Disco Stu

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Have we gone a single friendly without a calamitous keeping error?

What a goal. Also, Lazio starting to realise they just need to press us and we gift them chances.

Lots of stadium improvements but it doesn't appear the pitch has been returfed. Can anyone attending give a pitch prognosis? Looks a bit shabby on stream.

Alcaraz looks sharp. Linking up well with Brereton-Diaz.

No Lallana or Stewart. No surprises there 😒 Lallana really needs to get over his "feeling". Here's the players we'll see tonight... Apart from probably Lis

This is exactly what I think we should do.

Of course we're a bigger club but players don't care about trivial things like that. Brighton have more money and they're in a better position than us to have a successful season. That's the harsh reality.

Perhaps we haven't but Brighton and Fulham have found South American gems in the recent past so they do exist. All these markets will be hit and miss but we can't afford to dine at the top table.

I hope we continue to look beyond the inflated domestic markets. Seems there's not even much value in Scotland anymore. If we can't afford to stretch to £20m+, we need to move past O'Rily and Carvalho. We can't afford them. Clearly, we've been scouting in the Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, Argentina and even Japan in recent years. These are the markets we should be looking at given our limited budget, especially South America.

There's no chance we'll be seeing Taylor bombing up and down our left wing, but in the unlikely scenario KWP remains in the squad, it becomes another exciting option that I'd love to see with Sugawara and KWP providing attacking threat down both sides. Perhaps in the future, Larios could play the LWB role. With attacking threat from both wing backs, we could keep the opposition on their toes. Depending on how the opposition have set up, we could have one wingback attacking whilst the other stays back to create that back 4 or alternatively, a midfielder such as Downes could move back to create the back 4 allowing us to quickly make a front 4 with Sugawara and KWP. Just throwing ideas out there. It can only be a good thing to have greater tactical flexibility. I think one of the reasons we struggled to create as many chances using wingbacks was because at times, we became overreliant on KWP down our right side and it became predictable. He was a class above so we could still ultimately hurt teams but I think Premier League oppostion with better managers would be capable of nullifying us if we focus too much down one side. Without two attacking wingbacks, the better option would be to utilise more conventional wide attackers in my opinion. I'm sure with different personnel and knowing his players better, Russell is considering new ways he can get the best out of his squad as well as tweaks to pre-existing systems that can make us less predictable which I think we were at times last season. The fun of a new season with new players is we don't know how exactly we're going to play.

You described 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 as "static" formations which is nonsense. I also think, depending on how they're conceptualised, those formations can come close to resembling the systems we've seen Russell Martin use in the past. A formation isn't a tactical synopsis. As I say, just a handy way to get a team down on paper.

Exactly, If I'm expecting the wingbacks to bomb up and down the wing, I'm not suggesting a "static" formation am I? I'm interpreting the 3-5-2 as a system where the wingbacks will be required to get back into a back 5 out of possession whilst also pushing forward to create a front 4 when in possession. That is MY interpretation as I said at the start of my comment "this is how I'd set us up with our current squad". Thanks for proving my point.

Formations don't tell you anything about how fluid or structured a team will play. 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 are neither fluid nor structured. Changes in the shape depending on in-game scenerios doesn't stop formations being a handy way to put a team down on paper. I don't think anyone is interpreting these as rigid systems.

Yeah since found this: https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/news/article/tyler-dibling-commits-future-to-saints We'll need to tie him down if we don't want to lose him on the cheap.

I think the concern is we haven't seen that version of McCarthy for 5 years. He was an upgrade on Bazunu in the play-offs but I wouldn't trust him as a first choice option in the Premier League. He's decent backup.

Is his contract until 2026? I thought he only had a year based on transfermarkt but either way his contract needs extending!

I also doubt that.

You would.

McCarthy is considerably better at collecting crosses. And lets not downplay shot-stopping, the single most important attribute for a goalkeeper. Neither are at the required level but McCarthy is better at the fundementals.

My view right now is pretty pessimistic but I'll withhold making a prediction until the window SLAMS shut.

Yes.

Newcastle are better than us in every position so if our plan is to go up there and outplay them, the result will be ugly. With that in mind, this is how I'd set us up with our current squad based on what I've seen so far: McCarthy Harwood-Bellis - Bednarek - Stephens Sugawara - Smallbone - Downes - Aribo - Walker-Peters (clearly a better player than Taylor, if we're still paying his salary come the 17th, he must play) Armstrong - Brereton-Diaz If we have to play Taylor instead of Walker-Peters, 3-5-2 won't work as he lacks the pace required to bomb up and down the wings. In that case, I'd go 4-3-3: McCarthy Sugawara - Harwood-Bellis - Bednarek - Taylor Smallbone - Downes - Aribo Armstrong - Alcaraz/Dibling - Brereton-Diaz I'd expect Alcaraz or Dibling to play that role as more of a false 9 creating space for Armstrong and Brereton-Diaz. Ultimately, we still need a CF. Serious lack of pace down that left side but I don't trust Edozie to get us goals and Taylor is a better full-back than Manning. Need to avoid unnecessary tika-taka in our own box particularly if we still have McCarthy between the sticks. GK, DM, Winger, AM and CF are still essential signings we need to make in my opinion. Lacking depth and a couple of injuries (especially another Downes injury) would finish us right now.

Our tempo is still far too slow at the moment. I've been watching the other Premier League teams pre-seasons and we're noticably more ponderous. Still lacking finishers and that focal point up front. Right now, Dibling is probably best placed to play that role.

Remarkable the difference Dibling has made.