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Saints V Wolverhampton Wanderers The Verdict

A disappointing match that ended in a disappointing result as Saints went out of the League cup with barely a whimper.

This was a game that Saints seemed determined to give away, although they dominated the first half and created a few chances they were poor at the back and Wolves squadered two good opportunities that they really should have done better at.

The first goal was an appalling piece of marking from Jack Stephens who let Danny Batth rise above him unchallenged for a free header that was so soft you wondered why Jeremy Pied on the line didn't clear it, but you sensed it was going to be that sort of night., it wasn't the first gifted chance of the night, only the first punished.

When Wolves sealed it late on, on the break with Saints defence all at sea that just about capped an evening that had few plus points about it.

In fact just about the only good thing you can take from it is that Mauricio Pellegrino will have had a few questions answered about some of his squad members.

He played a system that saw a back three of Stephens on the right, Bednarek in the middle and Yoshida on the left, none of them looked comfortable, Sam McQueen and Jeremy Pied to be blunt are not great full backs, but they are better there than in the wing back role they were employed in, they rarely got any service into Charlie Austin who was often isolated up front.

The central four of Tadic, Boufal Romeu and Ward Prowse huffed and puffed but rarely looked like creating, Boufal looked good for a period in the first half when he got the ball, but too often he looked disinterested .

The system wasn't working as it didn't have the quality of players to implement it, by the time changes were made it was too late Wolves had dug in and the pattern of the game had been set.

This was a disappointing night but it isn't the first time we have gone out in this competition to lower rated opposition and it won't be the last, it is just such a shame that we wont emulate last seasons progress in it.

But to be realistic this starting line up wont look anyting like the one that faces Huddersfield in terms of shape or personel, Mauricio Pellegrino trusted his squad to be able to adapt to a different formation and they let him down, he now knows what certain players can and cannot do and that will be an advantage going forward.

So a big big disappointment but only in the short term, it is perhaps a wake up call for the team that we are weak in certain areas, yous suspect that Mauricio Pellegrino won't make the same mistake again.

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