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Comment | Saints V Happoel Be'er Sheva The Verdict
at 00:39:19
I just had to register tonight to defend Nick’s overall analysis in the face of so many kickbacks. 1. The team selection was not a negative set up designed to achieve a 0-0 draw: with a front 3 of Austin, Redmond and Sims how much more attacking could Puel have been given the injuries to Boufal and Tadic, Long’s failure to score and Rodriguez’ sad decline? 2. The players worked their socks off – particularly the midfield 3 – and it was not a lack of passion or effort that led to this bitterly disappointing result. 3. Everyone has underestimated the quality of HBS: they are 10 points clear at the top of the Israeli Div 1 and are full of confidence, skill and strength, and they took their one chance fantastically well. 4. The problem was a lack of quality: generally poor passing and crossing, even from the usually reliable Bertrand, poor decision making from Redmond, lack of control from Sims, and the worrying lack of clinical finishing all round. 5. Results in Milan and Prague were really to blame, particularly not starting Austin, but Puel’s protection of our only proven goalscorer was justified, with hindsight, when you saw what happened to his shoulder against HBS. 6. I understand why the crowd were not noisy after the usual opening burst on Thursday – the play was uninspiring – but we have to admist that we didn’t help to galvanise Saints to play any better. The number leaving with 10 minutes to go was frankly embarrassing, and I would have loved to have seen the faces of those leavers if Yoshida had have scored that final chance, as he should have done.
Saints have a huge workload with a squad that is short on really top quality players and therefore reliant on team effort and togetherness, which is sorely tested if you are playing every weekday/weekend across four competitions. As Nick says, we have to stay behind the team, not moan and groan because that sure as hell is not going to make the team play any better, or get the board to spend any more cash. COYR.
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