***official southampton v champions match thread***

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Can't say that I did as what I saw is pretty well what I see every time I watch them train.The mood looked good in general but I did say that the teamwork part was almost in slow motion at times.I didn't see that to be an issue and he was drilling certain things into them which is what he does.He wasn't drilling them to be out of position like we saw often enough today.

Then there was the shortness of the session.Again there is no reason why it shouldn't be short after most have been involved in midweek games and travel but it was unusually short and I suppose lacked the intensity I have often seen but it was the day before a game.And yes it was Carlos who was missing as Inside City or Sharon's pictures made obvious kindly showed

So there are teamwork elements in slow motion. This is being translated perfectly onto the pitch! Training should be intense at times, is it ever, or is it slow and regimented so that Mancini can indulge and get his methodical approach over?

How often do they practice passing back to Hart? I'm so sick of watching him on the ball, it's bloody dreadful. There was a throw in today when 3-1 down, 20 yards inside their own half. I think it was zaba, but it was thrown to toure who passed it back to hart from inside their half. It was almost a first time pass, nobody particularly tight and it wasn't obvious that he'd looked up to weigh up all the other options.

It was a perfect example of the slow laboured approach that we're playing recently, but in what was probably a must win game, I couldn't understand the logic. And don't get me started on the subs...

Anyway, have you seen us train with Garcia at the back at all?

When i saw the players I thought we'd play:

Hart
Zabs Lescott Clichy
Barry Garcia
Nasri silva
Toure
Aguerro Dzeko

When attacking. And one of Barry / Garcia dropping to help when they had the ball.

This is based on Mancini already tinkering with 3 at the back.

How did they train this week?

Obviously they only trained fully as a team on Friday this week after the internationals but some would have done some work earlier.And of course they often train with intensity as I have said many a time but Friday was not one of them.The short match they had to finish the session was ok but not really intense but I wouldn't expect the last session before a game to be too intense..
Not sure I liked the manager's after match interview on the OS.Seemed to blame the players and the fact that most of them had been away.

[carl_feedthegoat]

What I would like to know is when are we going to drop cocky cunt Hart ? he cannot kick a ball to the wings for shit!! cannot command his area ....should be dropped.. ..(when have I said that before!!)

As for Lescott and Garcia, the less said the better.Hopefully Vinny and Nasty will be back soon.

[walmai]

That was a West Ham in disguise from you lot yesterday.

Not just a handful of mind-blowing individual mistakes, but for large parts of the game, it looked like yours were battling away at the bottom of the table and they were were the title-holders looking to go on run to re-claim their crown.

That's not to unduly do down Southampton: I'd gladly have a handful of their players - Puncheon for definite - in our squad.

You might look back on this with a small shrug: I fancy Everton to do well today.