'Similar but not so intense training'

[eelpie]

“Training is slightly different in that it’s not so intense compared with the regime under Pochettino, but we do a lot more short, sharp work on the training ground as well as prolonged hard running sessions, so it’s slightly different, but all of the lads are really benefitting from it.

 

Read more at http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/16082014-ward-prowse-enjoying-working-with-koeman-'

 

I wonder if this will mean that Saints will manage tempo in games better. Last season we swept everyone away with our high temp, but seemed to make silly costly mistakes at the end that comes with tiredness. What do you think?

[RobM]

You could see some of the passing and movement styles and shape against Bayer were different to Pochettino, which would match the short-sharp bursts of running JWP describes. I imagine we'll see a lot of that - receive, pass, short sprint to get into a new position.

 

Then run like hell to get back if you lose it!

[Saint Charlie]

Lots of Managers talk about "pressing" - it is very popular at the moment.

 

Pochettino teams actually do it.

[Red Alert]

Lots of Managers talk about "pressing" - it is very popular at the moment.

 

Pochettino teams actually do it.

 

The level of our pressing under Poch was something really unique. All teams like to press the ball but not with full backs advanced anywhere near as far as our were allowed to go. This unsettled a lot of teams last year, (Liverpool at Anfield for one). So I am very keen to see how the new style of RK is going to work for us but if it is any less intense than it was I do think we will have lost a bit weapon from last season.

[Saint Charlie]

The level of our pressing under Poch was something really unique. All teams like to press the ball but not with full backs advanced anywhere near as far as our were allowed to go. This unsettled a lot of teams last year, (Liverpool at Anfield for one). So I am very keen to see how the new style of RK is going to work for us but if it is any less intense than it was I do think we will have lost a bit weapon from last season.

 

It won't be like last season. Well, Spurs might be.

[shurlock]

It won't be like last season. Well, Spurs might be.

 

As MP said, even with Spurs, it will take time to implement. Too many people equate pressing with 10 shane longs careering around the pitch.

[kpturner]

“Training is slightly different in that it’s not so intense compared with the regime under Pochettino, but we do a lot more short, sharp work on the training ground as well as prolonged hard running sessions, so it’s slightly different, but all of the lads are really benefitting from it.

 

Read more at http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/16082014-ward-prowse-enjoying-working-with-koeman-'

 

I wonder if this will mean that Saints will manage tempo in games better. Last season we swept everyone away with our high temp, but seemed to make silly costly mistakes at the end that comes with tiredness. What do you think?

I don't recall many silly costly mistakes at the end last season - certainly not compared with previous PL seasons.

[madruss]

As MP said, even with Spurs, it will take time to implement. Too many people equate pressing with 10 shane longs careering around the pitch.

Precisely this. Pressing is only effective if you have a team that can pass the ball well and retain it for large periods. Otherwise you spend too long having to press, and it soon becomes less effective

[Wes Tender]

Pochettino's high pressing style was effective early on in his reign, because it caught many managers out. But when they got to realise that it was pretty well our only tactic, that we could hardly adopt any other style to take account of circumstances, the tide began to turn. Many of the top teams were arrogant enough to continue playing their own style, refusing to adapt their game because of little old Southampton and sometimes they paid the price for it. They relied on their expensive quality players to make the breakthrough against us. However, some clever experienced managers of less illustrious teams, who were prepared to be more pragmatic, countered our style tactically and took points of us.

 

For all the attractions of Pochettino's game, there were shortcomings that he didn't address with his transfers. When Rodriguez was injured, there wasn't anybody else up front with the necessary speed to replace him. If a team parked the bus in front of their goal, we didn't have the guile to break them down and get behind their defence. Sometimes playing a high line meant that a ball over the midfield to a striker upfield had us in deep trouble. It was often the case that although very fit, the energy required to play that style meant that we were tired in the last 15 minutes. We didn't seem to be capable of closing a game out to protect a lead.

 

It is yet to be proven, but I suspect that Koeman is much more tactically aware than Pochettino was and will plan his tactics in a game to exploit the other teams weaknesses and play to our strengths. If it requires us to park the bus, or to hit the ball over the top, or to keep possession, or to move the ball quickly with one touch football, who cares as long it is the right tactics against that opposition. By reputation, Koeman's teams are attacking teams and attack is the best form of defence, but as a defender legend in World football, I expect him to organise our defence to be hard to penetrate too.

 

No doubt, it's going to be a fascinating and exciting season watching it all unfold and seeing how the new players adapt not only to the English game, but also to Koeman's style of play.

[beatlesaint]

Don't know if anyone saw the Ryan Giggs documentary when he was managing United.

In his team talk about us he mentioned that we work so hard we tire towards the end. He was right.

I am hoping the different training regime will solve that problem.

[Turkish]

Pochettino's high pressing style was effective early on in his reign, because it caught many managers out. But when they got to realise that it was pretty well our only tactic, that we could hardly adopt any other style to take account of circumstances, the tide began to turn. Many of the top teams were arrogant enough to continue playing their own style, refusing to adapt their game because of little old Southampton and sometimes they paid the price for it. They relied on their expensive quality players to make the breakthrough against us. However, some clever experienced managers of less illustrious teams, who were prepared to be more pragmatic, countered our style tactically and took points of us.

 

For all the attractions of Pochettino's game, there were shortcomings that he didn't address with his transfers. When Rodriguez was injured, there wasn't anybody else up front with the necessary speed to replace him. If a team parked the bus in front of their goal, we didn't have the guile to break them down and get behind their defence. Sometimes playing a high line meant that a ball over the midfield to a striker upfield had us in deep trouble. It was often the case that although very fit, the energy required to play that style meant that we were tired in the last 15 minutes. We didn't seem to be capable of closing a game out to protect a lead.

 

It is yet to be proven, but I suspect that Koeman is much more tactically aware than Pochettino was and will plan his tactics in a game to exploit the other teams weaknesses and play to our strengths. If it requires us to park the bus, or to hit the ball over the top, or to keep possession, or to move the ball quickly with one touch football, who cares as long it is the right tactics against that opposition. By reputation, Koeman's teams are attacking teams and attack is the best form of defence, but as a defender legend in World football, I expect him to organise our defence to be hard to penetrate too.

 

No doubt, it's going to be a fascinating and exciting season watching it all unfold and seeing how the new players adapt not only to the English game, but also to Koeman's style of play.

 

Laughable as usual Les. The bigger teams were too arrogant to adapt their play to suit us were they? Maybe it was Pochettino who was too arrogant to adapt his tactics to play them. A quick look at last season results show just 3 wins against team in the top 10, so maybe they were right not to adapt their tactics against little old southampton.

 

What i saw in his time here was when it worked we were brilliant at times when it didn't he never changed it, just making like for like changes with subs. It may be due to a lack of quality in the squad as whilst our first 11 was excellent we lacked depth, or If its because Pochettino lacked the tactical awareness or was too stubborn to adapt his tactics when it wasn't working we shall soon see. Love how you've already declared Koeman far superior already before we've even kicked a ball, along with your usual chip on the shoulder carry on about big clubs. Tsk Les, it's the sort of behaviour of Man who would rip up his season ticket in a rage.

[shurlock]

Laughable as usual Les. The bigger teams were too arrogant to adapt their play to suit us were they? Maybe it was Pochettino who was too arrogant to adapt his tactics to play them. A quick look at last season results show just 3 wins against team in the top 10, so maybe they were right not to adapt their tactics against little old southampton.

 

What i saw in his time here was when it worked we were brilliant at times when it didn't he never changed it, just making like for like changes with subs. It may be due to a lack of quality in the squad as whilst our first 11 was excellent we lacked depth, or If its because Pochettino lacked the tactical awareness or was too stubborn to adapt his tactics when it wasn't working we shall soon see. Love how you've already declared Koeman far superior already before we've even kicked a ball, along with your usual chip on the shoulder carry on about big clubs. Tsk Les, it's the sort of behaviour of Man who would rip up his season ticket in a rage.

 

Spot on - spared me a couple of paras and untangling that mess of a post.

[Heisenberg]

Don't know if anyone saw the Ryan Giggs documentary when he was managing United.

In his team talk about us he mentioned that we work so hard we tire towards the end. He was right.

I am hoping the different training regime will solve that problem.

 

Stats would reflect that too.

 

We scored over 50% of our goals in the first half last season, and conceded circa 60% of our goals in the 2nd half

 

We did use to tire and we rarely had the quality to replace shattered players from the bench, meaning last 15-20 minutes we were very vulnerable.

[shurlock]

Stats would reflect that too.

 

We scored over 50% of our goals in the first half last season, and conceded circa 60% of our goals in the 2nd half

 

We did use to tire and we rarely had the quality to replace shattered players from the bench, meaning last 15-20 minutes we were very vulnerable.

 

The stats don't really bear out your point.

 

Agree we dropped off in the second half but only against our own high standards. We scored more or less as many goals in the second half of games as we conceded them which doesn't scream out as a major problem.

 

http://www.soccerstats.com/table.asp?league=england_2014&tid=k

[Whitey Grandad]

Don't know if anyone saw the Ryan Giggs documentary when he was managing United.

In his team talk about us he mentioned that we work so hard we tire towards the end. He was right.

I am hoping the different training regime will solve that problem.

 

I remember being at Old Trafford and trying to work out what the difference was between the teams. It seemed to me that Man U would defend resolutely and then all of a sudden everybody would press forward and overwhelm the opposition (us). I don't know if there was some signal to do it or whether they just sensed the right moment.

[eelpie]

I don't recall many silly costly mistakes at the end last season - certainly not compared with previous PL seasons.

 

Ok, perhaps not so much silly mistakes as mistakes caused by exhaustion towards the end of matches when we conceded advantage and points several times. As Poch used to put it 'we lost concentration'. Previous seasons are not pertinent to the topic. What is pertinent is that 60% of goals conceded last season were in the second half and a high percentage of these were in the last 20 minutes or crucially later.

[shurlock]

Ok, perhaps not so much silly mistakes as mistakes caused by exhaustion towards the end of matches when we conceded advantage and points several times. As Poch used to put it 'we lost concentration'. Previous seasons are not pertinent to the topic. What is pertinent is that 60% of goals conceded last season were in the second half and a high percentage of these were in the last 20 minutes or crucially later.

 

We conceded 27 goals in the second half while we scored 26 - pretty much even. We actually outscored teams during certain periods of the second. Indeed we were most vulnerable at the start of the second half (joint) which doesn't fit into a nice story about us being exhausted. The more persuasive explanation is that we lacked quality off the bench.

Edited 16 August, 2014 by shurlock

[eelpie]

We conceded 27 goals in the second half while we scored 26 - pretty much even. We actually outscored teams during certain periods of the second. Indeed we were most vulnerable at the start of the second half (joint) which doesn't fit into a nice story about us being exhausted.

 

While it is correct that we conceded roughly as many as we scored in second halves and we were certainly vulnerable at the start of second halves, averages don't detail the number of games that forfeited leads or draws by late goals conceded. I'm talking about late in the second half. I don't have the stats for this, but I was there, and by heck it hurt - on too many occasions.