James G

I think Palace, Bournemouth and Forest will go down at this point in time. I think Saints will scrape to safety. Different dynamics come into play at this point of the season.

It's what I said, they keep it tight, saints dominated possession, tick, beyond that, it was quite poor. The passing was poor to feet early, noone doing runs, closing was an afterthought. Second half, tall Paul was on and they were crossing to feet alot. On set pieces, the back post was abandoned again, this needs addressing

They've played through the lines a few times, if they can do that a bit more, Brentford are playing to type, and they look vulnerable and slow to that. They close in, have four or five players round the ball. Need some more forward passes, and players making runs, then that takes out half their team.

I think we're getting more space down the left, need to exploit that, right hand side needs subs. Too much dithering on the ball, need to avoid giving them set play near the goal

Worst decision ever lol

DCC has a virus

Whatever happens, saints need to keep possession. Brentford can overwhelm with their playing style, it's very wide and they keep tight. It's very clever, need to disorientate them and get them out of position. It'll be a good game to watch

Tall Paul was a Jones thing, the goalkeeper kicks up to Paul, player picks up the second ball, pass to a runner on the wing, crosses it in, then tall Paul scores or creates something. The gameplay is more to feet now, more about Adams either scoring, or holding for the three in behind to score. It's more defensive

Midfielders are more prone to injury than any other position. Younger players are also more prone to injury. Training is intense and can result in injury just on its own, it is statistically less than matchplay, but not by alot Point being, it is good longer term to protect the younger players

I think, keep the same team, keep that consistency, keep the possession, give Sulemana an outlet, keep forward again to give Baz some space and that'll give Southampton a good chance.

I think out of 26 keepers fielded last season, McCarthy was the second worst in the league. I don't know how the stats compare to Bazunu, but it sounds like a rock and a hard place when choosing which one to play

It's going to be interesting, overall Man Utd have started matches slow, then they get into gear after 20 minutes, then peak in the second half. I think they'll start more quickly this week, so it's going to be interesting. The weakness with Utd is they overplay and make errors when frustrated.

He's recovered, was deemed 90% fit a couple of days back. It's Man Utd, so I would probably stick with the same team just from a match sharp perspective

I think it's ok. It's about seeing the pass, and I think they'll be working on that. There's no point running and dribbling if there's no end product. If you look at his scouting reports, you'll see that this is where he needs improvement

That's good news 👍

I wouldn't write off the season yet. Crystal Palace are in freefall just now, psychologically that's hard on the players. There are also rumblings at West Ham that some of the players are unhappy with Moyes. There are alot of individual stories to play out, and at least Southampton have played through their dramas now and have something to build on just now

Scan results are tomorrow. He's rated as a 75% chance of being fit for the next game from 50% yesterday

I think letting Nunez score twice is probably more embarrassing than the final result

Players need to push more forward on goal kicks, it's inviting pressure. Just kick the ball forward and centre left or right when unsure. Remove the doubt. The left and right backs need to be more left and right, than centre. They seem to stay too central and leave space

That's a really good post. If you watch the City game, Armstrong was good at the press. That game needs to be looked at for the Utd game. Utd start slow, but will generally dominate the last 60 minutes. They will boss midfield, and they are strong on the wings. The narrower game could possibly work. Force the game early on, then play on the break after 20, 30 minutes. Need to force set plays, but also press well for the last 60 minutes

And plaudits again for Alcaraz, needs to play every week, he's that goalscoring midfielder that'll be in behind the strikers. Hopefully he's not too injured. He really is a good player

In the moment, after the penalty miss, the adrenaline rush made Southampton look ok, and they scored. That is what they need to lock into, that urgency. The press was laboured at times, but over time, it worked against Leicester. Glad to see they did that part, but positioning nearer the player needs to be better. The entrapment of two, three players around the Leicester players worked and put them off. Defending during corners needs to be better, the back post was abandoned sometimes, basic play. It's still looking muddled in the middle with 4222 and congested. They were dominating out wide early on. Bazanu needs space, stop with the pass to the side on goal kicks players need to push forward. Give space in behind. He did some ok stuff, but is still awkward.

Leicester play out from defence, so if they are pressed and harried, they will make mistakes, so we need to press, no laziness. Just be in their faces all the time, and that'll win the game.

There has to be a distinct way of playing, so the players know what they are doing. I'm guessing Ralph had his playbook, and they were following that, but Ralph constantly tinkered which probably confused the players which affected performance, and ultimately their confidence. Nathan obviously made things worse. Now, when u are buying players, you have to look at what systems they are coming from and see if they fit in. Ultimately, I don't think the players coming in are bad, but if you are getting ex Man City players to play like Luton, then it's not going to work. The way Pep plays is to have visible players available close to the ball. If you are playing a system that stretches play, suited for tall Paul, then players are further away from each other, so the player needs a few extra nanoseconds to see who is available, but that is a skill in itself. The only way Southampton are going to thrive is by picking a system, pick the players then play that every week and add to it over time. Almost like rebooting a computer. It's the same problem Chelsea are having.

It's experience I would say, same with Sulemana. I think that's where an experienced manager comes in useful, one that has worked with these kind of players. Or you can do what Man City do and have players close by that you can see an outlet for the ball