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Southampton At Cardiff The Carabao Cup Verdict Thursday, 29th Aug 2024 13:20 Saints dominated the first half at the Cardiff City Stadium only to lose their way a bit in the second half, before a late rally snatched victory from the jaws of a penalty shootout, so what were the plus and minus points of this game ? Before we start let us be clear about what this game was, it was always about the second string of both sides, but you can only play what is in front of you and so their is nothing to be gained from just dismissing this victory as something that should have been comprehensive but wasn't. We started well taking the lead after only 10 minutes, Tyler Dibling surged forward and laid a nice ball for Matteus Fernandes who fired home a well taken goal. That lead lasted 10 minutes before Rubin Colwill fired home a dipping swerving shot that Ronaldo would have been proud of, let alone our own Le God. 10 minutes later we were back in front, Sam Amo-Ameyaw firing home another well taken goal after a very intricate build up.
So at half time there looked like their would only be one winner, initially Saints strutted but were shaken when Joe Lumley attempted to punch out a cross, only for it to hit Ronnie Edwards and go in. No matter 7 minutes later Cameron Archer showed why he was signed for his finishing after taking a Matteus Fernandes pass, now we would cruise home, but no, the lead lasted just 2 minutes before Cardiff equalised for the 3rd time on 57 minutes. Saints were shaken and Cardiff seemed to gain the upper hand for a while, Adam Lallana & Armel Bella-Kotchap came on and steadied the ship, but Cardiff were the ,more lively, just as the game entered injury time, suddenly it changed, James Bree firing home a superb volley to give Saints the lead, but could the Bluebirds come back for a fourth time ?
The Answer was no, and it was sealed when Tyler Dibling got his second assist of the evening and Cameron Archer swivelled and fired home. Perhaps the most pleasing stats of the night though, were firstly all five goals were from those who had never scored for the club, before this game and not only that but the same could be said for all of the assists, none of those providing the ball for the chance had provided an assist for the club before this fixture. That augurs well for the future and although yes the cynics will say this was against Cardiff reserves, you still have to finish the chance off and all five goals were cracking finishes. So what will Russell Martin have learned from this, firstly we need a new keeper, Joe Lumley was good with his feet and didn't do a lot wrong, but he is not a Premier League keeper. At the back James Bree was strong and consistent and is a good squad player. The two central defenders had mixed nights, Nathan Jones looked good, but then again he is experienced at this level, Ronnie Edwards seemed to struggle a bit, but he is one for the future. Charlie Taylor had an excellent game, he had poise & composure when defending and knew hoe to make the runs and passes going forward, this is going to be a difficult decision to make for Russell Martin as he needs to consider the fact that he cannot play Jack Stephens ahead of Taylor, the ex Burnley player was Captain on the night and is a natural leader. In midfield Les Ugochukwu seemed to be finding his feet, he looked fast and strong but he also looked rusty, understandable when you take into account that he has only played 3 games totalling 85 minutes on the pitch since the end of November. He wasn't great, but you feel that he will be, so we can't pass judgement just yet.
Tyler Dibling was immense, he has the ability to carry the ball and use his strength to shrug off tackles, he knows how to use the ball and you feel he could be a big player this season. Likewise Matteus Fernandes, he scored a cracking goal and set up another, he buzzed around and was a great link between midfield and attack.
From the attacking perspective, Sam Edozie had a lot of the ball, but his issue is the end product, too many times he didn't take the time to cross but cut back and at others did cross but rarely found the intended target. He can have a part to play and is still young. Sam Amo-Ameyaw was very good first half and a great goal to his name, but he faded a little as the game went on, he will be useful as an impact player this season and he will mature into a great player given his young age.
Cameron Archer was an unknown quantity to be honest and in his first two appearances, he lacked service, but he got it last night and finished two of them with aplomb, yes some will say it was against a Cardiff reserve side, but you still have to beat your man and get a shot in and then get it on target, he showed that given the chances he can score. Off the bench perhaps saw some surprising plus points, the 3 youngsters who came on were just getting game time and a taster, but the big highlight was the way that Adam Lallana came on and pulled the strings.. In the first two league games people bemoaned the fact that we did not get the ball to the forwards quickly enough, but Lallana showed a difference in class, but we all knew that.
I doubt whether he will be a regular starter at his age, but his experience will be vital in the final third of quite a few games this season. Armel Bella-Kotchap looked strong and to be honest could give Russell Martin an unexpected extra weapon in the armoury, I would seriously consider playing him in the centre of the defence at Brentford on Saturday.
So yes, lets not get carried away, this after all was not against a great side, but in games like these you have to look beyond the result and pick out the plus points, there were a few to see last night and I can see a few changes in the starting line up on Saturday, as well as some strength on the bench. Photo: imago via reuters Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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