Just tell him that if we’d played them every game this season, based on the two results we would have had 5 more points than we actually got.
I can't sing his praises enough. It's not just his clinical finishing but his hold up play, his share of defending and he hardly ever gives the ball away. If he and Adams can continue how they ended this season, we could be in for some fun.
I love the way he is always smiling. Who was it that once said to get on the bus and play with a smile on your face?
This was interesting. A look at possession as something that gets shared, rather than as a share. This is the average number of ‘turns’ a team gets with the ball in a game. That’s why City are last because they monopolise it and use it to defend and build forward movement carefully. Liverpool and Saints are top because we’re maniacal agents of chaos, pressing and then trying to attack as fast as possible. It shows RHs fundamentals at work. Also PEH and JWP both were in the top three in the league for ‘ball recoveries’. That’s a measure of how many times they take control of possession of a loose ball (from a teammate who misplaced a pass, or a tackle, or a headed challenge or clearance).
I think he’s very good player. The problem is that he does a lot of subtle things (communication, organising, recovery) very well and a lot of obvious things (shooting, forward passing, ball carrying) quite badly. I think unfortunately he’s judged on what we would like him to do rather than what he actually does. He looked a more promising complete midfielder earlier on for us. Then stopped doing those things to play differently. He’s highly effective at what he’s needed for in our system. He’s not irreplaceable, but there’s a reason why a few very good managers are prepared to spend big on him. He has the qualities Jose Mourinho desires in spades. He’ll do fine there but how he does is more about the relationship between JM and that squad.
****ty stats indeed! Thanks Richie! We had more points after 25 games last season than we do after 25 this season (albeit by one point). 19/20 20/21
- Jan Bednarek's opener was the fourth time that Southampton have scored in the first five minutes of a Premier League game this season - the most of any side in the competition in 2021-22 - Five of the Polish defender's six Premier League goals for Southampton have been scored at St Mary's Stadium, with four of those being assisted by James Ward-Prowse - Southampton’s Armando Broja, on loan from Chelsea, became the youngest player in Premier League history to score in each of his first four home starts in the competition (20y 123d) and is the first player to do so in the competition overall since Diego Costa for Chelsea in October 2014.