Big games are obviously tight games that tend to be low scoring but what the Soton and Newcastle game showed is that the so-called "lesser" sides don't see the point of simply "keeping it tight" against us.
In the not too distant past, it was viable to play for a draw (i.e hold out for 0-0) with a possibility of a smash and grab against us because we were less potent going forward. However, those same teams know that we rarely do 0-0's and that they need to score at least two goals more often than not to even snatch a draw.
It creates a weird dilemma for them:
1. If they sit back and are too defensive, we'd probably still score anyway.
2. If they score first, they have to fight against the natural tendency to sit back and contine attacking because it's probably not enough. This tires them out and gives us more space.
3. We are equally as dangerous at every point in the game because we can bring on quality subs. Do they stick or twist?
If they are passive, we score anyway and take it away from them. If they are aggressive (out of necessity), they tire out and we dominate them in the latter stages of the game by making use of our bench.
It's really fascinating and it actually works to our advantage.
