Patches O Houlihan

Highlights from Alfie House's Echo article Fernandes sometimes represents Portugal's youth teams as an attacking midfielder but made his home last campaign as a left eight. Fernandes has taken free-kicks, corners and penalties across his first-team appearances for Sporting and Estoril, demonstrating a level of respect. Goals and assists are not his first talent, which instead shines in tight areas under pressure and could see him suit Martin's system perfectly. He gets fouled a lot Fernandes averaged more passes into the final third per 90 minutes last campaign (6.51) than Smallbone (5.66) and Aribo (3.62) did. Equally, he attempted a greater number of long passes trying 3.43 per 90 minutes, compared to Smallbone's 2.47 and Aribo's 0.73. He did have worse accuracy than his new teammates in both short and long passing, perhaps down to Southampton's typically high safe possession. The technical quality and choice of pass can be coached but the bravery Fernandes has shown at a young age is an innate trait the club hunted. Against the ball, Fernandes shares similar stats with Smallbone and Aribo but blows them out of the water in total defensive duels and recoveries. In Portugal, Fernandes is viewed as one of the top prospects of the generation - and Sporting are reluctant to lose him as a result. Fernandes is about looking forward - retaining the ball in the midfield and progressing it through the third and into the strikers. Smallbone and Aribo might keep their place in the team for now but Fernandes will surely be knocking on the door if he can further craft his raw attributes. The full article is well worth a read

Didn't West Ham play JWP as an attacking midfielder with some success? I didn't see any of their games.

and Larios and potentially Wee Man

I take your points. Just wanted to highlight that we had 3 other midfielders. That said I would love to see JWP return just so that the PL free kick record is achieved when he is wearing a Saints shirt

Alcaraz, Lallana & Dibling all more than surplus to requirements?

Flynn did ok at the weekend

Every year this forum more strongly demands a bedwetting like emoji be added

I think you are underestimating the physical colossus that is Adam Lallana 😉

True - he was at Estoril. But what I'm saying is that if you are in the top 20% at a given skill in the PL you are competing against maybe 12-18 top players (2x top six clubs in that position + 6 good players from other teams) In Portugal that would be 2x3 + 5 or 6. Ultimately I'm saying the wheel isn't directly comparable with a PL data wheel. Still useful though

I think I've worked out why we are interested when we have already bought in two midfielders this week Quoted from Wikipedia: Arblaster joined the Academy at Sheffield United at the age of six.[3] He initially wanted to be a goalkeeper, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, before accepting he would play outfield due to his relatively short stature.[4]

Don't understand. Need subtitles 🤔

This data wheel is based on Primeira Liga stats. Since that league is dominated by 3 teams it perhaps ought not to be taken at face value.

So where should he be putting the needle?

This chart shows him being a bit of a Primeira Liga rockstar except for touches in the box, non-penalty goals and aerial duels. So for me he is probably more of a Lavia than a Bryan Robson. But I agree he is more of an 8 than 6. He would be Morgan, while Big Les plays the Big Vic role in a double pivot. But where does that leave Flynn?

You'd think a tailor would be more careful where he's sticking his needle

and Fernandes is a DM too. We’ve gone from being a bit stuffed when Flynn eats raw chicken innards… to very well stocked with guys who can play 6.

3 at the back suits us, but I'd be surprised if RM doesn't set us up in a 4-3-3, at home against a 'weaker' PL side.

This thread shows 3 really quality through balls. Hopefully there are a few more where they came from. I can imagine Arma, BBD and Archer thriving on these passes.

My Portuguese mate has got back to me. He supports Sporting: “Mateus was lined up to be on the main team this year, and he was loaned to Estoril (mid table) He played well for the team and was their best player all season. Sporting fans were expecting him to come in and stay, but with Morita, Hujlmand, Bragança, Pote, Santos and Araujo coming in Sporting ran out of space in the midfield. If anything could be said against him it was that he always came across that he thought he was the best and should be treated like so. I hope, for Portugal sake, he gets humbled a bit, and grows a bit too.”

Have never heard of him. But Adam Blackmore is retweeting Fabrizio Romano so it seems likely to happen. I have a Portuguese mate who is a big Sporting fan. Have asked him for feedback. In the meantime the chap above seems to be a genuine Sporting fan. Wiki Page TransferMkt This detailed Twitter thread is well worth reading: https://twitter.com/Ben_Mattinson_/status/1797681354114818116

26yo Dutchman. Plays for Feyenoord Transfermkt suggests €13m. Liverpool linked with him back in March.

When I'm describing Burnley I'm not describing how they play when they have the ball (play long). I'm describing how they defend; two rows of 4 big lumps and the two tallest big lumps stood only just in front of them. Those two players pressing get beaten all day long by 4 or 5 skilled defenders - every one knows that. Which is why coaches use 'pressing triggers' so that 4 or 5 players know to press in sequence as a team. Beating this requires the defender on the ball to only release the ball when their opposite number is close; otherwise their pass is cut out by an opponent. Look at live PL games. It is now common to see a defender stationary with his foot placed vertically on top of the ball. This position is literally inviting the press. The vast majority of teams cannot be patient for longer than 20 seconds before attempting to press, and thus creating space to play through. It is risk vs reward. We might have differing opinions but we both know Saints are shit at breaking down 2 regimented banks of four, so why not try something different.

You remember all those PL years when we used to complain about how our team couldn't break through a team that sat back and defended? We'd be good against Chelsea or Arsenal, and shit against Sean Dyche's Burnley? Which meant that at the end of the year we were lower in the table than we should have been because we lost many of the six pointers against our rivals. THAT By playing out from the back you draw the opposing team forward to try to press you. This creates space for skilled, practised players to pass through. A good pressing team will try to close off those gaps: So the possession focused team recycles the ball ,and tries again until they do find a gap to pass an incisive through ball through. I know you hate stats but we were right up at the top of the Championship teams for incisive through balls last season. When those balls get through they are received by one of our attackers in the final third. Instead of facing six to eight outfield players between them and the goal they now have two to five. It means we get to avoid the clusterfuck that was the second half yesterday. Normally Newcastle wouldn't be playing that way, but it proves that we still struggle breaking down teams that sit back. At this point you will now argue that it was the playing out from the back that caused the loss of the goal. But I will argue that our outfield players barely put a foot wrong playing that way all game. Yes maybe in that moment Jack shouldn't have played back to McCathy. BUT if in that moment he had been playing back to someone with reasonable feet, or the sense to boot it long then we would have been fine.