28 Nov 2021 09:04:01
Ralph has done it again with a bizarre team line up and once more playing his favourite players, why oh why does he not play Stuart Armstrong once again not even on the bench .last week against Norwich we were too defensive and now against a superb Liverpool the we play three at the back leaving oceans of room for them to play into .on the substitutions surely Diallo should have been involved as he had a very good game against Norwich

1.) 29 Nov 2021
29 Nov 2021 01:17:44
Not too many expected a result v Liverpool.It’s shameful that our team had not played together in the same team before Saturday’s game from pre season til now (over 4 months)! To have any real chance Ralph’s best x1 should have bonded well before now and needs several consistent weeks to do so.You cannot afford time to keep shoehorning players into their irregular positions and playing favourites in the past and hope to succeed this late in the season.We should have established a side/s by now (allowing for injuries) as time is fast running out.Should our players have played regularly as a team I’m sure we would have seen a far better performance.It’s strange to risk injury training the day before match day ( Diallo)isn’t it? What’s going on? Add (when fit and injury free) Diallo S Armstrong Smallbone Stephens along with KWP and Tella ( omitting Redmond) to last weeks team and maintain some consistency within the match day squad plus promising academy youngsters! Poor Ralph looked completely frazzled and somewhat lost on the line at Anfield where anxiety is beginning to show.He definitely needs a 2IC to assist with team/subs selection with some shared responsibilities to ease the workload.

2.) 29 Nov 2021
29 Nov 2021 09:21:25
Stuart Armstrong is injured again.

The formation and line up was selected to try and match Liverpool player for player without the ball. Liverpool have a very dynamic front three who play narrow at times with width coming from attacking full backs. The back 5 was intended to man mark those attacking threats, to be matched across the pitch - similar to the way Leeds play.

Unfortunately, Liverpool's movement, fluidity and interplay was far too good against a team simply not used to playing this way. Saints players looked very uncomfortable dragged out of position at times and it once again highlighted the limitations of our midfield pair in anticipating and tracking attacking runs.

But as I've said before, its to our manager's credit that he is prepared to experiment to find solutions to the problems posed by opposition teams. The line up was an exciting one but tactically, it didn't quite work. The problem was addressed at half time when we reverted to our regular shape and the players were more comfortable in the second half, albeit with Liverpool likely easing off a little after 4-0.

Getting something from Liverpool at Anfield was always going to be a bonus. Wednesday will be tough against a rejuvenated Leicester but there's a chance there. The same v Arsenal next Saturday.

3.) 29 Nov 2021
29 Nov 2021 09:29:37
It was a very frustrating game to lose, especially with Ralph electing a new formation and tactics for one of the best football teams in the world right now. Even with our normal and best 11, I don't think we would have gotten anything against this Liverpool squad.

A lot of basic mistakes were made in the game, not tracking runners etc. A few players look to have very bad games, I've only just watched the highlights but the few goals we conceded were very sloppy to concede.

When you concede a goal so early on, especially against a top team, it would have thrown all of Ralph's plans out the window. From the second minute, we were being asked to try and come back against Liverpool.

Attack still looks like a massive issue for us. We'll move on to the Leicester score and see if we can get something out of the game.

4.) 29 Nov 2021
29 Nov 2021 17:12:02
I was excited to see how a more attacking team would show. Firstly, I don’t often admire Ralph’s tactics, but he was trying to give Liverpool a run for their money. But we were ill prepared, the front three simply didn’t have a clue how to work together.
And as Elfigo said, it showed all the shortcomings of our midfield pairing. If Ralph wanted to have a go at Liverpool, he needed to have much more dynamic midfield, like Diallo .

We simply couldn’t match or get near Liverpool’s superb interplay and fluidity! With Romeu and JWP in midfield this was never going to happen.

5.) 29 Nov 2021
29 Nov 2021 20:26:21
Ralph gambled, pure and simple. Win and he would be hailed as a genius, lose and he would be castigated as a tactical buffoon. It didn’t go well.

The truth (IMO) is that Ralph has absolutely no idea what his best starting lineup is - not a clue. That is why he constantly chops and changes - one step forward, two backwards. That indecision transmits to the players who have zero confidence.

The time to experiment with that formation was against Norwich the previous weekend - not at Anfield. Surely that’s just common sense?!

Oh well - our great hope is that there are three inferior teams in the League, although before long Leeds and Newcastle are likely to put a run together.

Hold onto your seats gents, it’s going to be another white knuckle ride.

6.) 29 Nov 2021
29 Nov 2021 21:13:54
At some point Ralph is going to have to abandon his favourites, or at the very least, try something/someone different.

Forster needs a chance .

He has to stop playing romeu and JWP every game, regardless of opponents and whether we are 2-0 down or 1-0 up .!

Armstrong seems his latest favourite… not PL standard!