A performance from Saints that veered from one end of the spectrum to the other, but ultimately a battling performance was ruined by all 3 goals being gifted to Liverpool in one shape or form.
The roster news before to the game was perplexing for Saints fans; despite the presence of James Bree and Ryan Manning on the bench, as well as Charlie Taylor’s complete absence, we appeared to be hitting the field without a left back; estimating how we would line up was simply guesswork!
When the game started, it appeared to be a back three, with Flynn Downes returning to the heart of defence and Kyle Walker Peters and Ryan Fraser on the wings.
But the game began as Saints fans had predicted: Liverpool had the majority of the ball and the majority of the chances, and it needed Alex McCarthy to make a few good stops to keep the score tied.
But just as it looked like we had found our pattern and had weathered the storm came our first shot in our own foot, Alex McCarthy had the ball after a simple save and had no need to rush things, it was about slowing things down and taking the sting out of the game, but within seconds of catching it, he rolled it out to Fernandes, who had two men up his rear end, he laid the ball back to Flynn Downes, who was on the dead ball line, he shanked his clearance and Szoboszlai
Indeed, according to the player ratings, Alex McCarthy has the lowest rating, which is unfair because he made numerous crucial stops that might have easily put us down 3-0, but this was negated by his pass out for the first goal conceded and his lack of timing for the second.
So, once again, we lose 30 minutes of hard work to stay in the game and impose ourselves on it by conceding a goal by following the manager’s instructions to play this tippy tappy football even though the players’ instincts should warn them it is the wrong thing to do.
Of course, if Downes had cleared the ball well, the goal would not have occurred, but the truth is that this sort of game encourages mistakes on our own squad.
However, we did not let this deter us and kept going, with the goal of getting into the break without further damage. With minutes to go before halftime, Tyler Dibling picked up the ball and ran at Liverpool, reaching the edge of the penalty area before being tackled, and the referee pointed to the spot.
After watching the replay dozens of times, I see why Liverpool was upset; it was a close call, was it inside or outside the box? The truth is that VAR followed the ref’s decision that it was inside; if it had been viewed from a different perspective, like as a free kick outside the area, they would have stuck with that.
Adam Armstrong’s penalty was bad, but fortunately it was returned to the Saints striker, who converted calmly to tie the game at halftime.
Now we had something to play for, and we started to get more of the ball; strangely, the goal that put us 2-1 up began with a mistake; Alex McCarthy came for a cross and caught it, but when he hit the ground, he dropped it; luckily, a Saints player got to the ball first and laid a pass to Ryan Fraser on the right, who in turn played a lovely ball up the line to Tyler Dibling, who ran forward and then played a brilliant cross field pass to Adam Armstrong, it looked
The game was going to be tough enough to see out, but we shot ourselves in the foot again. Watching the replays, I believe Mo Salah was offside, but he continued, and Alex McCarthy completely botched his timing to come out for the ball, and his hesitancy cost us dearly, with Salah getting to the ball with the keeper stranded in no man’s land and a simple tap-in.
Liverpool were now on the front foot, but we dug in and survived the next 18 minutes, although McCarthy was now very sketchy on crosses, we remained firm, then came a stroke of ill luck, a ball into the box appeared to be going nowhere. Suguwara appeared to be caught in two minds whether to clear it or let it run out for a goal kick; he opted for the latter but couldn’t get out of the way of the ball in time; it hit him and popped up and hit his outstretched arm; at the time, I thought that this was harsh, but after watching the replays, I think that awarding the spot kick was the right thing; his arm was not in a natural position; it was outstretched, and if it hadn’t hit it, it would probably
Overall, there were many good things to take from this game, at times we showed that we can play football, we showed spirit, but the problem was that this was all undone by the manager’s obsession to keep playing football in tight areas; it is hard to see how anything will change if we keep playing this way, but it appears that Russell Martin is going to stick to his guns to the maximum; as I said, something has to change, and that means either the manager has to change and adapt
Another talking point from this game was Paul Onuauchu; some praised his play before he was injured on 52 minutes, and there is no doubt that it was passionate and that he worked hard.
But, on the other hand, a few tidy little shuffles in the center circle will not win us games. Onuachu was supposed to be the target man, but I don’t recall him getting a touch in the final third, let alone the penalty box.
I don’t blame the player, I blame Russell Martin; what is the point of playing this type of player when he doesn’t fit into the style you want to play as a manager? Onuachu is all about getting on the end of the ball in the box, but we don’t play that way, so he has to keep dropping deeper and deeper; he didn’t have a bad game, but if we want someone just battling in the centre circle, we should play a midfielder.
Likewise, Cameron Archer is all about running the channels; how many times have we seen him make a run only to find that the pass never comes because the ball is passed sideways or backwards?
Worryingly, I don’t think Russell Martin knows how to get us out of this situation; he is not willing to compromise or adapt; in fact, this display and the one at Wolves showed that he appears to be applying the level of possession football to an either greater level; the goalkeeper feels he has to get the ball out quickly and is playing his team into trouble; defenders are afraid to clear the ball and are looking for the short pass even when it isn’t on; midfielders are
All of this has led to where we are now, and we do not deserve to be there; we cannot kill off games, we cannot change tactics when we have a lead, we cannot vary the play during a game to suit the situation at the time, we do not do the basics when they are required, we must play to instruction, and this, in turn, leads to errors.
So, 12 games played, 10 defeats; when will things change?
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