But we aren't going by that alone, they haven't been easy games with key players out, we've never looked like being overwhelmed and have had some bright performances from incoming youth and excellent games by Diallo.
Thanks, far more balanced view than some of the doom merchants on here. Not everyone with doom and gloom Fats, better to come.
Ah, a sensible balanced view. Not all Saints fans have lost it.... oh wait * yes I know, not everyone has melted down, but my goodness a lot did.
We got Southamptoned last night. It’s football and that can happen. Beaten by a team at our own game. I thought Arsenal were excellent and Cedric rammed Tom’s pre-match laugh back down his throat. We had a sticky first half and some individual errors and poor passing, because of how well Arsenal played (how many times do we moan when the media say our opponents were bad when we do well rather than compliment us??). They shut down our space. Second half we played better and played some good intense stuff, but we had 9 of the same from Saturday and probably 8 that have played all our last few games. Tiredness (or more tired than opponents) will show. The two who didn’t play Saturday we’re not regular players and perhaps not quite up to speed (although I’m sure Vokins is going to be some player). No surprise that Arsenal’s best player came down the flanks. Saka was class tonight. Hands up anyone who believed we had the depth in squad to reach top 6 when you look at the depth of our challengers in that area. Classic football fans. Bad result, or a lower result than expected and the sky falls in. We look a really good side when we are at full strength. We look a really good side when we’ve not been but harder to sustain those results. Teams will work harder to find ways to stop us playing because of how good we’ve been and that means some games we won’t be able to play as well. Our last three league games against Liverpool, Leicester and Arsenal.... beat Liverool, outplayed Leicester and lost to Arsenal, who played better than the other two (unexpectedly). Life isn’t a straight line graph. I’m still delighted with how we are doing. The transfer window is nearly up - who is going to start the thread bemoaning the Board not backing Ralph and signing the 3-4 players we need? Oh and don’t forget to ignore the recent articles on our finances... just spend/print some money. Oh and Wolves away in the cup isn’t a gimmee but I’ll say the same as these last two games. I want us to win the first one and the second one becomes a free hit. Que sera sera
Saka is quality mate, yes. So was Pepe last night. That pair gave our makeshift back four absolute nightmares, including when we were in possession. Better team won, no complaints, hope you do well the rest of season. You won’t have the FA Cup to fall back on this year, eh?
Absolutely Archers. The Smith-Rowe lad looks a talent too. I wonder if he fancies coming to the home of the double barrel named footballer?
I think people are getting upset because they've overrated us slightly and have genuinely thought we had a shot at top 6; that idea died after the draws away at Arsenal/Fulham imo. We've got a superb manager and I think we genuinely are one of best coached teams in the league. But we definitely lack a bit of quality compared to sides near the top especially once a couple of injuries kick in. Still think there's a bit of an over-reliance on Danny for goals too. We're a good team on the verge of being a very good team, and potentially at that level when everyone is fit. I don't think we'll improve all that much further (over the course of the season) without extra money invested in the squad. All in all, we can beat anyone on our day but lack the quality and depth to compete over 38 matches. Therefore, **** the league. It's all about the cup.
Cant speak for everyone, but I'm just annoyed, not so much with the performance or results, but the fact this year is proving, so far, to be a huge missed opportunity for us. You look at teams like Villa and West Ham, we are just as good if not better, and you cant help but feel what if we didnt have all these injuries. Where could we be right now? That's the frustration for me.
My takeaways from the match: We lost. It's gonna happen sometimes. Arsenal were better than us in the rain. We looked good in spells, but they out-played us. Vokins. Great cross on him looks dangerous. Unfortunately at both ends. Maybe Saka is just too good, but he didnt get near him. Armstrong. Looking much more like his old self. Awesome. Diallo. Fantastic. When Romeo comes back I'd actually give JWP a rest and see how the other pair does together. Redmond. I want to like him but he's just an empty shell of a man right now. No confidence and no sign of getting any. Saddening for him, and us.
Oh, and I did enjoy Stephens take advantage of the "Free Foul" allowed after a clear offside and associated pointless play. Just imagine him thinking. Cant be arsed to run, I'll just dump this guy on the turf
Ultimately, that's the downside of a team that has good quality in its frontline players, but not very much high-calibre depth. We haven't actually lost a huge number of player games to injury, but we can ill afford to miss Ings for any length of time, or Bertrand, or KWP, or Vestergaard, or Bednarek, or McCarthy, or...
I usually scroll straight past the longer posts but you and Fats are correct, we over achieved at the start of the season. We're building something great at the moment and can't jump from bottom half to top 6 in one season. We'll hit bumps along the way but we are going in the right direction. Yes Fats, Vokins will be some player.
I think losing each one individually wouldn't be a problem. It's when you lose them all at once, you have issues.
I've not seen this quote anywhere else ... but if it's true, it's a bit poor of Ralph to say publicly imo.
Given the quality of the Arsenal forwards, it was always going to be difficult for a team fielding just one of it’s first choice back four. Errors and inexperience led to the first two Arsenal goals. Our passing out from the back, at times, was just plain awful even when not under pressure. Having said that, we have been very solid at the back, until this game so hopefully we get back to being more solid on Saturday. My bigger concern just now is the lack of goals from open play. We are creating opportunities, but not taking them.
And yeah, we did overperform earlier in the year. We generate chances at one of the worst rates in the PL, but between a combination of JWP's deadball skills, Ings' finishing, and an enormous helping of luck, we were scoring at a high clip. That was never going to last...even with a couple high-percentage scorers, you just aren't going to translate 10 shots a game into close to 2 goals on average.
I just don't know why the league position seems to be the be-all-and-end-all for some people. It is just irrelevant if you aren't in the Euro spots or relegation. Better to treat each game individually than as 1/38th of a campaign. Why oh why most (all) teams priortise the league quite frankly is mind-blowing. I'd take the 4th round cup win over the irrelevant 3 points all day long.