Southampton vs Liverpool St. Mary's StadiumFriday April 5th 2019Fuck! I've got to do a fucking pregame write up. Umm, fuck, ummm...shit...TITI IS MSG'ING ME AGAIN..ummm..let's start with some facts about each city...Southampton FactsSouthampton (Pronounced - saʊθˈ(h)æmptən) is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. It is 70 miles (110 km) south-west of London and 15 miles (24 km) west north-west of Portsmouth. It covers an area of 72.8 km² and carries a population of 253,651 and Danny Ings. Southampton is famous for being the port from which the Titanic left on its ill fated maiden voyage. It is also home to the longest surviving stretch of medieval walls in England, the Solent Sky air museum, a civic centre that is the envy of Hampshire and a maritime museum innovatively called SeaCity Museum. Every September the city pulsates with electricity as the Annual Southampton Boat Show pulsates the city with pulsatable boat enthusiasts from shores as far as Portsmouth and Binic. Antiques Roadshow have shot several times in locations in and around Southampton.Not one decent band has come out of Southampton. Not one.Southampton was named "fittest city in the UK" in 2006 by Men's Fitness magazine. It is therefor not surprising that Southampton is home several sporting clubs. Hamsphire County Cricket Club was most notably the English home for Australian 'King of Spin' Shane Warne, who chose Hampshire CCC due to its homeground being driving distance from London's eclectic drug fuelled nightlife and selection of boutique brothels. Association Football is also on display in Southampton, with current Premier League club Southampton Football Club earning fame and fortune through providing Liverpool Football Club several first team players that included the likes of Sadio Mane, Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana and most notably human-cheat-code Virgil Van Dijk. All players in this group describe their time in Southampton as "adequate"Liverpool FactsLiverpool is a port city in the North West of England most famous for being the birthplace of world renowned pop-rock outfit Atomic Kitten and also for having a boss fucking football team run by an efficiently crazy German that is 6 games away from winning its first league title in 29 years. Liverpool also has a thriving Dungeons and Dragons community.The SituationWe know the situation, we're two points ahead of a team that has cost well over a billion pounds to assemble being drilled by a manager that wouldn't shake Gerrard's hand, but they do have have a game in hand. Circumstances dictate that we basically have to win every game until we don't have to win every game. So here we are. This is knockout league football. Thirteen games, six we can affect. On one side a football club at the heart of a working class city who rose to prominence under the guidance of socialist manager. On the other a princes plaything full of the best talent money can buy, and make no mistake, that is all Man City are, a princes plaything. I will let better authors than me draw longer bows with better words that could epitomise what this battle for this league in this political climate represents, but what I will say is I believe in this team as people and as a footballing outfit. I believe in this manager both as a person and as a manager. What more could you want? Well probably the title if we're honest, maybe a beer tooThe MatchSouthampton appointed Ralph Hasenhüttl in December, a man with a managerial career that could be described as middling. His name means Rabbit-Hutch in German, I'm not sure what it means in Russian. His effect on the Southampton team has won over their fans though and he is certainly no mug. In German football he has been known as Alpen Kloppen, or Klopp of the Alps, due to the propensity of his teams to press and play on the front foot, just like Jurgen's and because he is from the Alps. That explains the 'of the Alps' part. They did their UEFA licence together, maybe had a beer during the course. This comparison with Klopp will give you an insight in to how Hasenhüttl wants his teams to play football, he wants heads up on the ball, passing out of danger and defending from the front. Southampton have generally been playing a 3-5-2 or a kind of 3-3-2-2 under Hasenhüttl and while you can see his philosophy taking root in the player they're not quite there yet. It will be interesting to see how pragmatic Hasenhüttl is after winning at home against Tottenham with 36% possession and also taking United to the wire. They're probably 2-3 points away form safety and with the pace and potency of our fullbacks I'm doubtful we will see anything other than pragmatic respect being shown to us. I think smart managers are cottoning onto the fact there's two things that are suicide against this Liverpool team, a high line and space out wide. I don't expect to see two lines of five on the top of the box, but i do expect them to sit deep. Which brings us to us. Our major injury concerns this season, Ox and Gomez, are back in training. Keith I'm not too sure about, Shaq seems to have one of those abdominal issues that plague players for a season, letting them play just enough for you to not realise they're injured, and although we saw a 5 minute cameo from Lovren last game I'm hearing rumours he sprained his wrist playing Kerbal Space Program. Ox and Gomez are going to need to start seeing minutes this week if they're going to be involved with any kind of affect on our remaining games.Tactically, every farmer and his cock knows how we play, it doesn't change. Our back 5 probably won't change, and our front three won't change, our midfield probably will. Gini, Milly and Hendy(o) provide the solid stable force that block the lanes and spread their cover shadows all over our back four. What they don't do to well is what some say midfields are for, getting the ball to the forwards in positions where forwards are likely to score. Our options in the middle aren't huge, Fabinho has slightly divided opinion on how good he actually is at the moment, but i expect to see him in there this game. What really interests me is if Keith gets a run. Is he injured? Is he shite? Does Klopp not like his suits?3-0 to the Reds6 games. Enjoy it. Drink it in.
15. Nearly a goal, Mo chips it in Mane glances the header.
Loved the way Gini was completely oblivious of anything happening on the goal.
Nobody puts Naby in the corner.Except for Trent.
