Diary of a Season: St. Mary's Redemption

[rocheyb]

Saturday 15th October, 2022

Chelsea’s win puts them 2 points clear of Manchester United, who also won - 2-1 at home to Birmingham City. Manchester City lost by the same scoreline at New White Hart Lane. That leaves us 4th, 6 points behind Chelsea. Arsenal play Norwich on Monday and will climb above us if they win.

The U18s also suffer defeat, 1-2 at home to Cardiff.

 

[rocheyb]

Sunday 16th October, 2022

John Griffiths hits a hat-trick for the U21s in a 4-0 away win at Fulham, in the U21s Cup. Rodrigao plays the whole game at right-back but Stangoni is ineligible due to U21 Cup rules, so I am still struggling to get him back to match fitness.

 

[rocheyb]

Sunday 16th October, 2022

Preparation vs ATLETICO MADRID (h)

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SAINTS: 13-2; Ateltico: 2-5 (fav); Draw: 11-4

Atletico Madrid are 2nd in La Liga at the moment, behind Sevilla, with Valencia, Real Madrid and Barcelona playing catch-up in 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively. They are managed by Valery Karpin, the former Russian international who spent 10 years in Spain with two spells at Real Sociedad either side a season with Valencia and five with Celta Vigo.

They play a similar 4-2-3-1 to Chelsea, and sometimes a 4-4-2 diamond. They’re vulnerable to 4-4-2 and the squad comparison suggests we have a good chance against them, although the Bookies make them favourites. They’ve scored plenty of goals during the first 30mins of matches, and the last 15mins. They tend to concede towards the end, too.

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We have played them four times before - which is to say, we have been drawn against them twice in two-legged ties. The first time, we went through on penalties after the tie ended 0-0 in the 1st knock-out round of our triumphant Europa League campaign in 2019. The second time, we followed up a 6-0 thrashing - dished out in their own backyard - with a 7-0 slaughter at St. Mary’s, for a 13-0 aggregate win in the 1st knock-out round of the European Champions League, two seasons ago. Christoffer Jorgensen (1st leg) and Jonjo Shelvey (2nd leg) both bagged hat-tricks. They finished 2nd in La Liga that season. [I wondered whether this might be a record, but Wikipedia tells me that Chelsea and Feyenoord both recorded 21-0 aggregate victories over different clubs from Luxembourg in the early-70s. There have also been five ties that ended 16-0 (x2), 17-0 (x1) and 18-0 (x2), though we did beat Manchester United’s record of 12-0 against Anderlecht from 1956/57.]

Our slightly improved showing with the 3-5-2 against Chelsea makes me want to check it out against Atletico, too - although I’m aware that their main goalscoring threat, the German Timo Werner, is very fast and could expose our high defensive line. But with Hrustic injured, Tom Ince unfit and Marc Smulders not registered for the Champions League, that leaves only Shaw and Migliorini as my available left-sided players - which is enough to convince me that I should rest one of them for the weekend trip to Liverpool and give our 3-5-2 a test from the start, against decent opposition.

 

[rocheyb]

Monday 17th October, 2022

A shock 3-0 victory for Norwich City moves Arsenal off our tail, with the Canaries themselves now moving into 5th place in the Premier League, 2 points behind us.

 

[rocheyb]

Tuesday 18th October, 2022

European Champions League, Group F - Matchday 3
SOUTHAMPTON (Eng) vs ATLETICO MADRID (Spa)
St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton; Att: 38,647

SAINTS Team News - 3-5-2: A third successive start for Ibrahim, in goal; the trio of Radimov, Reyes and Kaminski lacks pace but with Rutten injured, Jedvaj needs rest if he is to play at Liverpool, so he is among the subs; Ward-Prowse is tired so the youngsters occupy the central midfield again - Ardean-Webb, Jorginho and Westley; Sercan Calik and Elias Migliorini return to the flanks; Lucas is in the False9 role with Idris as AF_A; Stones, Stangoni and Powell are among the substitutes. Diego Reyes will captain the side. I have made a slight change to his Player Instructions, telling him to Hold Position rather than Get Further Forward, as he is the one with the tendency to step-up at the wrong time and leave space to exploit in-behind.

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Atletico - 4-2-3-1: Centre-back Mamadou Sahko is a former Liverpool player; The Ghanian midfielder Amidu Salifu had a short stint at St. Mary’s 8 years ago, before I sold him on to Udinese for a modest profit; the two wingers, Yarmolenko and Rebic, are both former targets of mine - I wanted Rebic to join Lovren and Jedvaj in a Croatian revolution at St. Mary’s, but long-term injury prevented a move for him; Timo Werner is the danger man up-front. He’s scored 45 goals in all competitions since his 17.25-million transfer from Borussia Dortmund in 2020, having joined them from VfB Stuttgart for 22.5-million four seasons prior; substitute Ruslan Kupriyanov is a Russian left-winger with a lot of pace.

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We will need to dominate possession to make our high line work, or Werner will sprint clear behind us. Rebic and Yarmolenko are both fairly quick, and the Dutchman Adam Maher is a creative player. I’ve instructed hard tackling. Rene Meulensteen suggested telling the players to do better than last time during the pre-match team-talk, but having made so many changes to the line-up from the Chelsea debacle, I opted for give the fans something to cheer for. That didn’t work, so I had to do one-to-ones, which elicited 7 positive responses out of 11.

1st Half Highlights
- 1sec: Yvo Lucas and Kingsley Idris get us underway, kicking from left-to-right, towards the Chapel End. Atletico’s changed kit is similar to the classic Ajax design, but with a yellow central panel and navy blue outer, blue shorts and mainly yellow socks. Don’t you just love the detail I give you?!
- 3mins: Migliorini receives Radimov’s pass out from the back, on the left-wing, just behind the halfway-line. He chips a delightful pass into the inside-left channel where the ever-willing Kingsley Idris runs under its flight, controls with his chest and surges clear of Sakho and Doria, before striking a left-footed shot that stings the palms of Patricio, at the near post of Atleti’s goal; Doria hooks the loose ball high into the stand on the far side before Idris can reach the rebound.
- 6mins: Mark Ardean-Webb passes forward from the centre-circle, to Jorginho. He advances shortly and lays it off to Idris about 30-yards out, left-of-centre. The young striker fires away another left-footed shot before Sahko or Merazga can get close to him. Patricio gratefully pulls the ball into his chest, 2-yards from goal, just inside the left-hand post. A promising start from Kingsley Idris.
- 8mins: Jorginho heads wide Calik’s floated near-post cross from the right. From the goal-kick, Aleti work the ball to Maher in the centre-circle who spots Diego Reyes stepping-up and releases Werner for the first time. But the Mexican captain makes up the ground and takes the ball cleanly inside the D to prevent a shooting opportunity.
- 11mins: Phillip Kaminski is penned in at his own right-hand corner flag by Ante Rebic. He elects to clear the ball long, cross-field, to the halfway line. Idris wins an aerial challenge with Merazga after the ball bounces high, and diverts it back to Migliorini on the left. A short pass over the halfway line finds Jorginho, with Idris now making a forward run on the inside-left. He comes short to meet Jorginho’s pass, and has three defenders goal-side of him. Doria tries to face-up to him, so he dribbles out to the left-flank, dragging Doria over to where Merazga already is, before playing a short ball infield to Migliorini, whose run from deep exploits the space. The Argentine’s first-time dinked cross, high to the near post, is met with a thumping header by Yvo LUCAS, who climbs above Mallo to beat Patricio from close-range. Sahko is complaining to the referee about something, but the goal stands. 1-0.
- 12mins: Midfielder Wesley Tol gets back to slide in and block Calik’s shot from the right edge of the 6-yard box, after the Belgian international skips around the challenge of Mallo…
- 13mins: …Yarmolenko clears Calik’s low corner at the near post, but Jorginho intercepts the clearance midway inside the visitors’ half, and The Saints work the ball back out to the right flank, to Sercan Calik. The Atleti defence is still disorganised from the set-piece, so Doria finds himself in the left-back position and comes to close Calik, who simply shifts the ball to his right foot and whips a cross to the far post, where Kingsley IDRIS steals in behind Merazga to slot home his 3rd goal of the season, from 2-yards. 2-0.
- 14mins: Ante Rebic tries his luck with a longe-range lob from the left-wing, when he spots Ibrahim off his line, but the ball sails harmlessly over.
- 16mins: Rebic gets in on the left side from Werner’s lay-off, but Reyes gets across to block the shot for a corner, which Reyes then heads clear.
- 18mins: Yellow card for Hugh Mallo, for a mistimed challenge on Lucas inside the D, from a Southampton counter. Migliorini’s free-kick hits the wall.
- 23mins: Werner resists a strong challenge from Reyes to lay the ball off to Rebic on the right. Migliorini’s challenge only diverts the ball to Adam Maher next to the penalty spot, but the Dutchman misses a sitter - shooting wide of the left post with only the keeper to beat. He buries his face in his hands - he wants the ground to open up and swallow him. A let-off for The Saints.
- 25mins: Mark Ardean-Webb controls Doria’s cross-field clearance on his chest and finds Migliorini in space on the left of the penalty area. He takes a touch and shoots across goal, the ball bouncing just in-front of and wide of the far post.
- 26mins: Mallo is forced to retreat into his own penalty area, on the Atleti left, under pressure from Calik. His cross-field clearance is intercepted by Elias Migliorini, who advances to the byline and crosses to Jorginho, but the Brazilian’s header smacks against the outside of the near post for a goal-kick.
- 28mins: Sercan Calik takes a free-kick from the left, close to the byline but practically on the white line of that side of the penalty area. Mark Ardean-Webb’s header from the corner of the 6-yard box is turned in by Diego REYES from 2-yards out, central to goal. That’s his first goal of the season. 3-0.
- 30mins: Good feet from Yarmolenko beats Radimov to give him an opportunity from the right of the box, but he can’t keep his shot down.
- 36mins: Southampton begin a counter-attack with Calik moving in-field with a diagonal run across halfway and into the centre-circle, with four red shirts running on beyond him. He passes back to Ardean-Webb who chips it back over Calik to Lucas. The Dutch striker lets it bounce before side-footing to Jorginho, who is standing on the advanced edge of the centre-circle. He controls it and moves forward a few paces, before rolling the ball to Kingsley Idris. Merazga makes a lunge, and Sakho tries to get back, but IDRIS maintains his composure to pick his spot in the bottom left corner from the edge of the penalty area. Patricio gets down low but can’t reach it. 4-0.
- 42mins: Ardean-Webb passes short to Elias Migliorini on the left-wing, at halfway. He plays a short diagonal chip to Jorginho. Sakho leaves Idris to make a sliding challenge on Jorginho, but the Southampton man slides in half-a-second sooner to force the ball to Yvo Lucas, slap-bang centre of Atletico’s half of the pitch, with Idris now advancing into the hole left by Sakho. Lucas takes a touch and plays Idris in. Mallo - the left-back - appeals for offside, but IDRIS blasts a rising shot into the top-left corner. A hat-trick for Kingsley Idris - the first of his Saints career! He puts his arms out like an aeroplane and runs over to the fans on the far side, falling to his knees in celebration! 5-0.
- 44mins: Adam Maher does brilliantly to pick out Werner among a crowd of red shirts just outside the Saints area, but Werner’s shot goes wide of the far post.
- 45mins+1: Rebic’s right-wing cross almost catches Ibrahim out, but he strong-arms the ball over-the-bar for a corner, which comes to nothing.

HALF-TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 5-0 ATLETICO MADRID

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The last piece of text commentary was “Southampton are in complete control and the match looks as good as over”. Obviously, the text commentator has never seen us play before! Actually, when we’ve been 5-0 up at half-time we’ve tended to win 6-0; 4-0 is the dodgy HT scoreline. Both Sahko and Doria, the two Atletico centre-backs, have a tendency to step-out and challenge the man in possession, whether in the No.10 area or on the wing, and Kingsley Idris is having a field day running into the gaps they are presenting to him. Jorginho’s range of passing, and pass selection, is very good for a regen player, and both of our wingers have the measure of Atleti’s full-backs (…No, I had never once called them Atleti until the Champions League Final on the telly the other day!) At the back, Maher gets into their No.10 area now-and-again, causing Reyes to step to him - but when he does, our other two centre-backs close in on Werner, like they know he’s quick and needs to be shut down quickly. Werner has been able to lay it off once-or-twice, but Rebic wasted the best chance by dwelling on the ball too long. Reyes has chased back a couple of times to make crucial blocks, having initially been beaten for pace. That 4-5-1 with two defensive midfielders that we have come up against recently might offer an answer to our Jekyll & Hyde problem (see Coventry City match), but for now I will keep it as is and look to introduce Stangoni for the last half-hour. I tell the players I’m happy with their first-half performance and ask them to keep it going.

2nd Half Highlights
- 47mins: Ardean-Webb finds Jorginho in the hole, about 30-yards out. Sahko again steps off Idris, allowing Jorginho to pass the ball through the defender into the D, where the Nigerian-born striker controls with his right-foot, turns onto his left and forces Patricio into a low one-handed save to his right. Migliorini latches onto the rebound at the left side of the byline and crosses to the far post, but Doria heads away with Lucas coming in.
- 51mins: Doria has to clear off-the-line by the right-hand post, after Lucas gets to the byline, pulls the ball back to Calik and his cross is headed goalward by Migliorini.
- 56mins: Goal No.6 is a thing of beauty!!! Migliorini on the halfway-line at left-wing, back to goal. Low right-foot pass to Jorginho in the centre-circle. He rolls it forward to Lucas, 40-yards out, dead centre, with four defenders and Idris ahead of him. Sahko had tried to close down Jorginho this time, so is now trying to sprint back into position, but Merazga, the right-back, is playing Idris onside. Lucas plays the ball straight down the middle, between the retreating Sahko and the Brazilian centre-back, Doria. But Doria is facing the wrong way - outwards towards our right-wing - and tries to turn to face the ball, which is now on his right as he briefly - mid-turn - faces forward. But Idris races over from the inside-left channel, knocks the ball past Doria and runs around the other side of him, latching onto the ball again to the right of the penalty spot with Patricio advancing from his goal-line. With unflappable composure, Kingsley IDRIS shoots high, left-footed, into the right-hand side of the net for his 4th and Southampton’s 6th of the match. 6-0.
- 57mins: Three of the Saints substitutes are warming-up as Atletico restart the match - they want a piece of this action!
- 59mins: Doria’s free-kick just behind the D sails over the bar, close to the left-hand post.
- 60mins: Giammarco Stangoni is coming on to replace Migliorini on the left of midfield.
- 61mins: Calik looks ready to charge down the right-wing, but stops, level with the penalty area, and square passes to Jorginho who takes it in his stride, into the area, and chips to the penalty spot. Idris chests it down and moves to the 6-yard box, avoiding Patricio’s low dive, but Mallo gets his foot in - and in the ensuing goalmouth scramble, Sahko’s clearance hits one of his own and falls to Lucas whose shot is diverted for a corner.
- 69mins: Doria has to make a sliding block at Idris’s feet to deny the England U19 international a 5th goal from the left of the penalty area.
- 72mins: Stangoni inadvertently sends the ball into the middle of his own box with a slide-tackle on Yarmolenko, after Maher’s through ball into the inside-right channel. Atletico’s substitute Leo, a Brazilian striker, smashes it first-time, right-footed towards the far corner, but Abdel Aziz Ibrahim shows why he is widely regarded as one of the finest young goalkeepers in world football by diving full length to his right to get both hands onto the ball, pushing it firmly away from danger and the reach of Timo Werner.
- 73mins: But Leo does get on the scoresheet when Tol plays a straight ball forward to Maher, who has been floating between our midfield and defence all night, and he slips the ball past Reyes to send Leo clean-through, just right-of-centre. Ibrahim tries to narrow the angle but LEO shoots across him, off the inside of the far post, and in. 6-1.
- 77mins: Kaminski heads an Atletico free-kick away and Westley plays the ball up the right touchline to Calik, who takes it over halfway, and then looks up before looping a 30-yard pass into the path of Idris, who is free, running through the centre. The ball bounces once and Idris strikes it from just beyond the penalty spot, but Patricio makes a right-handed wonder-save, somehow pushing the ball between his hand and his ear, and wide of the right-hand post (as we look).
- 79mins: John Stones replaces Kaminski at the back for The Saints. And as Andrew Powell also steps off the bench, Kingsley Idris is given a standing ovation by this slightly reduced capacity St. Mary’s crowd of 38,647. A star is born!
- 83mins: Yellow card for Sercan Calik.
- 90mins: Jorginho injures himself, fouling Salifu. We’ll finish the match with 10 men.
- 90mins+2: A free-kick by Tol, close to the left-wing corner flag, is headed toward goal by Salifu, and Yarmolenko meets it inside the 6-yard box to head past Ibrahim, towards the far corner - but Sercan Calik is on the line and clears the ball into touch.

FULL-TIME

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MAN OF THE MATCH:
KINGSLEY IDRIS (SOUTHAMPTON) - 9.8
Advanced Forward_Attack: 4 goals; 0 assists.

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VERDICT:
Much to admire from our array of young attacking talent. Kingsley Idris’s ability to spot gaps and make incisive runs into the channels, and his composure in-front of goal, opened Atletico up time-and-time again, as did Jorginho’s vision and accurate passing and the constant threat that Migliorini and Calik posed on the wings. Reyes was solid defensively and my concerns over the pace of Timo Werner were not realised, despite the absence of my two quickest centre-backs. I calmly congratulate the players for an excellent performance. St. Mary’s Stadium remains a house of horrors for Atleti and their fans!

 

[rocheyb]

Tuesday 18th October, 2022

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Our 100% start to our Champions League campaign now has us firmly in charge of Group F, 5 points clear at the halfway stage. In the other match:

FC LORIENT 2-1 AMKAR PERM

Anything Kingsley Idris can do… Manchester City’s Serbian striker, Zeljko Urosev helped himself to all 4 goals in their much-needed 4-3 victory over Nancy at the Etihad, in Group E. But Vitesse’s 3-1 win at home to Benfica leaves the Dutch Champions (who have won 6 of the last 7 Eridivisie titles - FC Utrecht won the other in 2017) as group leaders. In Group G, ex-Saint Morgan Schneiderlin’s penalty helped Genoa on their way to a 3-0 home success against Basel - in what must have been a festival of fans wearing red-and-blue halves - while Red Star suffered another heavy loss, 0-4 at the Bernabeu. Sebastian Rode, a very highly-rated Danish M/AM_C, was among the goalscorers for Real Madrid.

Thankfully, Jorginho’s late injury was just temporary soreness from the impact of the challenge. He’s not injured and could be in-line for some involvement against Liverpool, on Saturday.

 

[rocheyb]

Wednesday 19th October, 2022

It's amazing how much an emphatic win can lift the spirits around a football club. All doom and gloom after the Chelsea result, but here I am now, skipping into work on this bleak autumnal morning with the sound of 38,000 cheering fans still ringing in my ears from last night. But I'm also happy because something dawned on me last night - and I need to find Rene Meulensteen to tell him what that is:

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rb: "Mullers!"

RM: "What?"

rb: "You need a nickname - I can't keep referring to you as 'Rene Meulensteen'. So, I have decided you shall, from now-on, be known as Mullers!"

RM: "Well, I don't really like it, but it's your Manager Story - and in reality I used to manage Fulham. The real Fulham!"

rb: "Don't say things like that, Mullers - you'll confuse the readers. Anyway, I have come to a realisation that might be significant, from a tactical point-of-view."

RM: "Oh, yeah? What?"

rb: "Left-and-left or right-and-right."

RM: (sighs) "...Right. Sorry, what?"

rb: "Watt played up-front for Celtic, Mullers - try to concentrate! It's the forwards, Mullers. Our two best goalscorers so far this season are both left-footed. Right?"

RM: "Right, left-footed. Well spotted. So what?"

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rb: "In this 3-5-2 formation, with which we've been blowing teams away with loads of goals, the most prolific strikers have been Jorgie and young Kingsley - and they are both left-footed. Now Jorgie has been operating as a False9, often receiving the ball deep and working his way into the area in the inside-right channel and working the ball onto his left foot..."

RM: "Inside-right; left foot. Right."

rb: "Right! He wants the whole goal to aim at and he believes he's stronger with his left - and let's face it, he's right; he is! But Kingsley is much more about balls over the top, exploiting the gaps in the defence and running into the inside-left channel - also shooting with his left."

RM: "Right - he shoots with his left, from the inside-left."

rb: "That's right! Now, Yvo Lucas is a right foot only merchant but he has scored 6 goals, the same number as Kingsley, whilst playing in either position - but he has the most headers out of the lot of them. So let's leave him out of it, for now."

RM: "I didn't even mention him - you did! In fact, I still don't know what we're talking about!"

rb: "That's right! I did, didn't I, and you don't, do you? Now, think about it. When we have the False9 on the right side of the two, and that False9 likes to shoot from outside the area or from the inside-right, we are seeing that it pays dividends if that player is a left-footer. Right?"

RM: "Right... okay..."

rb: "And when the striker on the left of the two is an Advanced Forward, who works the channel on that side and tends to shoot from the edge of the area - placing his shots into the bottom-left corner or firing them into the top-left - or shoots across goal into the far corner from closer-range, it helps if he's left-footed, too - because in both cases, it gives them more of the goal to aim at! Right?"

RM: "Right - I see what you mean. A left-footer in the inside-left, between the full-back and the centre-back, has the ball on the wrong side for the centre-back to make the tackle..."

rb: "That's right, Mullers..."

RM: "...And by that time the full-back is usually beaten by the pass anyway, so the central defender is the last man and has to risk a foul, trying to get to the ball on the striker's furthest side, or he can't get across at all. And the False9, typically shooting from further back, shifts the ball onto his left - either from the non-goal-side of the centre-back to take aim at the whole goal from long-range, or after he's gone past him on the outside, when shifting onto his left puts himself between the defender and the ball..."

rb: "...That's right - goal-side of the defender!"

RM: "Right! ...But, Boss, not all of our forwards are left-footed, are they?"

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rb: "That's right - they're not. So, if we were to play, say Lukes as the False9 and Powelly as the Advanced Forward - two right-footer devotees if there ever were any - we should swap them over..."

RM: "...So Lukes would be a False9 on the left side, with Powelly the Advanced Forward on the right?"

rb: "Right!"

RM: "Then they'd both have the whole goal to aim at, too. That's genius, boss!"

rb: "That's right, Mullers. It is."

RM: "So is that what we're going to do against Liverpool at the weekend?"

rb: "I have absolutely no idea, Mullers."

RM: "Oh. Right."

 

[rocheyb]

Wednesday 19th October, 2022

All anybody can talk about during training is Kingsley Idris’s 4th goal against Atletico Madrid last night…

[Zoom in, scroll down the left side, then go back to top-right and scroll down the right side]

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[space]

simply brilliant

 

[rocheyb]

simply brilliant

Thank you, Space!

 

[Trophy_Whorder]

amazing read you made a great Southampton team in a short time

 

[rocheyb]

Wednesday 19th October, 2022

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Paris Saint-Germain's 3-0 home win against Standard Liege puts them top of Group A at the half-way stage. At the Nou Camp, 35 year-old Lionel Messi's goal against the French side Evian is enough to make it three-wins-out-of-three in Group B for Barcelona. Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester United both record 5-0 victories in Group C - Shakhtar's arguably the more impressive, against Milan in the San Siro, while United trounced Osasuna at Old Trafford. Chelsea's 3-0 win at Rapid Wien is their first of the European campaign, and leaves them 3rd in Group D, behind Galatasaray and VfB Stuttgart who played out a goalless draw in Istanbul.

The Saints U18s lost 2-4 at home to Aston Villa. That's three defeats in a row for them, now. George Carter reaches 10 youth/reserve goals for the season, so far.

 

[rocheyb]

Wednesday 19th October, 2022

Preparation vs LIVERPOOL (a)

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Liverpool: 3/1; SAINTS: 4/5 (fav); Draw: 2-1

We are firm favourites going into this match at Anfield, against a Liverpool side who have been stuck in mid-table for the last five seasons. He have only lost 1 of the last 14 meetings with them, and won 7 of the last 9. The squad comparison, although largely configured with the still not fully-fit Giammarco Stangoni in-mind, reveals that we should be stronger than them all over the pitch. Javi Rico encourages work on Defensive Set-Pieces, and his data on goal times reveals that they tend to start slowly, having conceded 5 goals in the first 15 minutes of matches this season. But anything goes from the hour mark, when they are almost as likely to concede as score. We expect them to line-up in a 4-5-1 formation, with one defensive midfielder and wingers or inside forwards, either side of a lone front-man.

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Though I have in the past been an advocate of switching tactics from match-to-match, I’m going to stick with the 3-5-2 formation for the foreseeable future because it’s the system that appears to suit my players the best at the moment. I’m aware, though, that I need to work my full-backs back into action to prevent their skills from deteriorating.

 

[rocheyb]

Thursday 20th October, 2022

Southampton U21s lose 0-2 to Atletico Madrid U19s, in the U19s Champions League. Judging by their physical conditions at the end of the match, our youth players are playing too many matches in too short a space of time.

Andrew Powell has pulled-up in training with a twisted ankle and will be missing for 3 weeks. It’s a shame for him but we are a little top-heavy with strikers at the moment, so it will enable me to play the men in form rather than constantly rotate. I move young John Griffiths into the senior squad, in anticipation of Tuesday’s Capital One Cup match against Wigan Athletic, who are currently bottom of the Premier League with only 2 draws from 8 matches to show for their efforts.

 

[rocheyb]

Friday 21st October, 2022
- The Echo Online

EKINCI HAILS IDRIS: KING OF THE CLASS OF ’22

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SOUTHAMPTON’S YOUNG goalscoring sensation Kingsley Idris has been praised by another recent graduate of the club’s esteemed youth academy, who says the sky is the limit for the self-styled ‘Nigerian Ninja’, who wowed the St. Mary’s faithful with an outstanding display of lethal finishing in the European Champions League match with Atletico Madrid, on Tuesday night.

Idris, 20, registered the first hat-trick of his professional career and went on to run rings around one of the game’s most highly-acclaimed international defenders to claim his fourth goal of the match, in a one-sided encounter that saw The Saints record a comfortable 6-1 victory to take firm control of Group F, with three games to go.

And Idris’s former Saints Academy colleague, and namesake, Idris Ekinci has tipped the young star to blaze a trail for a wealth of teenaged footballing talent that is also poised to break through to the big time.

“It was fantastic to see Kingsley doing so well against Atletico,” enthused Ekinci, who is now on the books of Newcastle United. “He showed absolutely no fear and the two centre-backs didn’t get near him all night. Everyone’s talking about that fourth goal, when he spun Doria - who’s played almost 70 times for Brazil and been to World Cups - but that’s what Kingsley can do. He’s always making runs, always looking to get goalside of defenders, and if they’re not really on it, he can embarrass them.”

Ekinci, 21, was beginning a season-long loan with Shrewsbury Town when Idris began his first full season in the U18s set-up in the summer of 2018, and made the permanent switch from St. Mary’s Stadium to St. James’s Park the following season, for 4-million. So the Idris & Idris partnership was limited to just a handful of matches in the Saints youth ranks. But Ekinci knew from an early stage that his namesake was something special.

“It doesn’t surprise me to see Kingsley scoring goals at the highest level,” he told Echo Online reporters. “When he came to the club as part of the Spring 2018 intake, he was immediately being spoken about as one for the future. He’s so quick across the ground and makes decisions faster than most players, too, and he added a fair few goals to our tallies for the U18s and the U21s at the end of that season.”

The defensive midfielder is confident that more academy prospects will make the breakthrough to The Saints first team, soon, too.

“I’ve been away for a few years now, but I’ve still got friends at the club and I’ve played alongside some of The Saints lads in the England U21s. And there are some good players there who could quite easily follow in Kingsley’s footsteps, if they’re given the chance,” he said. “Louis Cruse and Shane Westley are both 24, and they show that young players can get through, while I’ve also been really impressed with Mark Ardean-Webb, who I’ve trained with for England. I played with Jorginho at Saints, when he usually played as a striker, but he’s now making a name for himself in the middle of their new five-man midfield system. And then there’s the likes of the young foreign lads like Buti Ndou, Rodrigao, Nicolas Cruz and Marc Smulders who I don’t know personally, but people at the club tell me they’ve all got big futures in the game.”

And Ekinci also has his ear close to the ground regarding the hottest prospects in the current U18 ranks at Staplewood.

“I’m hearing that Kevin Egan and Kieran Burke could be England defenders of the future, and John Griffiths has an awesome goals record at youth level - they’re already calling him the New Michael Owen. George Carter has also scored a lot at that level and I’m told that Jake Basford, in central midfield, looks like a real player, too.”

Many were surprised by the size of the fee that the Newcastle United manager, at the time, Luciano Spalletti splashed out on Ekinci, as an untried 18 year-old whose senior Southampton outings were limited to a single substitute appearance. And the Turkish-born midfielder has yet to make a start for the Magpies’ first-team, either, after three successive season-long loans with Championship clubs Blackpool and Crystal Palace, either side of a stint in Turkey with Gaziantepspor.

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“It has been frustrating not being able to break into the senior squad and I think the new manager [the Russian, Leonid Slutskiy] is trying to find another loan club for me this season, too,” he confided. “But I’ve learned something new about the game everywhere I’ve been and I particularly enjoyed my time in Turkey, where I have a few relatives. So, whatever happens, I’ll be looking to make the most of it. The first-team squad at Newcastle isn’t that big, so I’m optimistic that my chance will come sooner rather than later. I’m still only 21, so I guess I’ll just have to be patient.”

Ekinci’s comments are in stark contrast to those of another former Saints Academy graduate, Andrew Surman, who stated back in August that the club’s manager, rocheyb, was not exploiting the array of young talent at his disposal, preferring instead to bring in foreign players on big-money transfers. But the emergence of Idris and Jorginho as regular participants in the Saints first-team squad this season, and the expectations being generated by the other young players Ekinci mentioned - coupled with the recent expansion and redevelopment of the Staplewood training complex - suggest that the club is now returning to its roots as a developer of premium, home-grown talent.

 

[rocheyb]

Saturday 22nd October, 2022

Premier League - Matchday 9
LIVERPOOL vs SOUTHAMPTON
Anfield, Liverpool; Att: 43,320

SAINTS Team News - 3-5-2: Ibrahim retains his place in goal; Tin Jedvaj, Diego Reyes and Phillip Kaminski make up the back-three; James Ward-Prowse returns to the Advanced Playmaker role in the middle of the midfield five and will resume captain duties; Mario Pugliese returns as the Ball-Winning Midfielder and Mark Ardean-Webb is preferred to Shane Westley, who drops to the bench; superior recent form gives Sercan Calik and Elias Migliorini the nod over Kabastanakis (who is on the bench) and former Liverpool youngster, Tom Ince (who is left out); two left-footed strikers partner each other up-top, Christoffer Jorgensen (False9) and Kingsley Idris (Advanced Forward) will both be looking to maintain their excellent early-season form in-front of goal; Cruse, Radimov, Shaw, Stangoni and Lucas are the other subs.

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Liverpool - 4-5-1: David Ivanov, 22, is a very highly rated Bulgarian goalkeeper; veterans John Flanagan, Martin Kelly and Jordan Henderson - now in his 12th season at Anfield - all start; Dejan Lovren joined Liverpool from Southampton via Juve Stabia in Italy, after leaving St. Mary’s in January 2021; Liverpool’s other ex-Saint, Saphir Taider of Algeria, is out with a pulled hamstring; Blaise Matuidi is a French international midfielder; right-winger Jonathan Schmid is a former transfer target of mine; Mohamed Salah is on the left; Duvan Zapata of Colombia is the lone striker; the former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is among the subs for The Reds.

As we’re away from home for this lunch-time kick-off, I instruct hard tackling. My general team-talks often don’t elicit much response, but one-to-ones usually get the team motivated and ready to take on the opposition.

1st Half Highlights
- 1sec: Southampton, in their changed black strip, kick-off, attacking from right-to-left.
- 3mins: A comical air-shot by Jorgensen, as the ball is nudged away from him by Lovren.
- 7mins: Ivanov’s goal-kick is won in the air by Reyes, leaping above Zapata at the back of the centre-circle. Jorgensen lets it drop and volleys a short pass to James Ward-Prowse on the advanced edge of the centre-circle. Idris has already isolated Lovren as the last man and sets off to connect with his captain’s first-time through ball down the centre. Martin Kelly and Lovren both give chase, but Kingsley IDRIS races into the penalty area and picks his spot to the right of Ivanov to carry on where he left off on Tuesday night. 1-0.
- 9mins: Pugliese breaks-up a Liverpool attack in midfield and finds Ward-Prowse. Idris again pulls on the last man and, as Ward-Prowse chips the ball over Lovren to drop perfectly to Idris in the inside-left channel, it requires an impeccable last-ditch challenge from John Flanagan to knock the ball off Idris’s toe and behind for a corner. Mark O’Hara clears Calik’s cross.
- 12mins: Pugliese has to skip around the referee Lee Mason in midfield and plays a short forward pass to Ward-Prowse, who turns forward and passes to Jorgensen, just outside the area. His one-touch lay-off is met by the run of Sercan Calik on the right of the area, but Ivanov gets down low to save at his near post.
- 25mins: Migliorini frees Idris down the inside-left, but Kelly comes across and forces the young striker wide. He aims a cross into the centre and Jorgensen gets up well but can’t direct the header.
- 27mins: From a throw-in on the left, Migliorini and Ward-Prowse combine to play the latter in at the left edge of the penalty area. He side-steps Flanagan’s challenge to send a low cross into the 6-yard box, dead centre. Christoffer JORGENSEN doesn’t need to be asked twice! Our second left-foot finish of the match. 2-0.
- 35mins: A throw-in from the advanced right enables Ardean-Webb to sweep the ball into the box from the angle. Jorgensen lays it off to Calik and his first-time cross has Idris back-peddling to connect with a header right in-front of goal - but Flanagan is able to knock it away and then throws himself to the ground to block Jedvaj’s low volleyed follow-up. The ball squirms across goal, with the goalkeeper grounded, but O’Hara prods it out of Jorgensen’s reach and Kelly launches it into row Z, behind for a corner. Ward-Prowse picks out Jedvaj, unmarked at the back of the box, put Ivanov catches the Croatian defender’s header.
- 37mins: Idris fires a right-footed half-volley narrowly over-the-bar, from Jedvaj’s knock down.
- 45mins+1: A Liverpool free-kick breaks down on the right-wing, but O’Hara intercepts Pugliese’s clearance in the centre-circle and pushes the ball to Matuidi. He turns to the left and plays it to Martin Kelly, who was coming back from the set-piece. Schmid is available in a pocket between four black shirts, at the edge of the D, and turns Kelly’s pass on to Duvan ZAPATA who steals in behind Kaminski in the inside-left, to beat Ibrahim with a fierce angled shot from 6-yards. Jedvaj’s appeals for offside are to no avail. 2-1.

HALF-TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-2 SOUTHAMPTON

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It was disappointing to concede that goal right at the break, but we have been in control of the match and can create more chances in the second-half. The running of Idris early-on has possibly encouraged Frank De Boer to operate a deeper defensive line, which would explain the goalmouth scrambles. Half-time stats reveal that Liverpool scored with their only shot, but for all our dominance our average player rating isn’t much higher than theirs. James Ward-Prowse (8.3) is our star performer, so far. One or two signs in the Player Stats that their forwards might have more stamina than our defenders. Standby Sergey Radimov. Diego Reyes has made 14 interceptions in the first 45mins. For the most part, I tell the players that they are capable of more in the second-half.

2nd Half Highlights
- 48mins: Zapata receives Hall’s pass in the centre-circle, inside the Saints half. He passes to Salah on the left, who brings the ball back infield before returning it to Zapata. He holds it up and then rolls Jedvaj to play Jonathan SCHMID in behind Migliorini. The French winger takes a touch to steady himself and shoots into the far corner, beyond Ibrahim’s grasp. Liverpool have pulled themselves level from 2-down. 2-2.
- 50mins: Ward-Prowse steps around a misjudged sliding challenge by Henderson, near half-way, and exchanges passes with Calik on the right-hand side before feeding the ball into the inside-right channel for Jorgensen to chase with Martin Kelly at his back. He appears to be running out of pitch, but with Kelly goalside of him, Christoffer JORGENSEN flicks the ball across the defender’s front, then ducks behind him to strike from the corner of the 6-yard box into the far side of the goal. Ivanov is caught by surprise and can’t react quickly enough. 3-2.
- 52mins: Yellow card for Sercan Calik for barging into Salah from behind, in midfield. Henderson gets his head to the free-kick, close to goal, but it loops over-and-wide. Sergey Radimov comes on to replace Kaminski at centre-back for The Saints.
- 56mins: A throw from the left-wing is cleared but Radimov heads down and Pugliese hits a strong volley on-the-turn from 20-yards, forcing Ivanov into a smart save to stop it flying into the top-right corner.
- 59mins: Ward-Prowse’s seemingly innocuous free-kick from deep right hits O’Hara on the knee and bounces beyond the fully-stretched dive of Ivanov, but the right-hand post comes to Liverpool’s rescue and Kelly hacks the ball clear.
- 61mins: Another flukey free-kick from Ward-Prowse hits the bar and has to be pushed over for a corner by Ivanov.
- 65mins: Shane Westley comes on for Mark Ardean-Webb, who has picked up a couple of light knocks, in the Saints midfield.
- 68mins: Yellow card for Liverpool’s Curtis Hall.
- 70mins: Migliorini plays James Ward-Prowse in on the left of the Liverpool penalty area and, in-between two defenders, he turns onto his right foot to shoot. Flanagan slides in but doesn’t get anything on the ball, causing Ward-Prowse to stumble. But, maintaining his footing, he shoots at the second attempt, only for it to hit Idris on the knee and bounce wide. Lee Mason would have had a decision to make had Ward-Prowse gone down.
- 72mins: Flanagan sells himself with a poor sliding tackle, freeing Migliorini down the left-wing. He crosses to the near post and Idris controls it close to goal, but inexplicably fails to pull the trigger and Ivanov is able to gather. Then Idris jinks away from Lovren only to go down in the box amid claims for a penalty - and counter-claims of simulation. The referee shakes his head as Flanagan blocks Migliorini’s follow-up.
- 77mins: Kingsley Idris’s rating hasn’t changed since half-time and he has had a couple of chances to wrap this one up for us. So I send Yvo Lucas on in his place.
- 78mins: Ward-Prowse sends a free-kick over from 25-yards, from right of centre, after O’Hara barged into Jorgensen.
- 82mins: Yvo Lucas misses an absolute sitter of a header from 5-yards after Sercan Calik charges down Curtis Hall’s attempted clearance and crosses to the Dutchman, right in-front of goal.
- 85mins: Lucas calls Ivanov into action to make a flying save to his right, after Jorgensen’s flick-on releases the striker behind Liverpool’s back four.
- 90mins: Flanagan clears a Saints free-kick and Liverpool counter with a 3-on-3 situation. But they over elaborate and Salah’s cross-shot lacks conviction and goes harmlessly wide.
- 90mins+3: Ivanov sends the ball upfield for the home side and the full-time whistle is blown.

FULL-TIME

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MAN OF THE MATCH:
JAMES WARD-PROWSE (SOUTHAMPTON) - 9.0
Advanced Playmaker_Attack: 0 goals; 3 assists.

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VERDICT:
Being pegged back from 2-0 up to 2-2 was not part of the plan, but the team responded almost immediately and Christoffer Jorgensen helped himself to two more Premier League goals. James Ward-Prowse was at the heart of everything and was unlucky not to get at least one goal for himself and a penalty. He trudges off the pitch exhausted (con. 73%), having left it all on the field of play. Idris struggled after Liverpool dropped to a deeper defensive line and should have had a goal in the second-half. The two goals we conceded were both on our left-side, where Jedvaj was. The 3-at-the-back system doesn’t make us vulnerable on the wings, as I was originally concerned that it might - it exposes us to through balls into the channels, either side of the middle defender, particularly with our typically high line. I calmly tell the lads “Well done” for a good win, and we make our way back to the South Coast.

 

[rocheyb]

Sunday 23rd October, 2022

Chelsea and Manchester City both won yesterday, while today, Newcastle United hold Manchester United to a 0-0 stalemate, at St. James’s Park. So, we remain 4th in the Premier League table.

The U21s end their recent run of bad results with a 3-1 win at Coventry City. George Carter is among the goalscorers, again.

 

[rocheyb]

Sunday 23rd October, 2022

Preparation vs WIGAN ATHLETIC (h)

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SAINTS: 1/6 (fav); Wigan: 10/1; Draw: 5/1

Wigan are without a win in their first 9 Premier League matches this season and often concede goals prior to the break and during the last half-an-hour. Owen Coyle’s squad doesn’t compare well to ours, so we ought to progress to the 5th Round of the Capital One Cup from this 4th Round match.

I will go at them with our attacking 3-5-2, and try to give Stangoni at least an hour. John Griffiths will get his senior debut up-front, alongside Yvo Lucas. Griffiths is another left-footer, so I’ll leave our set-up as it is. Luke Shaw will start on the left of the midfield five.

 

[rocheyb]

Monday 24th October, 2022

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Jay Rodriguez, who is now 33 years-old, has been edged out of the first-team this season, but he scores for the U21s with a thumping effort from long-range in their 2-0 win at home to Leeds United.

 

[rocheyb]

Tuesday 25th October, 2022

Capital One Cup - 4th Round
SOUTHAMPTON vs WIGAN ATHLETIC
St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton; Att: 30,062

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SAINTS Team News - 3-5-2: Louis Cruse takes the goalkeeping gloves for the first time since the Amkar Perm match a month ago; John Stones comes into a back-three also comprising of Radimov and Kaminski; Stangoni will start with Ardean-Webb and Westley either side of him; Kabastanakis replaces Calik on the right, with Luke Shaw operating on the left; Yvo Lucas takes the False9 role, alongside 16 year-old debutant John Griffiths; Pinho, Jorginho and Idris are among the subs and again, I have no back-up goalkeeper.

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Wigan - 4-2-3-1: Scott Carson captains the visitors from the goalkeeper position; Jake Bidwell starts at left-back; Italian striker Andrea Cordisco scored 16 goals in all competitions for Wigan last seson, but is yet to register in 11 matches so far this.

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1st Half Highlights
- 1 sec: Wigan kick-off, in an all-dark blue away kit, attacking from left-to-right.
- 7mins: Kabastanakis receives the ball back from his own right-wing throw and sends the ball into the box. Griffiths knocks it back to Lucas on the edge of the area, right of the D. He squares and Stangoni’s left-foot shot goes wide of the left post.
- 8mins: Cordisco tries his luck from distance but it goes wide, to the left.
- 9mins: Wigan struggle to clear two Southampton crosses from the left, allowing Ardean-Webb to pass to Stangoni in a central position, just inside the area, but Carson holds-on to his shot.
- 13mins: Stangoni runs at the heart of the Wigan defence and frees Lucas to the right, but his shot is blocked by Chagelishvili. Then when the corner is cleared, Stangoni picks it up again and charges passed Cordisco, and into the area. His shot is blocked and bounces to Ardean-Webb whose attempt is also blocked. It falls to Lucas who aims a cross-shot into the top-left corner but it flashes wide.
- 15mins: Luke Shaw shoots into the side-netting after being played-in by Griffiths.
- 18mins: Kabastanakis slips the ball past the left-back Bidwell to Yvo Lucas. He crosses to the 6-yard box where Griffiths’s near post header is brilliantly saved by Carson, diving to his right, but Giammarco STANGONI rushes in-between two defenders to head past the grounded keeper. Stangoni’s 3rd goal of the season. 1-0.
- 23mins: Carson dives low to his right-hand post to deny Griffiths again, who heads Luke Shaw’s cross.
- 26mins: Griffiths and Stangoni play clever passes inside the Wigan area to present Westley with an opening, but he drags his shot wide of the right-hand post.
- 27mins: Bidwell takes a throw from next to the left-wing corner flag, high up the pitch. Milligan pulls it back to Butterfield on the corner of the area and his effort into a crowd of players is deflected wide for a corner. Ardean-Webb then clears.
- 31mins: Stangoni requires treatment after a foul in midfield. John Stones sends a looping header wide from Kabastanakis’s free-kick.
- 32mins: Hamill redirects Trapani’s right-wing throw back to the edge of the area and Butterfield’s first-time strike beats Ibrahim but smacks back off the crossbar. Unlucky, Wigan.
- 38mins: Lucas drives a shot wide from right of the D, after Ardean-Webb and Griffiths work the ball forward through the middle.
- 43mins: Shaw takes a throw from the left and Stangoni exchanges passes with Ardean-Webb before hitting a firm cross to the near post. Westley’s close-range header beats Carson but is wide.
- 44mins: Stones gets across to snuff out a chance for Cordisco after Radimov got caught out by a short ball in-behind him. Then Brannan holds the ball up on the right before feeding Hendrick but his shot from a tight angle is caught by Louis Cruse.

HALF-TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 1-0 WIGAN ATHLETIC

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We have created enough openings to be comfortably ahead but the shots have tended to be rushed. Wigan were unlucky not to equalise through Butterfield. Near the end of the half, their attackers were dropping a little deeper and playing in runners from deep, which caused us some problems. I’ll keep an eye on it early in the second-half. John Griffiths made a nervous start but seems to have settled down by getting involved in some clever build-up play and he’s forced Carson into a couple of decent saves. I tell the players that they’re playing well but there’s room for improvement. Wigan are bringing on Hajrovic for Hamill at No.10 but they're keeping the same shape.

2nd Half Highlights
- 47mins: Kabastanakis takes a free-kick inside the Wigan D, but his floated effort goes wide on the right. Then, a Wigan attack breaks down just short of halfway when Luke Shaw races forward to intercept an understrength pass intended for Trapani. He charges down the left side of the penalty area with the full-back in pursuit, and sends the ball into the middle. Griffiths can’t connect but Kostas KABASTANAKIS arrives on the far side to wrap his foot around the ball and crash it into the roof of the net, off Carson’s torso. He runs to the corner flag and produces a forward-roll of sheer delight! 2-0.
- 51mins: Ardean-Webb plays the ball out to Shaw, who takes-on Trapani and delivers an out-swinging cross into the box which Lucas heads just over from 6-yards.
- 56mins: Lucas retreats to midfield to retrieve a loose pass and diverts it to Kabastanakis, who is free on the right. He drives forward and lets fly from the edge of the area, ramming the ball against the crossbar with Carson beaten all-ends-up. Griffiths retrieves the loose ball on the left but Carson is up in time to catch his cross.
- 57mins: A sloppy pass from halfway by Jake Bidwell gives the ball to Stangoni and he slides it through two opponents to Mark Ardean-Webb, in the centre-circle. He takes a touch and looks up to see both strikers making runs - but Griffiths is free of defenders. He chips the ball into the young striker’s path, mid-way inside the Wigan half, just left-of-centre. As Griffiths controls the ball, Carson rushes out, but he leaves a sizeable gap for John GRIFFITHS to announce himself with a debut goal from the edge of the area. Luke Shaw is the first to congratulate him, as he runs to the fans behind the goal at the Chapel End! 3-0.
- 58mins: Westley pulls-up after passing back to Kaminski. He needs treatment.
- 63mins: Yellow card for Morgan Milligan who takes pity on Luke Shaw for hitting a free-kick into the wall by immediately tripping him so he can have another go. Carson saves the second attempt.
- 71mins: Two substitutions by The Saints: Stangoni makes way for Jorginho; Lucas is replaced by Jose Pinho.
- 77mins: Luke Shaw with a better free-kick, this time going narrowly over with a well-hit shot from just behind the D.
- 79mins: With good close control and a change of pace, Jose Pinho advances past two defenders to get to the right byline, before pulling the ball back to Westley, about 30-yards out, on the right. He fires a diagonal ball into the area where JORGINHO pulls away from Kane to control on his left, turn and shoot with his right from 8-yards, beating Carson low to his left before he can get down. 4-0.
- 80mins: Buti Ndou comes on in place of Kabastanakis for the last 10mins.
- 83mins Ardean-Webb loops a ball into the top left corner of the penalty area and Jorginho comes across to meet it with Chagelishvili in close attendance. Jorginho goes down, initially to no reaction from the referee, but when he gets up and then goes down again - somewhat theatrically, it has to be said - Mr Swarbrick points to the penalty spot: Shane WESTLEY opens his goal account for the season by thumping a rasper of a spot-kick into the right of goal, beyond Carson’s flapping left-hand. 5-0.
- 87mins: Fatigue is starting to show among the Wigan defence as they are caught too high by Jorginho’s neat through ball and Griffiths latches onto it in the inside-left. His approach to goal is halted by a trip from behind by the wretched Chagelishvili - and Mr Swarbrick awards a second spot-kick to the home side, booking the offender into the bargain: This time, Jose Pinho claims responsibility. Carson stands tall with his arms outstretched like a starfish and when Pinho tries to side-foot to the keeper’s left, the one-time England international gets down quickly to push the ball away. Penalty saved.
- 88mins: Jorginho’s near-post header from Ndou’s cross goes wide.
- 90mins+3: Good approach work by Shaw finds Pinho unmarked in the area, but with his back-to-goal he spins the wrong way and hits the defender - and Shaw’s effort from the rebound flies narrowly over-the-bar. Then:

FULL-TIME

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MAN OF THE MATCH:
JOHN GRIFFITHS (SOUTHAMPTON) - 9.3
Advanced Forward_Attack: 1 goal; 1 assist.

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VERDICT:
After Wigan’s brief resistance at the end of the first-half, we took the fight to them from the beginning of the second and once we got to 2-0 the match was over as a contest. A very pleasing Man of the Match debut from John Griffiths, despite a nervous start. His off-the-ball running caused them all sorts of problems in the second-45 and he deserved his debut goal. Pinho was also bright, in the False9 role, when he came on. Shame he missed the second penalty because he could do with opening his account. A more than satisfactory win from a largely second-string line-up - with 5 goals from 5 different scorers. We face Wigan again soon, in the Premier League.