Nigel Adkins learnt from the FA Cup match with Chelsea, adapted and came away from Stamford Bridge with a shock result that could have been better with a little better defending.
Many comments have been made post match about Rickie Lamberts impact as Substitute at Styamford Bridge and how much better it could have been if he had started, Im not so sure about that, Nigel Adkins stated on TV that he had a game plan and that it worked and I tend to agree with him, yes Saints were much better in the second half after SRL came on, but before we could step up the pace we had to do a lot of grafting to put us in that position.
First half Saints didnt create a lot of chances, but that was nothing to do with Rickie Lambert being on the pitch or not being on the pitch, it was to do with the fact that we were penned back, if Rickie had been on the pitch there is nothing to suggest we would have attacked more, the game plan was simple, keep it tight and then in the second half step up the pace.
The game plan didn go strictly to plan though, Saints once again conceded two sloppy goals which owed as much to our defences inability to clear the ball as to Chelsea's attacking prowess and even in the second half Demba Ba was left completely unmarked six yards out and inexplicably but the ball over, but one thig we did have to do second half was take the game too them and we did this well, the question is would we have done it so well if Rickie had already run his socks off for the previous 55 minutes, I would suggest no, Adkins got his tactics and his substitutions spot on his only problem was a lack of quality in key areas.
But overall this was a great point, I have been saying for a while that the difference between relegation and being safe before the end of the season will be whether we take points off the top sides or not, so far we have won only against teams now below us and whilst this is crucial in a relegation fight, you also have to beat the sides further up, this means now stepping up a gear and beating the like sof Stoke and West brom at home when they visit but nicking the odd point or two off the top five or six, in recent weeks we have done just that with the home draw with Arsenal and this one at the Bridge and a quick look at the League table confirms my earlier point, those two points are difference between hovering just above the bottom three or being well clear.
Now we can go into the weekend knowing that whatever happens we wont be in the bottom three after Saturday but more to the point we could kick off against Everton knowing that a win could send us well clear of the drop zone.
In conclusion a great point, but some people have to realise that football is about playing the right players for the right situation, Nigel Adkins has to make some changes sometimes, Rickie Lambert is nearly 31, he cannot play every minute of every game, if he is shattered from doing so he wont be fit and fresh to be able to come on and change the game as he did last night, football is a squad game now its not just about putting out your best players every time, if Rickie had started it would have been probable that we would still have been 2-0 down at half time, after all we created no real chances first half so how would he have scored, but with the right tactics and changes he came on fresh and with renewed impetus we were able to take the game to Chelsea, I have criticised Nigel Adkins for getting tactics and substitutions wrong and quite rightly so, but last night he got it spot on.