Taking Southampton North!

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Injury News...


Just as our left back stalwart is out injured, his understudy goes down too. He will miss three weeks, and the first team opportunities that would have come along with it.


UEFA Champions League Quarter Final - First Leg - Celtic (Away)
We’ve only faced Celtic three times before. We beat them in a friendly, and split meetings with them in the Group Stage of the Champions League two and a half years ago, with a 2-1 loss and a 5-1 win. We’re heavy favourites, but they’re in fantastic form and on a high having just clinched their domestic title, and they beat us last time at their home ground. It’s a strong lineup with only Burtic not first choice or thereabouts for his position.

30 seconds into the match and we were almost in front, as Asensio’s shot cannoned off the top of the right hand post.

Begovic produced a superb save to deny Asensio from Jurcik’s 12th minute cutback. Doebel regathered and passed back to Wellington, who played him back in and he netted from a sharp angle, but the flag was - correctly - up.

I couldn’t believe it when Gitschier failed to score in the 16th minute, after Sindelar teed him up 8 yards out. Decent save from Begovic but no excuse for not scoring.

It took a shocking error for us to finally grab our opener, as Doebel tried to send Sindelar down the left flank in the 37th minute, but Humphreys beat him there. His first time pass back to Begovic was anticipated by the striker though, and he won the footrace against the keeper to drill in our opener and break his drought!

Just two minutes later Sindelar played a superb first touch pass for Gitschier, who saw his shot strike the left post and bounce clear.

In the 68th minute Celtic levelled the game as Falque squared for Malen, who gave Burtic no chance by smoking a first time missile into the top corner via the underside of the bar.

Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez and Chambers came on for Gasperoni, Doebel and Laporte in the 70th minute. Chambers and Jurcik swapped positions.

In the 78th minute Asensio weaved his way into the area from the right flank, nutmegging Suk-Young before being tripped by Johansen. But Gitschier’s penalty was saved by Begovic! So too was his effort from the rebound. Shocking pair of misses from the German, and an enormous let off for Celtic.

But Sindelar made himself a hero in the 86th minute by glancing home a point blank header from a Chambers cross to put us back in front!

Who’d have thought we’d go from scoring droughts for both of my top strikers, to the pair of them scoring braces in back to back games? It’s a great time for them to switch on too, as we get to the business end of the season. Had Gitschier netted from the spot the tie would be all but over, but as things stand, only a monumental disaster should prevent us from reaching the Semi Finals once again.


POM: Lukas Sindelar (9.0, 2G, 0A)
 

Transfer News...


I agree to let Wanyama move on. He’ll be around until the end of the season though. I’ve accepted a 16m offer from P$G.


English Premier League - Game 33 - Newcastle United (Away)

Some slight rotation for what should be a tricky game against Newcastle. They’ve had a superb season and sit in 6th place in the table, just ahead of both Manchester clubs. Young right back Ivan Smith starts at left back in the absence of any other real options. He’s performed well when called upon, which is encouraging.

In the 18th minute Gitschier played Doebel into space down the left, and the winger whipped in a cross, which Sindelar deftly headed into the net to open the scoring!

Unfortunately, he twisted his ankle almost immediately, so he departed in the 21st minute, to be replaced by Vietto.

Asensio’s sensational ball in the 24th minute found Vietto in the area for a half-volley, but Asenjo was alert and turned it aside.

In the 27th minute Doebel proved too hot to handle yet again, surging past his man before sending in another cross, which was headed home by Gitschier!

Less than a minute later Laporte made it three with a third header, looping the ball past Asenjo when left unmarked on an Asensio free kick.

In the 32nd minute Martin’s cross found Mitrovic, who fired goalwards but was denied by Dragowski. They came straight back in though, and Martin was able to outmuscle Smith and then square through the 6 yard box to present Fischer with an open net. No clean sheet, once more.

Two minutes later Smith was again at fault as Martin breezed by him, before finding Fischer in the 6 yard box with a low cross. 3-2.

Martin was first to a long clearance in the 38th minute and surged past Süle, but was denied by Dragowski from a tight angle.

Laporte was picked out by a 44th minute Ward-Prowse corner, but hit the side netting from close range.

In stoppage time Wijnaldum played a sensational ball over the top for the run of Fischer. The flag was up before he slotted in from a tight angle.

In the 48th minute some incredible misfortune saw Newcastle draw level! Martin was first to a long clearance and sent a ball inside to Mitrovic. Süle executed a superb sliding tackle, but the ball rolled perfectly into the path of Fischer, who whipped the ball through the area and left Martin with a tap in. 3 all!

Nishimura was on for Smith two minutes later.

In the 54th minute Doebel sent a ball inside to Gitschier, who chipped it over the last defender for Vietto. The Argentine brought it down with a sublime touch, turning in one motion, and fired past Asenjo to restore our lead!

Just a minute later Byram sent in a cross, and Fischer’s header hit the post! Very lucky.

Martin’s corner was headed down by Wijnaldum for Holgate. Dragowski got himself in front of the volley, and was still there as Fischer slammed a second volley into him. Brave goalkeeping!

Gasperoni replaced Asensio a minute later. He dropped to DM and Gitschier moved to the right wing.

Everything settled down until the 79th minute, when Wijnaldum intercepted Ward-Prowse’s square pass to Gasperoni, and immediately sent Ji Dong-Won forward. The striker played it back into Wijnaldum’s path, and he blasted it past Dragowski.

Well I’m not going to begrudge Newcastle a point there. That was an appalling game from our defence, but Newcastle deserve full credit for it, as they tore us apart at the back and recovered from a 3 goal deficit to claim a point against the table toppers and reigning champions. Were it not for my two German maestros up front, and both of my strikers, who each netted, then we would have been beaten, as after the first half hour, we were thoroughly outplayed. Smith and Chambers had a torrid time against Martin and Fischer, who were sensational for the Toon. They’ve shown me today that they thoroughly deserve to be where they are in the table.


POM: Viktor Fischer (Newcastle United - 9.0, 2G, 1A)

Best Southampton Player: Sven Doebel (9.0, 0G, 2A)
 

UEFA Champions League Quarter Final - Second Leg - Celtic (Home)


The second leg against Celtic shouldn’t be too much of a problem. We beat them away in Scotland, now this rotated lineup just needs to see the job through at home.

Unfortunately, in just the 9th minute Prins was injured. He was replaced by Candreva, who switched with Amrani.

Nishimura was tripped in the 12th minute as he dribbled into the box, and a penalty was awarded! But Begovic saved Candreva’s spot kick! Two games in a row the Bosnian has denied us from the spot. If we end up losing this then those two misses could be crucial!

In the 28th minute we hit the lead though, as Persson cracked an impressive volley past Begovic from Nishimura’s delivery. Great to see the young Swede repay my faith in him by scoring a crucial goal.

In the 39th minute an appalling miscommunication saw Falque’s free kick, taken only just inside our half and way over near the sideline, fly past everybody, including the keeper, then hit the knee of Lundemo and trickle into an empty net. Watching a slow motion replay it actually appears like Lundemo didn’t get a touch at all and it came off a defender, but he was credited with the goal.

In the 49th minute Persson played a fantastic pass for Amrani on the counter, and the youngster made his way to the box, sidestepped a couple of challenges and fired at goal, but Begovic was across to make the save.

In the 51st minute the pair combined again, but this time it was a sensational pass from Amrani that sent Persson through, and the striker coolly drilled the ball into the bottom corner to restore our lead!

In the 57th minute we launched another counter, with Persson again heavily involved, and Rodriguez eventually slalomed past the last defender but was denied by Begovic.

We were made to pay in the 63rd minute as Johansen slotted into the bottom corner to draw Celtic level in the match. If they score again they take the lead on away goals!

Vietto replaced Rodriguez in the 69th minute, taking his place on the left wing.

In the 74th minute Persson again slipped Amrani through, but the youngster blasted high and wide.

Candreva, despite having come on as a substitute early, was having a shocker since missing that penalty and so was replaced by Ward-Prowse before the goal kick was taken.

And two minutes later Vietto and Persson combined on the counter from a corner, playing a one-two before Vietto sent Ward-Prowse through, but he couldn’t beat Begovic! Still too tense to call!

In the 90th minute Vietto chipped a ball square to Persson, but he couldn’t beat Begovic from 7 yards out!

Ward-Prowse swung a 92nd minute corner out to Wellington, who came forward into the box but then blasted inches wide!

And I could finally release my breath a minute later, as the final whistle was blown! In a pair of matches we dominated, we were just a single goal away from elimination in the end, after a missed penalty in each leg and a host of wasted opportunities from open play, and Celtic scored from both of their shots on target. Begovic almost stole the match for them, and he deservedly received the match ball. Fortunately we came through intact, and will progress to the Semi Finals courtesy of a 4-3 aggregate win. A massive performance from young Linus Persson, who has barely played in recent times due to injury and a lack of form when my other strikers were firing, saw the youngster bag a crucial brace when he was forced to step up in the absence of the injured Sindelar. Amrani also played pretty well, but as his attributes suggest, he is still raw and his finishing and composure need work. Had Prins not gone off injured I’m confident those chances would have been buried by the more experienced Dutch wonderkid. Hopefully his injury isn’t serious.


POM: Asmir Begovic (Celtic - 9.3, 10 Saves, 2 Conceded)

Best Southampton Player: Linus Persson (8.9, 2G, 0A)
 

Injury News...


Prins has shin splints and will miss over a month, as I’ve opted to send him to a specialist. He’s an important player for us, often first off the bench in big games, so his absence will hit us hard down the stretch.

We’ve broken the record for goals in a Champions League campaign. With two, possibly three matches to come, you wouldn’t bet against us extending it further.



We’ve been drawn against Portuguese Champions FC Porto in the Semi-Finals. They, along with their compatriots and rivals Benfica, have a very dangerous squad, with Ruben Neves their star player in the centre of the park. They knocked out Arsenal and are probably only very slight underdogs against us. Meanwhile, Barcelona rode their luck to a flattering 4-0 aggregate win over Bayern Munich. They were dominated in the first leg, something like 16 shots to 3, but grabbed a late winner, and then an early red card for Bayern in the second leg saw the Catalans cruise to victory. Benfica have the hottest striker in the competition in Ze Gomes, who I definitely feel I should have signed back when I had the chance a couple of seasons ago. He’s turned into an elite forward, and his partnership with Guedes is terrifying!
 

English Premier League - Game 34 - Swansea City (Home)


We lost to Swansea back in December, thanks to a pair of penalties, and will be looking to make amends today. We’re not in great form by any means, particularly defensively, so I’d like to see us turn that around with a good performance today.

Doebel picked up where he left off against Newcastle, burning Elabdellaoui before putting in a cross which was volleyed home by Asensio in just the 4th minute.

Just a minute later Doebel had his second assist! He saw two attempted deliveries to Vietto headed back out to him, but not to be deterred, he sent in a low cross for Gitschier, who rifled home a volley to double our lead!

Unfortunately, Wellington picked up a knock, and I opted to replaced him with Ward-Prowse in the 17th minute.

In the 23rd minute Chambers and Garbutt tussled for the ball just inside the Swansea box, and Garbutt was adjudged to have committed a foul. Penalty! Papastathopoulos was shown a card for dissent. Gitschier netted his 20th goal of the season from the spot! All of them in the league, too.

In the 28th minute he almost had a hat trick after a clever layoff from Doebel, but Butland was down to make a fine save.

He was not to be denied though, and in the 43rd minute he finally managed to turn a brace into a hat trick, clipping home a half-volley at the back post after a fine setup by Vietto!

Just a minute later things went from bad to worse for Swansea, as Papastathopoulos couldn’t cope with Doebel and tripped him, earning himself a second yellow card.

Lovell injured himself just after half time, and I opted to give Smith some game time, shifting Chambers to centre back as he came on in the 49th minute.

In the 56th minute Doebel had his third assist, and Asensio his second goal, as the German put in another cross and the Spaniard headed home from a tight angle.

Young Evans came on for Gasperoni in the 71st minute.

In the 81st minute Asensio should have had a hat trick, as Doebel’s cross found him in open space in the middle of the box, but he volleyed straight at the grateful Butland!

Nonetheless, it was a complete attacking performance, coupled with a shutout at the back that saw us decimate poor Swansea. My front four were just unplayable, with Doebel, Gitschier and Asensio in particular causing havoc time and again. Gitschier’s hat trick takes him to 21 league goals, a remarkable tally for an attacking midfielder, and he’s well in the Golden Boot discussion! The only reason this isn’t a perfect day is the injuries suffered by Wellington and Lovell, but I think they are minor.


POM: Moritz Gitschier (9.6, 3G, 0A)
 
what are you plans for next season? staying with the Saints or are you looking for a new challenge? I can imagine it is becoming a little bit boring if you win almost every match lol
 
bashuijsmans said:
what are you plans for next season? staying with the Saints or are you looking for a new challenge? I can imagine it is becoming a little bit boring if you win almost every match lol
Click to expand...

It fluctuates. Sometimes it gets boring, and other times I enjoy it. At the moment, definitely enjoying and planning to stay with Saints next season. I still haven't won the Champions League - though hopefully that will change this season - and still haven't won a domestic cup other than the Community Shield. I'm getting attached to these regens too!
 

English Premier League - Game 35 - Tottenham Hotspur FC (Away)

Today’s match against Tottenham kicks of a massive series of games. After this match, we play Porto twice, with Man City in between them, all in the space of 6 days.

We hit the lead in the first minute with Laporte heading home after a couple of ricochets from a corner.

Doebel somehow failed to beat Lloris from 3 yards in the 10th minute, having been picked out by a low Chambers cross into the middle of the 6 yard box.

Asensio played a lovely ball for Gitschier in the 14th minute but the German was denied by Lloris from just outside the box.

Lloris made yet another save from Jurcik’s header off the subsequent corner, but Gitschier was first to the rebound and made no mistake.

It was Vietto’s turn to be denied by Lloris inside the 6 yard box in the 22nd minute, from another Chambers delivery. Really poor finishing so far!

In the 47th minute Duelund had a golden chance to pull one back after being teed up inside the box by Taylor when we didn’t clear a corner, but an exceptional sliding block from Gitschier saw his effort ricochet off the German and onto the post! Jones tried to followup but his effort was also blocked behind by Chambers.

We made a triple change in the 65th minute, with Persson, Rodriguez and Miguel replacing Vietto, Doebel and Chambers. Nishimura went to right back and Miguel to left.

We just killed the game from there.

A solid away win, especially pleasing due to the clean sheet. Spurs had just a single shot on target, whereas Lloris made 9 saves for them. We could have been far more clinical earlier, and probably should have scored more than we did, but I’d take this result at New White Hart Lane any day.


POM: Aymeric Laporte (8.0, 1G, 0A)
 

UEFA Champions League Semi Final - First Leg - FC Porto (Away)


We are away for the third time in a row for the first leg of a Champions League tie. This is our toughest match yet, and the one with the highest stakes. If we can get past Porto then a place in the Champions League Final awaits. Porto have fantastic players in every position, despite absentees like Otavio and Vela, and are probably slight favourites for the home leg. A score-draw would be a solid result here. Gitschier faces his biggest test of the season - a world class attacking midfielder pitted against a world class defensive midfielder in Ruben Neves.

Unfortunately things didn’t start well, as another key player in Sven Doebel went down injured in just the 17th minute. His replacement was Rodriguez.

The opening goal came from a most unlikely source. Porto’s right back Maicon stepped up in the 23rd minute to net a stunning free kick. His first goal of the season, and what a massive one it is.

Barely two minutes later however, Maicon went from hero to potential villain, as when Gitschier split the defence for Vietto, the Brazilian clattered him inside the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. César dived the right way, but Gitschier found the net! Third time lucky in Champions League Knockouts. Incredibly, whilst it’s Gitschier’s 23rd goal of the season, it’s his first outside of the Premier League. He has been rested for a lot of our Cup games, to be fair.

César produced a massive save to prevent Gitschier netting a second from a 32nd minute counter, as Asensio fed Vietto who in turn played the German through.

In the 59th minute César came up trumps once more against Gitschier, after Asensio had produced a clever pass to set him free.

Persson and Ward-Prowse replaced Vietto and Wellington in the 71st minute.

We were the better side, but it was a tough match and in the end I was happy enough to settle for the draw. César made a couple of massive saves that would have otherwise seen us record a huge win, but we will have the home ground advantage in the second leg and I’m confident that we can win that one. I just hope Doebel is okay.


POM: Rui Pires (FC Porto - 8.1, 0G, 0A)

Best Southampton Player: Calum Chambers (7.7, 0G, 0A)


Injury News...


Well unfortunately Doebel has dislocated his shoulder and will spend over two months on the sidelines. He will miss the remainder of the season, which is a massive loss for us, as he’s my first choice left winger and an extremely dangerous attacking outlet.
 

English Premier League - Game 36 - Manchester City (Home)


Man City have beaten us twice this season already. Both matches were at the Etihad, and both were against essentially a first choice lineup. This time it’s at St. Mary’s, and this time I’ve rotated heavily. Wanyama appears for the first time in months! We need two points from our last three matches to guarantee the title, and I’m definitely prioritising the Champions League over this match. It wouldn’t be a surprise if we lost or drew today.

In the 18th minute Barbosa’s cross to the back post was headed onto the post by Florenzi. Lucky escape.

And in the 26th minute we took advantage through another piece of good fortune, as De Sciglio headed past his own keeper from Candreva’s rabona cross to hand us the lead! I’m not kidding! He’s a right footed right winger, and he cut back and put in a rabona! It was sensational too, if De Sciglio hadn’t got his head to it then Jacobsen certainly would have.

Apparently the Man City were stunned by it too, as just 30 seconds later Candreva put in a more conventional cross, though it was flat and from deep. Dier’s desperate slide saw him get a touch on it before Persson could redirect it home, and Hart was forced to make a save to prevent a second own goal in two minutes. Unfortunately for City, Persson was still on his feet and bundled home to double our lead!

In the 32nd minute they pulled a goal back, as Barbosa got behind the line to get on the end of a Sterling free kick and bury it in the bottom corner.

Smith replaced Nishimura, who will be needed against Porto, in the 65th minute.

Amrani replaced Jacobsen two minutes later, shifting Rodriguez out to the left wing.

And Deac came on in place of Rodriguez to make his debut for the club in the 71st minute.

Two minutes later Hart made a pair of saves, first from Lovell and then Ward-Prowse, off a corner.

Just a minute later Deac burned past his man and put in a sensational cross, which Candreva put onto the post!

In the 76th minute we earned ourselves some breathing room, as Ward-Prowse’s free kick was volleyed emphatically by Süle. It went down as another own goal, having apparently taken a touch off of Slattery, though I couldn’t see it on any replays. Regardless, seems poor Callum wishes he was still with us!

And that’s the title! Three times in a row now we have been crowned Premier League Champions! This wasn’t as convincing as last season, but we really put together some impressive form in the second half of the season and ended up sealing it with two games to spare. Not our best performance by any means, but we were still too good for City, which makes it even more frustrating that we lost to them in the FA Cup. The Champions League is now our only focus.


POM: Antonio Candreva (7.7, 0G, 1A)

Our third title on the bounce

I’m now considered a club icon. Gitschier is already a club legend!
 

UEFA Champions League Semi Final - Second Leg - FC Porto (Home)


I’ve made the decision to start Sindelar, who is back to full fitness, though not sharpness, on the left wing in the absence of Doebel. This means Vietto keeps his place up top, and hopefully this combination will allow us to score some goals! We will probably need to in order to seal our place in the Champions League Final, as I’m not certain we’ll be able to keep a clean sheet. Can we do it?

In the 10th minute we took a huge step forward, as Chambers’ cross was headed away by Maicon. Asensio powered a header back at goal, and César made a save, but couldn’t hold it, and Sindelar darted in to tuck it home and put us in front!

In the 18th minute Vietto intercepted a throw and raced forwards. He stepped inside onto his left foot and sent his shot whistling inches wide!

In the 55th minute Gasperoni laid the ball off to Asensio on the counter, and the Spaniard whipped a first time effort goalwards. Only the fingertips of César denied him.

In the 58th minute Asensio picked out Laporte in the middle of the box with a corner. Laporte drew the keeper and then helped it on to Vietto, who slammed home a superb volley to double our lead! I was just minutes from subbing him too, but now both he and Sindelar have vindicated their selection!

In the 76th minute Ward-Prowse and Miguel replaced Wellington and Chambers, with Nishimura switching to right back.

In the 85th minute the job was complete, as we held the ball well before Nishimura skipped past his man and into the box. He sent a low ball into the 6 yard box, which Vietto emphatically volleyed into the roof of the net!

Champions League Final, here we come!

We were too good for Porto, who weren’t allowed to play football today due to the brilliance of my team. Sindelar and Vietto vindicated my risky decision to start the pair of them, with each netting - Vietto twice - to send us through to the Final. Nishimura was superb and won Man of the Match, though I personally feel it should have gone to Asensio, who was our most dangerous player from start to finish. One game away from potentially settling the 18 month saga of Asensio. He will either be appeased, or will demand a move, and there will be no stopping him.


POM: Masao Nishimura (9.0, 0G, 1A)
 

My goodness, what a comeback! Benfica will be our Final opponents, and to be quite honest I’m almost more nervous about facing them than I would have been about Barca, who are not the force they once were. Speaking of which, here is the La Liga table heading into the final day:


3 way title fight, with Madrid not even close! Valencia are missing one of their key players through injury though.
 
Portugal is Op in this game no doubt...
It generates incredibly good youngsters and its great teams (Porto, Benfica and Sporting) are able to duke it out on equal terms with Spain, Germany, England and Italy's giants (something that doesn't happen in real life... at least on a yearly basis).

Anyway... Incredibly campaign so far.
You managed to retain the league title (at some points I had doubts of that happening since you had a pretty poor start with all those draws) and you got to play the Champions League's final.

Benfica can be a pretty nasty team to deal with if they somehow managed to retain their good players (I see Gonçalo Guedes is still there... which is bad news... for you) and if they good good regens during this time (which incredibly likely) but you've assembled one heck of a team too, so at the very least you should be able to put up quite a fight.

Good luck in the final. ^^

.P.S.: Betis relegated... ouch...x_X
Also... Lugo in the Liga BBVA and making a good campaign (to the point of ending above Deportivo to boot)? I'm both surprised AND impressed to see that.
 
Benfica in the final should give you a great opportunity to finally win the CL. You deserve to finally get your hands on it this year!
 
Zlatan Lumic said:
Portugal is Op in this game no doubt...
It generates incredibly good youngsters and its great teams (Porto, Benfica and Sporting) are able to duke it out on equal terms with Spain, Germany, England and Italy's giants (something that doesn't happen in real life... at least on a yearly basis).

Anyway... Incredibly campaign so far.
You managed to retain the league title (at some points I had doubts of that happening since you had a pretty poor start with all those draws) and you got to play the Champions League's final.

Benfica can be a pretty nasty team to deal with if they somehow managed to retain their good players (I see Gonçalo Guedes is still there... which is bad news... for you) and if they good good regens during this time (which incredibly likely) but you've assembled one heck of a team too, so at the very least you should be able to put up quite a fight.

Good luck in the final. ^^

.P.S.: Betis relegated... ouch...x_X
Also... Lugo in the Liga BBVA and making a good campaign (to the point of ending above Deportivo to boot)? I'm both surprised AND impressed to see that.
Click to expand...

You're not wrong there! Porto were tough, and honestly both Benfica and Sporting look like they have even better squads. Sporting are top of their league atm, followed by Benfica. They've got some serious weapons - a front three of Guedes, Ze Gomes and Gaitan - and will be a very tough match. They also have a regen left winger called "Cristiano Ronaldo Figueira" who is pretty handy.I think I've mentioned him previously somewhere in this story.

The league ended up being much easier than it could have been, after our slow start, but it's frustrating to have still not won a domestic cup! That has to change next season :P

Hopefully Betis bounce back up quickly, and Rayo Vallecano too. Lugo have done a great job!

osullm said:
Benfica in the final should give you a great opportunity to finally win the CL. You deserve to finally get your hands on it this year!
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, I'd probably say we're slight favourites, though it could easily go either way. I'd much rather Benfica than Juve or Bayern though! Hopefully this can be it! :)
 
Benfica beat the holders so wouldn't say it's a sure thing!! good luck mate you deserve to win it, and hopefully you can overcome the pressure of being favourites.
 
AldoKemp-1 said:
Benfica beat the holders so wouldn't say it's a sure thing!! good luck mate you deserve to win it, and hopefully you can overcome the pressure of being favourites.
Click to expand...

Yeah it will be tough without a doubt, anything can happen in a one off match and Benfica have a seriously good team so I'm by no means confident! Just have to hope we can perform well on the day
 

English Premier League - Game 37 - Queens Park Rangers (Away)


We play Queens Park today in what should be a comfortable win. There's a bit of rotation, including Burtic in goals, but it’s mostly the first team. We play Liverpool in a week, and then there’s two weeks until the Champions League Final, so we’ll probably play a friendly between those two games.

It took less than two minutes for Sindelar to pick up a knock though, so I immediately substituted him. Deac was his replacement, with the youngster receiving a huge opportunity in coming off the bench so early.

It was Vietto who put us in front in the 8th minute, leaping up to scissor kick home from Nishimura’ cross from over at the corner flag.

In the 29th minute he should have had his second as Gitschier collected the ball on the counter before releasing him in space. He burned past Strinic and almost rounded the keeper, but struck the near post!

Two minutes later and extraordinary ball over the top from Gasperoni found the run of Vietto again, but this time the keeper Martinez turned his shot wide.

In the 33rd minute Wellington split the defence with a fine pass, and young Deac showed exceptional composure to rifle home from a sharp angle! His first goal for the club in just his second appearance!

A minute later we countered again, and Vietto brought down Wellington’s pass on his chest. He turned Morrison and Klose inside out before burying the ball in the top corner! Sensational goal!

Queens Park weren’t going down without a fight though, and Engvall spread the ball wide a minute later before sprinting forward to meet the return cross with a close range volley that left Burtic with no chance.

In the 50th minute Gitschier released Vietto with a lovely pass, and the striker darted between the centre backs, but this time sent his shot high.

In the 67th minute Asensio’s excellent pass freed Gitschier, who was denied at close range, before twisting to fire wide off the rebound. It was behind him so I’m not surprised he missed.

Amrani replaced Asensio in the 69th minute.

Kranjcar came on for Vietto in the 72nd.

In the 83rd minute Engvall picked up his second goal, as Phillips breezed past Miguel and presented him with a back post tap in.

We should have won more convincingly, but I’m not too bothered, as we got the job done with a few youngsters playing. I am delighted for Deac, scoring a fine maiden goal after just a single cameo appearance previously, but concerned for Sindelar. I don’t think it’s anything major, but we’ll see.


POM: Matt Phillips (Queens Park Rangers - 9.0, 0G, 2A)

Best Southampton Player: Wellington (9.0, 0G, 2A)
 
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