Taking Southampton North!

  • Thread starter Thread starter PatrickLFC
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 2K
  • Views Views 618K

English Premier League - Game 9 - Liverpool FC (Home)


Our fixtures aren’t giving us much help here, as we welcome Liverpool to St. Mary’s today. They’re slightly underperforming, but not as much as we are!

In the 29th minute Cazares brought down Zivkovic’s chipped pass beautifully, beating his man in one motion, but he sent his effort marginally wide of the far post.

Fonte’s long ball to Rodriguez in the 37th minute set the striker free, but after skipping past a couple of challenges, his shot was saved by Mignolet.

Just a minute later Allen’s shot from the penalty spot was so powerful I didn’t even see it, but Dragowski did, and touched it around the post!

A similarly brilliant save denied Balotelli in the 42nd minute, the young keeper flinging himself at full stretch.

15 seconds after half time Jay Rodriguez finally came back to life, bursting through the defence before slotting coolly past Mignolet to open the scoring!

Shaqiri levelled the game for the Reds in the 59th minute with a brilliant swivelling shot following a flowing move.

Sadio Mane made his injury return in the 64th minute, replacing Cazares.

Two minutes later Clyne’s cross was knocked down by Milner to Shaqiri, who rifled it near post - and was brilliantly denied by Dragowski, who even held the ball!

Another two minutes later and Jose Fonte restored our lead with a bullet header from Zivkovic’s corner!

Two minutes later we countered down the left, Mane playing Augustinsson into space. He ran to the baseline and sent a low ball in to Rodriguez, who turned, drew Mignolet, and squared the ball to Zivkovic for a tap in at the back post!

Zivkovic was obviously feeling confident, and he tore through the Liverpool defence in the 75th minute, before curling his shot inches wide of the far post.

Palombo replaced Wanyama seconds later.

Davis replaced Ward-Prowse in the 77th.

In the 89th minute Clyne’s low cross almost snuck in at the near post, but Dragowski sprawled just in time to stop it, before Radu cleared.

Finally, a Premier League win! Of course, after losing to every team under the sun, or so it felt, we had to get it together against Liverpool. Dragowski (8.3) was sensational between the sticks, saving us on numerous occasions, whilst Jay Rodriguez (8.3) was my other personal nomination for POM, with a goal and an assist. The official award went to Zivkovic though, with a coming of age performance, even though his goal was simple. Let’s hope this is the start of a good run.


POM: Andrija Zivkovic (8.9, 1G, 1A)
 
Solid win and great keeping from Dragowski! Let's hope for a winning run now
 
Sorry Pat - had to laugh when you at last get a win and it was against Liverpool!!!
 

Capital One Cup - 4th Round - Leicester City (Away)


The kids get another run out in the Capital One Cup. Dario Rodriguez recovered in time to start, whilst Upamecano finally makes his debut, and young Swedish striker Persson is on the bench. Slattery and Balic are tasked with running the show from midfield.

In the 4th minute we fell behind as Vardy tore through our defence and slotted home an outstanding goal.

In the 11th minute we should have equalised, as Rodriguez found Milik in the 6 yard box, but he inexplicably picked out Schmeichel with the whole goal to aim at!

In the 18th minute Gitschier picked out Milik’s run with an excellent through ball, and the striker finished powerfully, but was flagged offside.

In the 29th minute Rodriguez drew three defenders brilliantly before squaring for Milik straight in front - saved again! Unbelievable!

It was Vardy’s turn to be denied from point blank range in the 31st minute though, after Kramaric’s header sent him through. He had the excuse of a tough angle to work with though.

Vardy was then frustrated again as Forster saved his volley from just two or three yards out by flinging his enormous frame across the goal.

Slattery threw himself in front of a Mounier shot after a low corner found him in the area unchallenged.

Milik was replaced by Tadic in the 55th due to his profligacy. Juanmi shifted up front.

Palombo replaced a tiring Slattery in the 61st minute.

In the 67th minute Persson replaced Rodriguez and moved up top. Tadic went to the right and Juanmi to the left.

Kramaric had an open sight at goal in the 71st but Forster saved it fairly easily.

A minute later Juanmi’s scooped cross bounced on the crossbar and stayed in play, but was cleared.

Within seconds Cedric whipped in a cross and Gitschier cracked a sensational volley, but Schmeichel made an extraordinary reflex save.

From the corner Palombo powered a header at goal but it too was saved by Schmeichel.

In the 75th minute Palombo had a crack from range, and a full stretch Schmeichel prevented it finding the bottom corner. Superman to the rescue for Leicester again!

Of course it was then Schmeichel whose massive clearance in the 78th was headed on by Kramaric into the path of Vardy, and the striker finally had his second.

In the 83rd minute Persson played a great chipped ball for Juanmi, who then put in a great little cross, and Gitschier powered a header off the underside of the bar and in!

With 15 seconds to go in stoppage time, we had our equaliser!! Gitschier picking a sensational pass between three players for the diagonal run of Persson, who slotted near post with ice cold precision! What a debut for the young Swede!

The only worry now was heading into extra time with players at 55% condition!

In the 95th minute Superman made a return for Leicester, as Gitschier squared for Tadic in the area, and the Serbian was denied twice, with Schmeichel actually catching the second effort! Admittedly his shooting could have been better.

In the 104th minute Cedric’s long free kick into the box was headed out to the right, where Gitschier found space, and rifled a half volley off the outside of the post! So unlucky!

In the 111th minute Schmeichel decided to ramp it up making a TRIPLE save, first denying Gitschier, before keeping out Juanmi twice from the rebound! Just extraordinary!

A minute later Persson lofted a ball high and wide after being slipped through by Juanmi.

Penalties it was! Not one of my 6 designated penalty takers was on the pitch, so it was bound to be interesting, particularly with Christ incarnate in the opposition goal!

First up for Leicester, Matty James: saved! Straight at Forster, who stuck out a leg to deny him!

Tadic for Saints: buried it!

Kramaric: goal!

Balic: saved!

Vardy: goal!

Palombo: goal!

Nuno Santos: goal!

Van Dijk: goal!

3 all after 4 kicks apiece.

Albrighton: goal!

Persson: goal!

Schmeichel: Saved! The man is human after all!

Juanmi: GOAL!!!! Southampton through to the Quarter Final after an extraordinary fightback!!

What a win today! And what irony that it was Schmeichel who was the shootout villain for Leicester after performing to a superhuman level all match. Both goals he conceded were unstoppable, but so were some of the efforts that he kept out. Just two goals from 20 shots on target tells the story. Forster did a quality job in our net too, but wasn’t as spectacular as Schmeichel. So proud of the kids after showing such spirit and fight, and dare I say, character. Every player left the field exhausted, after running into the ground. A deserved man of the match award for Schmeichel, but a special mention to Gitschier for leading the fightback after playing superbly all match, with 11 key passes, and to young Linus Persson with a last minute equaliser on debut! What a game!


POM: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City - 9.4, 19 saves, 2 conceded)

Best Southampton Player: Moritz Gitschier (9.0, 1G, 1A)
 

Kießling wants more first team football. He’s going to have to impress off the bench if he wants to earn a league start ahead of Rodriguez, who has plenty of credit in the bank.

We receive a very friendly draw for the Quarter Final, and can be labelled favourites to progress to the Semi Finals, provided we perform to our capabilities. That would likely see us matched against one of the big guns of the Premier League, as four remain, though Man City and Liverpool will have the opportunity to kick each other out of the Cup, having been drawn together in the quarters. Liverpool must be disgusted with the draw, having had to overcome Arsenal at the Emirates already!

 

English Premier League - Game 10 - Tottenham Hotspur FC (Away)


White Hart Lane is never an easy place to get a result, and the Spurs have been on fire this season, sitting second on the ladder. They recruited very well in the offseason and are a dangerous side. Hopefully the boys can pick up from where they left off against Liverpool.

In the 7th minute Clasie sent Rodriguez through, who then held the ball up and played in Zivkovic, but his angle was tight, so Lloris was able to touch it around the post.

30 seconds later Spurs were up our end, and Redmond’s cross found Son for an easy tap in at the back post.

Two minutes later though and we were level again through Victor Wanyama! Tadic played the ball back to him, and he let fly with a scorching 25 yard strike with curled beyond Lloris and into the net! Sensational strike!

In the 31st minute we had a huge letoff as Pato played Eriksen through, but his effort was very tame and straight into the arms of Dragowksi.

Mane replaced Tadic in the 61st minute.

In the 67th minute we turned the ball over in a dangerous position and Sung-Yeung sent Redmond through. His shot was parried by a sprawling Dragowski, and almost crossed the line before he snatched it up.

Davis replaced Clasie in the 69th.

Kießling replaced Zivkovic in the 72nd minute, moving up top and shifting Rodriguez to the left and Mane to the right.

A minute later Augustinsson’s cross thundered off the bar after catching Lloris by surprise.

In the 88th minute a clever lobbed pass from N’Jie found Redmond at the back post for a volley, but Dragowski got down to tip it wide.

In the 92nd minute Rodriguez’s excellent cut back to Davis inside the box allowed the midfielder to get a shot on goal, and it hit the underside of the crossbar before bouncing clear! So unlucky!

We were about a centimetre from taking all three points today, which would have been deserved as we played pretty well today. Fairly even match so I can’t complain too much. Wanyama’s screamer earned him the POM award, and deservedly so, though Dragowski (8.0) was in outstanding form once again.

POM: Victor Wanyama (8.6, 1G, 0A)
 

UEFA Champions League - Game 4 - Galatasaray (Away)


The return leg against Galatasaray is no doubt going to be another tricky match, though we come into this one in much better form. A win would almost guarantee qualification for us.

In the 32nd minute a superbly executed move was capped off by Juanmi cutting the ball back for Davis, who was left with virtually an open net, and he turned the ball home to give us the lead. Great pass from Kießling to release Juanmi.

In the 39th minute Sneijder was unmarked on a corner and made us pay with an emphatic volley.

Tadic replaced Ramirez in the 48th minute and shuffled Davis to the right wing.

In the 52nd minute Palombo won the ball with a great tackle and then ran the length of the field down the right before sending in a perfect cross for Juanmi at the far post, whose effort struck Muslera, then the inside of the post then sat on the line before being cleared. So unlucky!

A 55th minute cross from Cedric was all but certain to be converted by Juanmi, but the Spaniard was cynically pulled down, and a clear penalty was given. Kießling’s spot kick was then saved by Muslera!

In the 60th minute Galatasaray countered down our right flank and a low cross was brilliantly thwarted by Dragowski, preventing their striker from receiving an unmissable opportunity.

Milik replaced Kießling a minute later.

Zivkovic was on for Juanmi in the 70th minute, moving to the right, and allowing Davis to go back to AMC and Tadic to the left wing.

In the 73rd minute a Sneijder long ball was brilliantly chested down by Yilmaz, who then calmly slotted past Dragowski to put them in front.

In the 78th minute Garmash played the ball back to Muslera, who tried to pass straight back to him, but Milik intercepted, and quick as a flash, curled the ball around him to square the game back up! Great pressing from the striker, who got his reward!

A solid result in the end I guess, a draw on the road is nothing to complain about. Palombo dominated the midfield for us, and had our finishing been more clinical, and Kießling not missed a penalty, we might have left with all three points. We’re so close to qualifying for the knockouts now.

POM: Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray - 9.0, 1G, 1A)

Best Southampton Player: Angelo Palombo (7.8, 0G, 0A)
 

English Premier League - Game 11 - Watford FC (Away)


Watford are in the relegation zone this season, and are struggling. Huge opportunity for us to pick up 3 points and start moving up the table.

In the 16th minute Wanyama slipped Rodriguez through, but his powerful shot was casually plucked out of the air by Caballero.

In the 42nd minute Wanyama’s clever **** over the top found Zivkovic, who was tripped inside the area - penalty! The Serbian stepped up to the spot, and shot to the bottom left corner - saved, and held, by Caballero! Unbelievable!

In stoppage time some one touch long passing from Watford saw a first time cross from Nyom find Damm at the back post, and he crashed his header against the upright!

Mane replaced Zivkovic in the 58th minute.

Gitschier replaced Clasie in the 61st minute, switching with Ward-Prowse.

In the 64th minute Gitschier found Mane, who slipped Tadic in, and his shot flew past Caballero but smashed into the underside of the bar!

Milik replaced Rodriguez in the 71st minute.

In the 74th minute Milik picked out Tadic’s run, but the Serbian shot straight into the stomach of Caballero!

In the 77th Nyom swung a cross to Joselu at the far post, and Dragowski made a brilliant stop, before Radu blocked Joselu’s followup effort on the line!

Frustration as we couldn’t find a way past the wall that was ***** Caballero! He was unfortunate not to be named Player of the Match, in my opinion. Still, we had the chances to win it, and failed to do so. Very disappointing.


POM: Ludwig Augustinsson (7.9, 0G, 0A)
 

English Premier League - Game 12 - Norwich City (Home)


Change of formation today against Norwich, to see if we can spark some life into our season. Wanyama is suspended, whilst Davis and Fonte are both injured, which robs us of a great deal of experience and leadership.

In the 11th minute we fell behind, as Seferovic did brilliantly to get on the end of a cross and tap home at the back post. He shrugged off emergency starter Upamecano too easily.

We reverted to a 4-2-3-1 with Rodriguez and Mane on the wings in the 40th minute.

Two minutes later a raking cross to the back post was just the tiniest bit overstruck, and so Inui hit the outside of the post from a tough angle for Norwich.

Juanmi and Gitschier replaced Rodriguez and Mane in the 61st minute, with Ward-Prowse moving to the right wing.

Tadic replaced Milik in the 71st minute, shifting Juanmi up top.

Nothing was happening for us though, and we fell to another defeat.

Well I’m practically at my wits end right now! Things just aren’t happening for us, and it’s difficult to pinpoint the issue. The hastily assembled diamond didn’t work too well I’d say, so it’s going to need work. The inexperience of Upamecano, our last minute replacement for Fonte cost us too, but I’m not going to hold it against the kid.


POM: Jeremy Menez (Norwich City - 8.9, 0G, 1A)

Best Southampton Players: Luan and Jordy Clasie (7.2, 0G, 0A)
 
You're on a tough trot mate but I believe you've got what it takes to lead them back up the table!
 
Pretty sure this start is just a trap, and that the Saints will surprise everyone yet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

FMBase

Beta

Resources

Back
Top