Saints defensive frailties were finally exposed by a team that knew how to finish it's chances as Claude Puel got his tactics badly wrong.

I have always maintained that the time for judging Claude Puel was at the end of the season and certainly not with four games gone as some did, however in recent matches the French manager has shown a tactical naivety that is worrying.

Once again Puel started with Yoshida and Stephens in the centre of defence choosing to hope that City would be as wasteful in front of goal as Bournemouth, Palace and West Brom where, but Manchester City were of course another story and could easily have doubled their total.

But it was not just in this area that Puel got it totally wrong, bringing Steven Davis back into the team was a given and the club captain was arguably Saints best player, but dropping Jordy Clasie who had been outstanding at West Brom for hm was clearly a mistake.

Likewise up front, I felt before the game that Gabbiadini would have been better used off the bench and I still feel that now.

But perhaps the most baffling tactical gaffe was the third substitution, post match it is being claimed that Shane Long came off because of confusion over whether he was injured or not, either way it was something that should not have happened.

But at that stage of the game 3-0 down with only 8 minutes left, surely this would have been the ideal opportunity to give Martin Caceres a taste of first team action, let him get the pace of the Premier league but more importantly give the manager a chance to assess him in a competitive game.

Even taking Long off this should have been the case, to be blunt we were never going to get three goals back, but at this stageit looked like we might concede a couple more with our defence in disarray.

In truth in a game when we were being over run in midfield taking JWP off upset our balance as it did against Bournemouth, suddenly we had four attacking players on the pitch and only two holding midfield players, we lacked direction and City were soon swamping us and catching us on the break, we were running around like a Sunday morning side with no shape.

Puel's one tactic seemed to be lets try to batter their goal ad hope that they don't break and score which of course now looks a little naive given that City thrive on quick breaks and have the players to use that to the full.

So sad to say that in the past few games Claude Puel is doing nothing to suggest that he is tactically up to the job, when he was being lambasted for his rotation policy in the first half of the season, it looked like it was that which was losing us games, but now it looks a little deeper than that.

Saints squad is good enough to win games whoever is in charge, however it is games lke this that you need a little more from your manager and he does not appear to be able to be pro active and change things when needed.

Of late injuries and suspensions aside he seems content to play the same players week in week out and hope that it works, I know I harp on about it but in each of the last three games we have got points due to the wasteful finishing of the teams we were playing, Im sorry for those that think Yoshida and Jack Stephens are the future of our defence, but as good as they have been in recent games, the fact is that they still kept on being caught out, the fact that the opposition didn't punish us as it should have does not make that fact alright.

Ask yourself would Van Dijk, Fonte, Alderweireld or Lovren been outjumped like that on our first goal, we all know the answer, this is the difference between winning games and losing, you have to concentrate for every minute and be tight at key moments, 89 minutes worth of good work can all be undone if you are not.

Claude Puel needs to show that he can see where we are weak, he needs to show that he knows what to do about it and how to change it to make sure it doesn't happen before it happens.

The jury has always been out on Puel, I have at times seemed like a lone voice defending him and saying give him time, that time is fast approaching it's end and at the moment there is something not quite right !

Photo: Action Images

allsaint54 added 10:12 - Apr 17 Spot on. Get rid of CP & Black now before they do any long term damage.
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Number_58 added 10:13 - Apr 17 You really are becoming a bore, constantly slagging off our defence. Most people I spoke to reckoned Stephens was MotM, but you obviously have some sort of personal agenda against him. Strange you didn't even mention Tadic's hopeless attempt in the first half which ultimately might not have affected the result, but would certainly have altered the complexion of the game. Your match reports aren't worth reading anymore.

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IanRC added 10:19 - Apr 17 Hmm, agree the dropping of Clasie was a major mistake, in fact agree with much you said. City deserved to win as too many players didn't turn up making hasty misplaced passes, even in the first half the writing was on the wall. That said Company fouled our defender for the first and the second was offside but not a good day at the office and it is hard to argue that they didn't deserve it. Hope we make a better show of it against Chelsea. Big questions over Puel though.

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SaintNick added 10:23 - Apr 17 Number 58, what is becoming boring is how often we gift the opposition chances in front of goal, Bournemouth should have had four goals, Palace three, West Brom two or three and City possibly five, all from chances when the opposing player had a free shot on goal due to poor marking and defending. I have no agenda against either Yoshida or Stephens other than i do not believe that as a partnership they are good enough, as I said ask yourself would any of our central defenders over the last four years have given so many chances away in four games. I have made these comments after watching all four games live and then watching the replays on tv after several times , the marking is poor, again you cant be tight for 88 minutes but gift chances in the other two. I want Jack Stephens and Yoshida to succeed, just because I feel they wont does not mean I have an agenda., I though Stephens played ok on Saturday, I didnt point the finger at him personally, but I still dont think he is good enough, I hope he proves me wrong. Do you not think we should try Caceres then ?

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perazi added 10:24 - Apr 17 Broken record report I'm afraid Nick. We were beaten all over the park by an infinitely better side. I see you make no mention of Tadic or JWP in your critique - both anonymous and ineffective. We got run over in midfield and I lost count of the times Sane and co raced past JWP on the right wing leaving Cedric and the CBs badly exposed. Given the weakness of midfield, the efforts of Stephens in particular and Yoshida were commendable. Hojbjerg had a poor game in mid-field and the one part of your report I agree with is Clasie should have retained his place.

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qnehl1 added 10:27 - Apr 17 We lost to a good City team with some very good players, Kompany and Sane were a level above us. Had that Tadic scored or Yoshida headed the ball a yard either side of Bravo we would have got something out of the game. Players need to take there chances against the top teams. Don't see how you can blame Puel for that
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aceofthebase added 10:36 - Apr 17 Don't think Clasie would have made much difference against a superior side like Man city. Stephens played well. Cedric waste of space. Hojberg pretty poor especially after being booked. JWP back to his non influential best. Yoshida did well. Tadic dreadful miss, don't they practise those pulled back shots? Hate to say it but Subs were poorly made and the subs were poor. Boufal had a mesmerising run, pity it didn't result in a goal. Write this game off, we are going to be somewhere mid table. Most disappointing aspect of the game was the exodus of the fans before the end. We are going to lose matches but that is no reason to be disrespectful to both our own players and the opposition. I find this action utterly shameful.

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saintmark1976 added 10:42 - Apr 17 Nick, did you actually watch the game on Saturday? Do you honestly think that a three nil defeat at the the hands of one of the best teams in the country was solely the fault of Yoshida and Stephens or are you just trying to be controversial for the sake of it? We were outclassed from start to finish in every area by a multi million pound outfit who throughly deserved their victory. For us it was simply one game too far after a good couple of weeks. Please, for your own sake just try and get over it and as Number 58 says spare us from your relentless centre back bashing unless as I say above you don't mean it and are just doing it for effect.

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simmo400 added 10:55 - Apr 17 We missed Romeliu big time Saturday no doubt. Our midfield is lightweight when we meet the big big boys in this league. We are a midtable team and have to accept we will never match the bigger teams in this league. We won't and can't pay players and so here we are. A cup final in the bank and midtable are the best we can hope for year after year get used to it. So to sum up we have had a great season as we have achieved our goals this season and most would settle for the same next season.

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AreYouSure added 11:02 - Apr 17 How can people say Stevens was MOTM? Did everyone fail to notice that he gave the ball away in a bad area which lead to the first goal (free kick which turned into a corner kick)? He had a better game outside of that bad mistake, but he isn't a solid central defender and he is too weak. I think yoshida is a good player, but again, how can people argue against the fact that our centre back got muscle out of it for the first goal (and no, it wasn't a foul???)? Tadic shouldn't have started and classie should have started instead of Højbjerg (classie was very good against West Bromwich and also scored, then puel drops him?). Puel's substitutions were bordering crazy and we set up poorly from the off. Why are we letting a team that is known for a shakey defence but an awesome attack, just come onto us? We should have started with long instead of tadic and let him do what he does best and hassle the back four (he might not be the most clinical, but he never has been. He unsettles defences and he's very good at that, which makes them have to think twice and also opens up space for our runners). Manolo had no service but when he got the ball (which was very little), he was class. Also... Who tells Forster to hit it up to one of the best centre backs in the world (kompany won everything)? When some people said puel out, early in the season, i said give the guy a chance. Now, i say he has no tactical awareness and appears to not be able to motivate players. He needs to stop playing Boufal as well. He has a negative impact on almost every game. I don't post often but this is really starting to get to me now. Yes, man city are a good side, but we let them win.

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highfield49 added 11:39 - Apr 17 Saints need to invest but don't have the financial clout to do it effectively. City can compete to buy virtually any player they choose and we have to consider selling our best players to improve the squad. The irony is that we can't retain the likes of VVD for more than a couple of years and also buy in players of equal or better quality to consolidate our progress. I have absolutely no idea where the investment can be found to compete with the top six, or increasingly seven or eight, clubs. I think most of the present squad are playing fairly much as best they can and can't give any more and we are looking increasingly like a mid table team. I have no problem with that until such time as the benevolent multi billionaire investor strolls into St Marys and can actually show interest in the club and not the share price of his consortium. Better that than another financial meltdown? Yes, I think Puel and Black should go, because there are certainly better management teams to replace them, but not with any expectation that we can magically achieve a top four finish next year.

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steve73 added 12:28 - Apr 17 Losing to City is one thing, but the performance was dreadful. Lethargic, unambitious, disjointed, uninterested. Marco Silva please.
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SanMarco added 12:35 - Apr 17 The midfield were not strong or talented enough to deal with what, before the game, we all knew we would have to deal with if City played at all well. 4-3-3 leaves us too exposed against the stronger teams, especially with Romeu out. You also have to take the few chances that you do create - our one lovely move of the game hands a very good chance to Tadic who puts it in row Z - then Yoshi heads a very good chance straight at the keeper. The centre-back argument will continue until the end of the season as Cacares is clearly just a back-up. As AreYouSure points out Stephens made a careless mistake that led to the first goal and Yoshi was totally inadequate in standing up to Kompany's strength. These players are genuine players who give their all but they are not good enough at the very highest level. VVD, Fonte and Romeu played at the Etihad and we were in a different league then defensively (and could easily have won). As for Puel - dropping Claisie after his good performance was perverse, sticking with the two CBs is also idiotic (unless there is info about Cacares that we don't have!?) and the substitutions, going 4-2-4 when we were already being over-run in midfield was a surrender flag. However ineffective JWP was putting on Boufal simply said to City 'alright you can have 2 or 3 more on the break' - which they of course proceeded to do. Given the resources we had we should have continued to keep it tight at 1-0 and hoped to score from creating something. If it is still 1-0 with a few mins left then yes go for broke because City will be edgy by then. Like Nick I have been reluctant to criticise Puel (and, yes, we would probably have lost whatever we did as City were pretty good) but that was nonsense on Saturday and to moan about people leaving early? Puel's substitutions must have had many checking the run to the nearest exit.

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ItchenNorth added 12:50 - Apr 17 These things happen against quality sides. We were chasing the game at 0-1 and got caught on the counter twice. It happens ! We missed Romeu for sure and the Gabbiadini substitution was right imo and probably to protect him for another week, another fight following injury. Not a great result but no need to panic, Man City can do that to any team in the league on their day.

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saintpp added 14:09 - Apr 17 Nick Ive been reading your articles since you started and lately its hard to beleive you have written some of them and this is one of your most negative to date. Usually i dont feel the need to comment as you have taken the sensible balanced point of view against the knee jerk posters elsewhere. You are hardly the lone voice for CP but there a lot of noisy ones who in their eyes whatever he does is wrong and now it seems you are encouraging them. Even throwing Lovren into the mix and yes i think he have been outjumped or maybe no where near the ball hes barely getting away iwth at Liverpool who have actualy conceded as many as us.Ditto 'past his sell by date' Fonte,a disaster at west ham. I agree jack and Yoshi together arent the safest combo but either of them alongside VVD would be fine.CP wants to keep playing them and the only other option is Caceres who it seems is only cover and we have no plans to buy him.Maybehe isnt good enough. I think starting Gabbi and bringing Long on was the right option but it didnt work. All things considered had we known that we would be without VVD Fonte Austin for most of the season id have been concerned in august and been pretty contented with a top ten finish and a final. Cp has had to deal with all that plus the fixture congestion Shane Long and Jay unable to hit a barn door ,the loss of Vic Mane and Pelle and being new to the PL. We got the same result v man city under RK in 2014 but we got better and i am prepared to give CP at least a season and half before judge him. It hasnt been so bad this year never in danger of the drop and it was allways going to be season transition. Encouraging doubters about Cp isnt the way to support i think all in all hes had pretty good season all things considered,changing managers again is more upheavel that the club doesnt need.

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landerwal added 14:35 - Apr 17 Before Christmas a Yoshida/Stephens partnership was unthinkable. Now both players have been thrown in at the deep end. Stephen's especially with no previous experience in the Premiership has played well despite mistakes which are bound to happen. (Even VVD despite his brilliance makes plenty.) Yet every match we lose or draw it's the two C/B's fault. City are class but we matched them until a soft first goal which Fraser should have saved. Stephen's is playing far better than Boufal and he cost £16 million

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Consigliere added 17:24 - Apr 17 Save for what he had to say about Yoshida I think that SanMarco has it about right here - the problem lay in the midfield, which was completely over-run for most of the game and simply couldn't keep possession. Romeu was sorely missed on Saturday and Hojbjerg had a rotten game where Clasie would have done so much better. I thought the defence did ok really though no doubt they were out-classed by the pace of the City attack. That really sums up the difference between the teams really: City attacked with pace, and it was pass, move pass, move, shoot whereas on the rare occasions we had possession there was a leisurely period of midfield mediocrity allowing the opponents to re-group followed by a further loss of possession. At this level and against teams like City you just have to press them and play hard and fast football, its no use trying the pretty stuff in the centre of the park, you will get picked off. A disappointing afternoon though in truth City were a joy to watch. We assuredly weren't. Need to re-think for the next games especially Chelsea.

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SaintBrock added 19:45 - Apr 17 My optimism was very clearly misplaced as this was a stinker. The reason we couldn't keep any sort of decent possession was that nobody wanted to hold the ball and take responsibility. Most seemed to want to off-load it to somebody else as quickly as possible and hasty passes usually meant misplaced passes and losing the ball again and that was about it in a nutshell. I've rarely seen Saints collectively have such an off day and very few can take any credit from their performance yesterday. I hope they got the signed shirts hey turned up for! Disgraceful. - See more at: http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/southampton/news/45504/saints-v-manchester

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LordDZLucan added 09:47 - Apr 18 The best teams start defending from the front. Just look at the work that Aguero, van De Bryne and Sane put in on Saturday and compare that with the work that our front three put in. That was the difference. Yoshida and Stephens were great. They were not at fault for the first goal. It was from a corner that Gabbiadini couldn't get his head to despite standing in the 6 yard box and jumping 6ft in the air and which was headed in from within the 6 yard box. It's pretty obvious to me who could have done better!

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patred added 11:29 - Apr 18 first of all 58, if you think Jack Stephens was MOtM, then it's time you should really look at the job a central defender has to do. Stephens efforts and hardwork cannot disquise his positional frailities nor his poor decision making. It's not Stephens fault we have found ourselves without adequate cover, so it's unfair for him to take the blame. Finding ourselves without reasonable cover albeit through injury or failure to address the situation in the January window is down to poor managment. That was compounded by selling one of our first choice central defenders without ensuring a replacement was bought in first. That shows there is poor thinking at management level. This plus other management mistakes this season must put a question mark in the make up of that team. Even the stupid substitution mix up over Long shows that Puel is not fully in charge of his team. Quite rightly his performance will be accessed at the end of the season, but we should also take a long look at who was responsible for recruitment and selling of players, and leaving this manager left without adequate cover for the last 3 months of this season. This asscessment should not be left to Les Reed, who has many questions to answer himself about the situation Puel has found himself lumbered with.

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TimSaint added 12:29 - Apr 18 Far far too negative from the off - OK I know we were playing a City side that will finish top 4, but to not even give it a go was ridiculous. Before the game Puel was giving too much respect to City and it showed on the pitch. No one wanted to go forward or overlap and as a result, Gabbi hardly got a touch. At least Koeman gave it a go last season and look what happened (granted City had Champ League games to contend with then though). Having Hojbjerg up against Toure was a total mismatch but at least he tried - unlike the majority of our team - with Tadic and JWP being the ultimate ineffectuals. Bizarrely the main report (and previous) keeps going on about our defence and the chances we let the opposition create and only poor finising by Baggies, Cherries and Palace prevented cricket scores in each of those games !! Football is about scoring and creating chances and we are up against some of the best in the world. Of course the opposition will create chances - after all we have our 3rd and 4th choice defenders - which we are all fully aware of - so why continually berate them ? What the articles fail to point out - and is a key point - is that we too create chances - lots of them and it is our poor finishing that puts added pressure on our already makeshift defence. We should have been 3 up before the break against Bournemouth, 2 up v Palace before they even got in our box and we missed other chances against WBA. Tadic even had the best chance to put us 1 up v city, but poor old Yoshi gets the flack for putting his header too close to the keeper !! It is a team game, the whole team under performed and was too negative. Everyone deserved slating, but somehow this is saved only for our makeshift central defenders. In case anyone is wondering about Caceres, if you saw him play for the U23's v Liverpool, his lazy lethargic performance would probably explain why he only made the bench. Too many people seem to think he is a top defender, but he needs to show us that he actually is !!

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Abbosaint added 14:57 - Apr 18 One issue that has been a real concern to me this season has been the recurring weakness of Fraser Forster. Although he is 6ft 5ins. tall, he seems unwilling to command his area and routinely catch crosses - apart from some feeble attempts v Crystal Palace. Two of City's goals were scored from close range headers. Obviously, with a keeper rooted to his line, it puts huge pressure on the defence to deal with these situations and, inevitably, leads to them being out jumped at times. If Forster really can't rectify this serious problem then he needs to be replaced by a keeper who has the ability and confidence to deal with centres.

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LordDZLucan added 15:09 - Apr 18 Exactly the point I was making Abbosaint
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