've been wronged and only get a two game ban.

Apparently because the level of force he used was not worthy of a 3 game ban.

budgetmeansbudget wrote:

Gingerfinch wrote:Matic has had his ban reduced to two games. Why, because he was fouled? This will set a precedent now. Hit back if you've been wronged and only get a two game ban.

Apparently because the level of force he used was not worthy of a 3 game ban.

Sounds a bit pants. Level of force is going to be debatable with future incidents.

Gingerfinch wrote:

budgetmeansbudget wrote:

Gingerfinch wrote:Matic has had his ban reduced to two games. Why, because he was fouled? This will set a precedent now. Hit back if you've been wronged and only get a two game ban.

Apparently because the level of force he used was not worthy of a 3 game ban.

Sounds a bit pants. Level of force is going to be debatable with future incidents.

I agree both ways really. While the precedent set is not a good one, lashing out like he did was perfect understandable after a tackle like that. Its not the way to behave, but its not the way to tackle either, and I think anyone in the position to still stand after that would probably react in a similar way.

Its just a shame Haidara couldn't walk and went to hospital, instead of laying out that thug McManaman when it happened to him.

I don't rate Jack Wilshere that highly, but he hasn't got a cat in hells chance of becoming the footballer alot of people thought he would do with all these injury set backs. I think these ankle injuries could end up with him prematurely retiring from the game well before he reaches 30.

budgetmeansbudget wrote:I don't rate Jack Wilshere that highly, but he hasn't got a cat in hells chance of becoming the footballer alot of people thought he would do with all these injury set backs. I think these ankle injuries could end up with him prematurely retiring from the game well before he reaches 30.

made a comment a couple of months ago ;

wilshere will be remembered as a professional hospital patient who had his career blighted by the odd appearance for arsenal

3-1 defeat to Palace....

Ref sent off the wrong player at Man U.

Man City help Chelsea move nearer the title.