Analysis of the goal conceded against Southampton (28/10)

Jay Rodriguez goal – A Southampton corner is played towards Fonte at the near post, who flicks on intelligently. Friedel claws the ball out, but Rodriguez is on hand to put the rebound in.

Southampton have a corner from the left (conceded after another near miss, when Friedel attempted to claim a free kick, and totally missed the ball).

Fonte makes a run off Gallas at the near post, and Gallas is not alive to it. Note Caulker marking Rodriguez, the eventual scorer, around the penalty spot.

The ball reaches Fonte and he flicks intelligently towards goal. Caulker has tracked Rodriguez’s run until this point.

Friedel gets down to the near post to claw the ball out…

…but as Friedel makes the save, Rodriguez has continued his run, untracked by Caulker (guilty of a little ball-watching), and is on hand to fire home the loose ball.

Join the conversation

  1. Despite highlighting Gallas & Caulker being caught napping for the goal, for the rest of the game they were fine - and in my opinion our best players on the day. We conceded the goal because of the midfield completely losing control of the game. Given our dominance in the first half, to see the possession figures to end up equal shows how poorly our midfield played in the second half. Thank the defence for keeping the score down to just one goal - which was thoroughly deserved by the opposition. Livermore comes on, and again we lose control of the game. AVB stop it!
    1. I thought Gallas and Caulker generally did well too (although Gallas frustrates me with his indecisiveness in possession), but Gallas' switching off for the goal was hugely disappointing.

      Agree that the midfield were poor in the second half, but I think it was largely due to the lack of movement and ball retention ahead of them from Defoe and Dempsey.
  2. How did they get a corner? Didn't a Saints player head the ball wide of the goal (missed a sitter) and a corner was awarded?
    1. I thought that too - didn't see a replay though.
  3. I've been waiting for this Windy!! I want to say look at my post after the Chelsea game. We conceded a corner which was down to Friedel and then conceded from the corner. Once again I believe if Lloris had been playing we wouldn't have conceded the corner. AVB PLEASE PLAY LLORIS before he's totally pissed off. Oh and the same applies to Ade. It's not that I have a thing about Yanks but right now I don't think Dempsey or Friedel should be in our first choice eleven.
    1. When we concede goals, it is at a time when we are under the cosh. To blame the goalie when the other 10 guys are not doing their job is just simply scapegoating. I have seen nothing from Lloris thus far to suggest that he would be any better than Friedel. The problem is elsewhere.
    2. You are kind'a right..

      But a big reason we struggled to keep the ball was when we kept it, sometimes going back to Friedel for safety, he would just punt it upfield towards Defoe, who will never win it and Southampton would surge back at us. We were noticably better keeping the ball from the keeper kicking it out with Lloris midweek. Friedel also missed the cross completely when they won the corner, from which they scored (very lucky indeed they didn't score from him missing the cross, although it was a strikers header and therefore not a corner).

      I?m not one for giving the players stick. I just think we will be better with Lloris. In a few weeks once he's completely settled here, I would expect him to start and for us to be better for it.
    3. When I was a kid I played lacrosse and we had a great goalie and won an under 15 national tournament. Then the good goalie quit. Her replacement very occasionally stopped a shot and all her mates would go mad congratulating her. But most of the time the ball went straight in the net. We were a crap first team that year. My point is that it's the goalie's job to save things. It shouldn't be a surprise when he does. It's a very tough job and one horribly open to criticism/exposure. BUT Friedel's weaknesses in coming for the ball and his decreasing mobility in getting down low affects the whole team's performance. As does his poor distribution, I agree totally with the previous poster on that. Lloris looks like he has good command of his penalty area and while he too will (of course) make mistakes I stick to what I say, he should be playing. Of course no goalie can save a poor team but a good goalie makes a huge difference to the defensive set up of a team and confidence levels. A goalie who rarely comes out may make less obvious mistakes but causes more problems for his defence by not helping out.
    4. I DID notice times where Friedel cleared the ball rather than pass. A good goalkeeper makes a difference to a team that is PERFORMING. If they are not performing, then he is helpless - like Friedel yesterday. I do agree that going forward, Lloris should take over. But you simply cannot blame him for nearly throwing the game away. Too many people give Sandro high marks when he is failing to control midfield. He gives the ball away too much, and countless times we see midfield runners go past him. Huddlestone played more solidly, and our midfield played better with him in. Why did AVB such an early change? Sometimes I get the feeling that AVB is making subs just for the sake of it....
    5. Got to get Lloris in ASAP.
  4. Anon @ 10:02 - Friedel constantly invites pressure with his reactive goal-keeping. Defenders are having to cover an additional 5-10 yards, and are unsure of what action to take.

    There was one point in the second half where the ball bounced over our defence and hung in the air - my whole family, sat around the tele - screamed in stereo "go on then, Friedel!" and yet he left it for Vertonghen to drop back on to and have to turn (and then Jan had limited options so had to play up the line hopefully, and we surrendered possession).

    There was also one moment where we battled hard to keep possession, the ball went back to Friedel, and he pumped it up-field toward Defoe, and we lost the ball again, rather than playing a simple 8-yard pass to Gallas.
  5. The real problems lie up front and in central mid.

    Dembele for creativity and Sandro for steel seems like a great fit, but who do we play as the lone striker and who do we play in the hole? Adebayor is obviously much better than the ineffective Defoe, but is he clinical enough? Dempsey and Siggy have so far shown that they don't have the required quality.

    We need two strikers and another creative midfielder asap.

    It's also foolish to continue playing Friedel when we have Lloris.
    1. I honestly think Adebayor starting will get the best out of Dempsey and Sigurdsson - two players who thrive around the edge of the box. With Adebayor, we will see a lot more of the ball in this area, and they will be far more involved in games as a result.

      Totally agree with your final comment.
  6. Ade & JD together please, at least for certain games. For others perhaps Dembele off Ade with Thudd and Sandro deeper

    Also don't underestimate the effect of goalkeepers on defenders. I remember the ever reliable Mike England having a total mare one game when Jennings was missing and a young Daines played. England clearly had no confidence in Daines and played accordingly, trying to protect/keep the ball away from the goalie. As a result he made a series of awful mistakes that led to giving goals away. The mistakes were England's but the reason was his lack of belief in his keeper.
  7. Waiting for the pundits to bang on about the fundamental weaknesses of man marking again...
  8. Hi Windy, just wondering if Rodriguez was off side when he scored?
    In glif 4 we see a Southampton player in between one of our defenders and Brad.
    Then in glif 5 we see Rodriguez in line with the other Southampton player, in between the said defender and Brad just before putting the ball in the net.
    What do you think?
    I might be wrong so I tought I would ask you.
    Ta Ron.
    1. Definitely onside, sadly.
  9. I didnt see the match, havent even seen the goals, it's hard to see from the pictures but who is the lad on the near post? Naughton? and why did he leave it, did someone entice him away with a run?

    If so, or for whatever reason he left, how come Friedal did'nt close the gap between him and the near post.

    Sorry for the silly questions, but I am having a hard time visualising from just the pics above.
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