Southampton 0-1 Aston Villa post match thread

[ChicagoLion]

I think that Matt Targett is the most improved player in the squad.  Really solid left back for us and was really good again last night.  Seems a hell of a lot fitter this season and often seen defending way up the pitch, supporting Jack. 

I am really enjoying this season!

He is doing really well, solid defensively and supporting the attack at the right time.

[RichardBatchelor]

Jack didn't have his best game by any means tonight, but was still streets ahead of any other player and produced 3/4 utterly sublime moments of skill. He made a difficult 1st time cross with his weaker foot look like he was playing a 5 yard sideways pass.

There was a cross field ball at one stage in the first half that Jack killed stone dead with his foot. As it's Jack it hardly got any comment but I'm not sure another player on the pitch could have done it. He was pretty much on the sideline at the time with a defender or two near him.

I was going to post about that. It was incredible, and as you say, it went without comment, because it ‘just what he does’
I hope there will be a clip of it somewhere.

There was also a moment in the first half where I thought he’d miscontrolled it out wide but in fact he was pushing into space in order to tee up a cross which he duly delivered. His spatial awareness is absolutely brilliant. All world class players have it, God being another example of course.

[The Edge]

I think that Matt Targett is the most improved player in the squad.  Really solid left back for us and was really good again last night.  Seems a hell of a lot fitter this season and often seen defending way up the pitch, supporting Jack. 

I am really enjoying this season!

Yeah I agree. Targetts turn around this season has mirrored the remarkable turnaround of the whole team and I was a big critic of him last season. His involvement in our goal last night has been overlooked due to the brilliance of Jack and Ross who finished it off. His contribution was just as important. The way he controlled the crossfield pass with his chest then put Jack away with a perfectly weighted pass over the head of the Saints player was absolutely top drawer.

[Mister E]

Wow, what a different kind of performance that was!
We rode our luck, got our share of VAR decisions (when I heard who was on VAR duty, I thought we were dead meat!) and defended like lions.
The back five were excellent throughout (the pass from Targett to JG for the goals was sublime).
Watkins again worked his nuts off (decision-making on the ball could have been slightly better).
Doug put in a shift and a half; McGinn was all over the place, making crazy blocks.
Traore worked as hard as we've seen, and JG played his usual game.

I think one criticism is that when we did have possession we could have protected the ball better and made more use of it; the last quarter oft eh game we piled a little pressure on ourselves by trying to be almost too intricate with it. But - hey! - brilliant stuff after the disappointment of Turf Moor and Mancester.

[Risso]

I don’t think Tez was brought on as it would potentially have played into their hands. Trez would have been likely to have given away free kicks near our box. Ward-Prowse delivery was their big threat.

Why would Trez do that? Can't see that that would have been more of a risk than leaving Traore on, who did very little second half.  At the end of the day, they did get the ball in the net and we'd have had two points less other than for VAR. It was daft of Smith and co not to make any subs, they were all over us.

[dave.woodhall]

I don’t think Tez was brought on as it would potentially have played into their hands. Trez would have been likely to have given away free kicks near our box. Ward-Prowse delivery was their big threat.

Why would Trez do that? Can't see that that would have been more of a risk than leaving Traore on, who did very little second half.  At the end of the day, they did get the ball in the net and we'd have had two points less other than for VAR. It was daft of Smith and co not to make any subs, they were all over us.

We won, therefore he did the right thing and the linesman flagged. VAR had nothing to do with it.

[wittonwarrior]

I try not to analyse games too much, I think I would be in the funny farm looking at this season's games so far.  We won and that's all that counts.

[Smithy]

I don’t think Tez was brought on as it would potentially have played into their hands. Trez would have been likely to have given away free kicks near our box. Ward-Prowse delivery was their big threat.

Why would Trez do that? Can't see that that would have been more of a risk than leaving Traore on, who did very little second half.  At the end of the day, they did get the ball in the net and we'd have had two points less other than for VAR. It was daft of Smith and co not to make any subs, they were all over us.

Technically, even in the pre-VAR days, it would have been disallowed because the linesman flagged for it.  The VAR check was very very close, but in the end it backed up the onfield decision, rather than disallowing the goal.

[malckennedy]

Yeah, both decisions (the no penalty and the offside) were made by the officials in real time, so if VAR had never been introduced the outcomes would have been the same.

[Clampy]

I would have brought a sub on earlier than he did, it was just deciding who would have been best to bring on. Looking back, possibly Nakamba for Barkley and pushing McGinn further forward but then again, if you throw on second defensive defender, it can encourage the team to sit even deeper. One thing we are very good though at is catching teams on the break which possibly why he left it as it was. It was risky but luckily, it worked.

[Walmley_Villa]

I don’t think Tez was brought on as it would potentially have played into their hands. Trez would have been likely to have given away free kicks near our box. Ward-Prowse delivery was their big threat.

Why would Trez do that? Can't see that that would have been more of a risk than leaving Traore on, who did very little second half.  At the end of the day, they did get the ball in the net and we'd have had two points less other than for VAR. It was daft of Smith and co not to make any subs, they were all over us.

I like Trez but sometimes he is like Captain Chaos. Their big threat was from corners and set pieces.

[Allan C]

I disagree London Villan.

As long as we keep improving and signing better players I think Jack will stay. I don't think getting into Europe this season will be the make or break for Jack.

Yes that’s my view JD. I think the owners sold Jack a vision of improvement and investment and they’ve been good to their word. After last year and the previous years of waste they couldn’t possibly have promised European football after this season. I think Jack signed his contract with a view to seeing it through

[CT]

I don’t think Tez was brought on as it would potentially have played into their hands. Trez would have been likely to have given away free kicks near our box. Ward-Prowse delivery was their big threat.

Why would Trez do that? Can't see that that would have been more of a risk than leaving Traore on, who did very little second half.  At the end of the day, they did get the ball in the net and we'd have had two points less other than for VAR. It was daft of Smith and co not to make any subs, they were all over us.

I like Trez but sometimes he is like Captain Chaos. Their big threat was from corners and set pieces.

I don’t remember Captain Chaos? Definitely Captain Caveman, but not Chaos.

[brontebilly]

I’m not sure about Traore, he seems like an icing on the cake player whereas we often need a player to help us grind out victories.

In games like last night, definitely.  But at times, especially when we have a decent chunk of possession, he looks like a massive threat, and is scoring goals.  I suspect if we'd started Trez for his higher work rate and protection for Cash we might have considered the set-up 'negative' as it's 'only Southampton'.

It is important that the first 11 don't start to believe they will start regardless of the level of performance, we want them absolutely convinced a drop-off in their levels will see a return to the bench - not sure we have that right now?

Definitely not. If Smith doesn't give the backup players minutes he will lose them eventually. No excuse for it last night. The selection against West Ham will be interesting.

You seem to be going out of your way to find excuses to moan. If he had brought subs on and we'd conceded a couple of goals, presumably you'd have been happy with his decision?

Didn't realise bringing subs on would have automatically led us to conceding a couple of goals ...
Is there any chance fresh legs might have helped us keep possession better or pressed Southampton harder in the last 20 mins?

[Walmley_Villa]

I don’t think Tez was brought on as it would potentially have played into their hands. Trez would have been likely to have given away free kicks near our box. Ward-Prowse delivery was their big threat.

Why would Trez do that? Can't see that that would have been more of a risk than leaving Traore on, who did very little second half.  At the end of the day, they did get the ball in the net and we'd have had two points less other than for VAR. It was daft of Smith and co not to make any subs, they were all over us.

I like Trez but sometimes he is like Captain Chaos. Their big threat was from corners and set pieces.

I don’t remember Captain Chaos? Definitely Captain Caveman, but not Chaos.

Cannonball Run....but yes more like Captain Caveman for an all arms and legs as an analogy!