A ‘playing out from the back’ lesson

[Prando]

The individual quality of the Saints defence and midfield provided us with a lesson. Our own endeavours at replicating are marred with individual errors, often cataclysmic. Too often we are static and laying ‘hospital’ back passes.

Noticeable also was the constant moving of all their team, providing a number of players available to receive and quickly move the ball. We went for some long periods wherein we were unable to get any opportunity of a challenge, let alone winning the ball.

Hopefully the video rerun of the game will emphasise our weaknesses.

[Grand Wazoo]

Their pass and move was so superior to us. Also when one of our players received the ball he had no time on it to look or pick out a pass before a tackle was coming in or he was closed down. When their players received the ball our players were then running 5 yards or more to try and close them down giving them time to look for options of which they normally had two or three. it was a footballing lesson.

[baggieal]

The individual quality of the Saints defence and midfield provided us with a lesson. Our own endeavours at replicating are marred with individual errors, often cataclysmic. Too often we are static and laying ‘hospital’ back passes.

Noticeable also was the constant moving of all their team, providing a number of players available to receive and quickly move the ball. We went for some long periods wherein we were unable to get any opportunity of a challenge, let alone winning the ball.

Hopefully the video rerun of the game will emphasise our weaknesses.

Agree with you Prando but they have quality players. We have poor to average player’s noticeable two full backs, Pieters and Asante out of his depth. Swift is a shadow of earlier form.

Adam Reach would not change a league 1 game let alone against quality opposition like Saints.

Not hopeful in the next two away games because we simply are not good enough!

[Bombers right foot]

One of the problems we have is, we are far too slow, we even pass backwards when 30 yards out, Southampton have Premiership quality players who move the ball quickly, we were taught a lesson

[Leicesterbaggie]

Playing out from the back is fine when the situation is conducive, but to do it virtually every time is asking for trouble. Can anybody tell me why a defender passes a goal kick to the goalkeeper, who then passes it back to the same player so that he’s back where he started. Pointless!
There’s nothing wrong with the long ball as it puts the opponents in two minds and stops the continual high press. It’s only logic.

[saltnshake]

Playing out from the back is fine when the situation is conducive, but to do it virtually every time is asking for trouble. Can anybody tell me why a defender passes a goal kick to the goalkeeper, who then passes it back to the same player so that he’s back where he started. Pointless!
There’s nothing wrong with the long ball as it puts the opponents in two minds and stops the continual high press. It’s only logic.

But we have nobody to hit the long ball to, Swift hides behind defenders and Asante just can't control any type of pass given to him so the ball would come straight back anyway.

[Prando]

Playing out from the back is fine when the situation is conducive, but to do it virtually every time is asking for trouble. Can anybody tell me why a defender passes a goal kick to the goalkeeper, who then passes it back to the same player so that he’s back where he started. Pointless!
There’s nothing wrong with the long ball as it puts the opponents in two minds and stops the continual high press. It’s only logic.

So very frustrating to watch and clearly some of our defenders lack the quality of ball skills necessary to create the opportunist pass when the inevitable press is applied. Palmer is clearly uncomfortable.

[Leicesterbaggie]

But we have nobody to hit the long ball to, Swift hides behind defenders and Asante just can't control any type of pass given to him so the ball would come straight back anyway.

I’m not advocating that we play the ‘long ball’ game but that we mix it up a little more in order that the opposition don’t just continually play a high press against us. There are also occasions when it is necessary to just clear the danger when defending. As I say, play out from the back when the situation dictates.

[Omegstrat6]

I’m not advocating that we play the ‘long ball’ game but that we mix it up a little more in order that the opposition don’t just continually play a high press against us. There are also occasions when it is necessary to just clear the danger when defending. As I say, play out from the back when the situation dictates.

Totally agree with all that Leics. Think we all know that the current fad for playing out from the back, when executed well, can be effective but that it demands consistency in quality that we simply do not have. In some games we have done this quite well, in others it's been real head in hands time with hospital passes and losing possession in dangerous areas.

Even when we do get the passing right that the tactic of keeping possession in our own half whilst looking for an opportunity to break rarely leads to something as we are generally far too slow to do so which gives the opposition time to organize and pen us back.

Playing out from the back is only one tool in the toolbox though and I agree we should mix it up more, not least because sticking mostly to one tactic makes the team more predictable. The long ball only works if you have target men with support though and for too long this season this has been BTA (whose lack of height doesn't help) up front on his own. I think the acquisition of Johnston and Weimann alongside the growing confidence of Fellows will now help give us more options. Johnston and Fellows particularly are more direct players whilst Weimann has the experience and clinical finishing in front of goal.

[boingy]

The individual quality of the Saints defence and midfield provided us with a lesson. Our own endeavours at replicating are marred with individual errors, often cataclysmic. Too often we are static and laying ‘hospital’ back passes.

Noticeable also was the constant moving of all their team, providing a number of players available to receive and quickly move the ball. We went for some long periods wherein we were unable to get any opportunity of a challenge, let alone winning the ball.

Hopefully the video rerun of the game will emphasise our weaknesses.

On the day Prando. We demolished Ipswich and destroyed their unbeaten record….on the day. Southampton have obviously kept some Prem quality and were better than us Friday night but to be fair we started really slow….on the day. We are quite safe passing out from the back and this is what most teams do now, but on any given day we will make mistakes as all teams do. I remember thinking how bad Southampton were in their first few matches with some teams banging the goals in against them. Getting consistency is really hard especially given the situation we have been in. Fifth is a great testimony to Carlos and the players, many who have had to play every week without a break, and consistently putting in decent performances. Love this club.