i have heard the same thing from many friends that were at the game yesterday and I keep hearing that we did not play very well. We did not get the ball down an pass it around well. Then I watched match of the day and to my surprise RK said the same thing.
i did not watch the game or listen to it and just watched the highlights. I just presumed 3-1 at home we walked it and played well, is this not the case?
Is that Welsh for review?
There was definitely room for improvement. I seem to remember some overhit passes in the final third, a few balls getting to Pelle without having anyone to effectively release to. We weren’t under any real pressure for most of the game, but then neither did we exploit the opportunities.
I’m shit at watching the game when I’m actually there. Dispassionately, although I’m elated with the win, I can see that there is more to come. Perhaps RK sees this as a regression from training or the 6-0 win. Still, not resting on your laurels is always healthy.
I thought that Koeman’s main beef was that we sat back a bit once we were 3-0 up; he felt we should have stuck to it and maybe scored more. Other than that, I’d say we played very well in patches, pretty well most of the time and not too well here and there. Which is, I’d suggest, far from atypical.
Agreed, and in a sense, a review of the minutiae of the game could be considered a little harsh in light of all the team did right. Big Vic looked like he is growing into the vacancy left by Schneiderlin. I’m not declaring equivalency, but I am seeing a player that is wearing the extra responsiblity well.
I’ve still got doubts about Stekelenburg, but no doubt that he’s ahead of Davis, who God love him, gave me the shivers most time he played in the Premier League. Since Poch notched up his first win against a big club, I’ve always felt that Saints are a team that can beat anyone on their day - something that continued with Koeman.
That confidence evaporated whenever our first choice keeper was unavailable, but I’m definitely not feeling the jitters I used to. A good acquisition on the evidence so far.
Mané still has the ability to frustrate and delight in equal measure, but the frustrations are becoming fewer. The only concern about him is his reputation for going down easy. Deserved, on the basis of some evidence.
VVD is going to be huge. Great to see him score what is going to be the first of many. For the sort of player he is, an emerging goalscoring centre back, he really couldn’t have a better mentor than Koeman. I loved his goal, and he’s pretty nifty at free kicks too. Lots to be excited about here.
Bertrand was back and immediately made a difference. Only going to get better with games, and with Shaw and Baines both out of the squad on long term injuries, he’s got every reason to up his game with a view to getting established in the national side.
Pelle’s just awesome. I’ve watched that bloke play week after week, and even when the end product deserts him, the industry and the work for the team have never lacked. It’s all still there, and goals are again a regular feature.
Tadic seems to be in much better form than he was for large parts of last season.
The Norwich win was nice, but it was always tainted by the fact that they had a man sent off. The three points were welcome, but we still had no idea when we’d get a win against eleven men. The Man United game was disappointing, especially their period of complete dominance, but mostly because we’d already proved we could compete.
The team is slowly working out how to operate without Morgan and with some of the new players. If Koeman’s beef was about the pressure not being applied all game, I can totally understand that, especially in the context of the Man United game, which was lost as much by complacency as it was Martial’s brilliance.
The team is not at its best yet, but I think an understanding is starting to develop. We scored three goals in open play and triumphed in a game where the ref was awarding fouls against us throughout. All things considered, encouraging.
Agree with most of that.
I also thought the game showed how important a player Steven Davis is. It was after he was subbed that the intensity dropped off and Swansea came back into the game.
The interesting thing for me is where Clasie will be deployed. Logically it will be JWP making way but maybe Ron sees him as a more creative version of Davis. Does he have the workrate?
Was a strange game. It was one I was looking forward to, tentaviely, as both teams like to play football. There wasn’t a great deal of that on show on Saturday.
Agree with Ron’s assessment post-match, we’ve played better than that this season and got nothing. Good to get 3 points against what I still think is a decent team, whilst not at our best. Neither team were particularly good, or particularly bad. What was very pleasing was how clinical we were - again as RK noted.
Thought Pelle played really, really well. The people who get on his back really must not watch the games I feel. I know he isn’t always brilliant, but he is involved in so much of our play. He is worth so much more than just his goals tally to us, that said would like to see him be a touch more clinical. Should have done better with his effort at the end.
Was also disappointed to see Fonte give away that pen. We all know he has that streak in him, but at 3-0 at that stage, it was unneccessary.
Can anyone tell me why there wasn’t a string of “not knee-jerk” threads started immediately after the game this week? Much confused.
Anyone else think Romeu handled the ball in the box with his first touch, or was that just me?
Davis had an excellent game. He seems to do better against teams that play a similar formation to us.
Missed that. Opposite end to where I sit so couldn’t really say.
