Topic: Round Table LFC 0-1 Southampton.

[CHOPPER]

Seeing as that relates more to my posts than others, I have to say you've actually missed everything I said. I certainly didn't gloss over the game with positive spin - it was an awful game from the moment Rodgers put a team down on paper. My point was that it's too soon to make judgments on where you think we're going - based on less than 5 games. Wait until January, then see if things have or haven't picked up. If they haven't, then you will be right. If they have, then you will be wrong.

But it has to be perfect right now Norris, get with the programme! - Perfect performances, discussed, dissected and digested by the all knowledgeable perfect poster.

Round table, ha! where is the table located exactly?....Ashworth?

You'd get laughed out, or thrown out, of a boozer after a match with some of these opinions, especially the 'Ive hardly seen us play this season, but this is why we will fail' angle.


Christ, some of you lot don't half love the sound of your own keyboards.

[PhaseOfPlay]

But it has to be perfect right now Norris, get with the programme! - Perfect performances, discussed, dissected and digested by the all knowledgeable perfect poster.

Round table, ha! where is the table located exactly?....Ashworth?

You'd get laughed out, or thrown out, of a boozer after a match with some of these opinions, especially the 'Ive hardly seen us play this season, but this is why we will fail' angle.


Christ, some of you lot don't half love the sound of your own keyboards.

I thought I was Hansen now?

[rossipersempre]

Seeing as that relates more to my posts than others, I have to say you've actually missed everything I said. I certainly didn't gloss over the game with positive spin - it was an awful game from the moment Rodgers put a team down on paper. My point was that it's too soon to make judgments on where you think we're going - based on less than 5 games. Wait until January, then see if things have or haven't picked up. If they haven't, then you will be right. If they have, then you will be wrong.

It wasn't aimed at you to be honest, but Gregcharua's post just above. Granted he might have referenced you though.

I genuinely don't think anyone here is making grand sweeping judgments or predicting the future based on this sample. That's not to ignore the fact there's signs of a worrying pattern emerging though. It's also really not about who's right or wrong in January, not sure what the purpose of that is. Since when do we take a time capsule of opinion mid-season when the games are coming thick and fast? Especially when performances, and lately results, are spluttering.

[Twelfth Man]

Funny thing is you wont see many teams this season going to the Liberty stadium and dominating for 60 odd minutes in the way we did. Your notion of us being schooled there is a fantasy. My advice is you should consider - I don`t know - watching the games maybe?

We were pretty good for around 30 minutes in the first half. For 60 minutes Swansea were pretty much on top and doing what we were supposed to be doing, with speed and guile, and we had no answers, the Coutinho injury was a huge blow, but, lets be honest in the second half, while he was still on the pitch, they were still completely dominating us, pushing us right back.

[CHOPPER]

I thought I was Hansen now?

I've heard you're retiring, so you're going back to Norris, Norris.

[PhaseOfPlay]

I've heard you're retiring, so you're going back to Norris, Norris.

Hansen, what a bloody Partick Thistle reject!

[rossipersempre]

Not exactly subtle are we? If you're going to have a pop, at least do it directly and well, like a grown up.

[CHOPPER]

Hansen, what a bloody Partick Thistle reject!

Tall dark and.... well, you know the last bit.

[johnsmithlfc]

Some of the worrying things that were on display..

We had no creativity
We had nobody on the bench that can come on and change a game.
We have no decent holding/defensive midfielder (cover/replacement for Lucas/Gerrard)

I still feel we had a poor transfer window but to be honest, with our injuries at the moment, It's unfair to judge our squad/team selection of this game, until we get everyone back fit, we wont know how well we'll perform.
We really needed that athletic, goalscoring, strong midfielder... I know we tried to get him but we're missing that type of player, Gerrard can't do it any more and Lucas can't mop up as well as he used to, our central midfield pairing is not as good as we'd like it to be.

We have been playing pretty poorly this season and our fitness looks way off, but Mignolet and some great defending kept us in front in those first few games.
Sturridge looks tired and it badly affects his game, (but he was out longer, so fair enough) as does Gerrard, in fact, the team do really, I've no idea what is going on with our fitness and the fact that we almost fall apart in games in the second half, very strange.
Our midfield looks very weak, and the creative and defensive aspects look poor and unbalanced.

I was hoping a win today and a strong performance would put any doubts I had out of my head but as evidenced in ALL of our games so far, we have a number of issues with the squad, tactics, fitness and personnel.
Once everyone is back and fit, we'll hopefully have a better idea of what we can do this season... but one of my main worries was "What if we get injuries, if we have 2-3 players out, we'll be in trouble"  I said on the numerous transfer threads, we lack quality in depth.
But hopefully with better fitness coaching and pure luck, we can people injury free and play our best team as often as possible.


I hope this is a minor slip-up and that Suarez comes back and gives us the boost we need and we start winning again.

We had 3 wins on the bounce and now we've had no wins in 2.

Rodgers and the team had a poor day.

Hopefully we learn and move on.

[PhaseOfPlay]

Tall dark and.... well, you know the last bit.

He looks like Noel Fielding in that

[Draex]

Sturridge did his ankle in an England friendly and had no pre season
Cissokho's ankle was caused by a challenge from a Notts Co. player
Johnson was a block tackle with Evra
Coutinho was a challenge from Williams
Toure was a minor groin in extra time
Joe Allen was a hamstring tweak, again in extra time

How the fuck does this mean BR has 'ruined' the players? If you think that our manager and associated team of sports scientists have somehow accidentally destroyed the fitness of our players then you are even more deluded than your last couple of posts suggest.

Sturridges injury is his groin he has recovered from his ankle, Allen is soft tissue, Toure is soft tissue - that's 3 players already injured. Add to that the obvious fatigue Gerrard/Lucas are displaying, even PoP admitts that pre-season schedule/fitness might of been a miss-managed, maybe we didn't factor in a 120minute game against Notts County and that threw a spanner in the works. Anyone would think it's impossibly for a manager to get things wrong, Moyes is doing a fine job up the road of changing pre-season and is seeing injuries due to that, just as we have.

But hey you revert to name calling instead of getting the facts right lad, I think you'll find it's not me who is deluded. I don't see the issue in questioning things that happen in front of your own eyes. I agree though the season is long and we should take stock at the end, but to blindly follow is just as bad as questioning hastily.

"Also, it’s time for Rodgers to evaluate why Liverpool is the only team not to have scored yet in 2nd half. Lack of fitness and/or freshness?"
"Liverpool has clearly faded away in last phase of most games this season and have picked up multiple injuries already. Training methods?"

From someone who far more knowledge than this "deluded" one..

[rossipersempre]

Funny thing is you wont see many teams this season going to the Liberty stadium and dominating for 60 odd minutes in the way we did. Your notion of us being schooled there is a fantasy. My advice is you should consider - I don`t know - watching the games maybe?

My advice is read TwelfthCustomer's reply to that. They were all over us in the second half.

Maybe in future if I write I haven't watched us "properly" recently, I should add a literal glossary that explains that word means less than 93 minutes, with no distractions, without sky+ to hand, pen and paper nearby and a whole array of statistical software tools on standby ready for input as some seem to do. Guess that makes me a lower quality fan this season then. Like the manager and team, I obviously need to up my game as well.

[royhendo]

You're not wrong Roy, albeit you forgot the obligatory slight momentum-sapping stumble in the middle of that run

I don't understand that. A dozen games without a defeat is a "run". A loss ends the run. What did I miss mate?

I'm pissed off with Saturday and thought last Monday was mad, but I'm maybe unusual in that I liked the first three. I loved that feeling of togetherness. Seeing that drain away so quickly on Saturday was the killer for me. It shows how much they rely on Coutinho for their well stream of belief maybe. But Rodgers needs to sort that - he has enough quality IMO.

Would be interested to know what you mean by "cultural" as well as the "excessive targets can inhibit vision and imagination" though. Can you expand a little please? Or are you just suggesting Henry is turning the screws both strategically and financially and Rodgers is allowing his vision to be clouded as a result?

I'm not making any comment specific to Henry or FSG. Not suggesting ownership issues per se.

By "cultural", I mean habits and inertia. We all cry and moan when we lose. So naturally the culture is to fear failure. If we set a target of top four or you're out, we make it harder to change that culture maybe.

I'm just conscious he's departed from his principles of play through pragmatism already in the second half of last season, dropped deeper and hit on the counter, and seen us get results from it. So was it a logical extension of that to start the season in the style we have in the absence of Suarez?

I hope not personally.

Having said that, the side two games ago looked as together as I've seen it in years. That was massively heartening. We're gonna have a good season IMO. I don't think we'll make the top four though.

[CHOPPER]

Not exactly subtle are we?

If you're going to have a pop, at least do it directly and well, like a grown up.

No.

If you're going to have a pop at the manager and team, at least do it with some evidence, not some passing glances and possibly one full 90 minutes under your belt this season.

[Halcyon Lissome]

I think, rather, that this is the reason why some people are so suspicious of stats. Because they don't tally with a fans' subjective and partial way of viewing a game. Speaking for myself, I notice every time we lose possession or lose a 50/50, or fail to spot the correct pass. I groan and shout and curse. (What a happy chap I am). But when it's happening to the opposition, it doesn't balance out my feeling about a game. I'm always focussing on what we're doing, and so I notice our mistakes and failings to a greater extent.

And so in a lot of games, it can feel to me like we're constantly making errors, and being bullied by the opposition, and creating very little. If our opponents are in our half passing it around, it might feel like we're being dominated. If we're in their half doing the same, sometimes it feels like we're "not getting anywhere". And then, when you look at the stats at the end of the game, it appears not to tally with what you've seen. Because you weren't looking straight. You were looking at it - as you should be - like a supporter.

Great post.

Also enjoying PoP's calmness. Relax fellas; I know the last few years has given us plenty to make us pessimistic; but we're not even close to needing to be concerned yet.

[GregCharrua]

It wasn't aimed at you to be honest, but Gregcharua's post just above. Granted he might have referenced you though.

I genuinely don't think anyone here is making grand sweeping judgments or predicting the future based on this sample. That's not to ignore the fact there's signs of a worrying pattern emerging though. It's also really not about who's right or wrong in January, not sure what the purpose of that is. Since when do we take a time capsule of opinion mid-season when the games are coming thick and fast? Especially when performances, and lately results, are spluttering.

I suppose my post left me open to that sort of criticism so I'll take it. 

But honestly, I do understand the concern, and I am paying attention (to how we are playing), but I think the reaction is exaggerated on here (undoubtedly by the emotions roused from watching the poor match on Saturday).

But be fair: 3 wins, one against Man Utd, a draw against a more than decent Swansea side, and a very bad match against Southampton. I would hardly call our results "spluttering" just yet. If we play another two matches and come out looking as poor as we did against Southampton, all right we can start to be worried. But what if we smash Utd in the cup tomorrow, then play a fantastic attacking game of football against Palace at the weekend? All this doom theory would seem a little exaggerated - which is just my point. If one or two great matches is enough to make this doom talk look ridiculous, then I think it's safe to say people are a little carried away about it - which ISNT to say that there isn't some merit in the concern and the analysis put forward, just that it's a little over the top just now.

[CHOPPER]

We had no creativity

First time since the turn of the year that I felt Liverpool never had a goal in them.



They say - one swallow doesn't make a summer, well, nor does one blank game make a crisis.


If anyone thinks that Rodgers hasn't reviewed what didn't work on Saturday and won't act on it, then you're a better mind reader than Clinton Baptiste.

[johnsmithlfc]

First time since the turn of the year that I felt Liverpool never had a goal in them.



They say - one swallow doesn't make a summer, well, nor does one blank game make a crisis.


If anyone thinks that Rodgers hasn't reviewed what didn't work on Saturday and won't act on it, then you're a better mind reader than Clynton Baptiste.

Indeed.... We missed Coutinho badly, but we also shouldn't be relying on one guy to create everything.
That was what this summer was about, stopping the reliance on players like Suarez and Gerrard, spreading the responsibility through the team by bringing in quality and match winners, players with the right mentality.
I don't believe we did that.

I do agree with you however, that this is not a crisis yet, if we can have a great team spirit, cohesion and really start our passing and pressing again, I think we have a great shout at a cup run or maybe a Europa League place, I hope so anyway.

[rossipersempre]

I loved that feeling of togetherness. Seeing that drain away so quickly on Saturday was the killer for me. It shows how much they rely on Coutinho for their well stream of belief maybe. But Rodgers needs to sort that - he has enough quality IMO.

I think that's a key point, regardless of performance, where has the belief and team ethic gone? Almost evaporated.

I'm just conscious he's departed from his principles of play through pragmatism already in the second half of last season, dropped deeper and hit on the counter, and seen us get results from it. So was it a logical extension of that to start the season in the style we have in the absence of Suarez?

I hope not personally.

One thing is for certain, is that particular well has now run dry, so you'd hope that he reverts back to a possession game. With everyone fit and utilised correctly, we certainly have a technically better squad with which to pull it off these days.

[John C]

This is one of the best and most powerful Round Tables for months and months, great stuff from all of you. There's been some good discussion stimulated from that unfortunate outing.

PoP, I don't think anyone left Anfield on Saturday hoping we had the consultation of stats on our side, I know you've landed the blame square at BR but on this occasion I think visual torture overcomes the stats mate

[Halcyon Lissome]

I think that's a key point, regardless of performance, where has the belief and team ethic gone? Almost evaporated.
One thing is for certain, is that particular well has now run dry, so you'd hope that he reverts back to a possession game. With everyone fit and utilised correctly, we certainly have a technically better squad with which to pull it off these days.

I honestly do not understand why it is so hard to understand.

We have not played enough games this season to worry about supposed patterns we've devised over the past few games.

Whether it's a possession based game or a counter-attacking one (or a mix) I just hope we win. That is the only relevant pattern for me, for now. I know this is a discussion board, and we'll discuss the performances of everybody including the manager; but there's still a line not to cross. It's a pet peeve of mine when people put words or ideas they've concocted and married that with what they think the manager thinks or is actively doing.

Rodgers may have very well decided to switch things up and set us up different against United and Villa; but he may not have planned to do that against Southampton. If you think we were passing poorly, it could be that the players didn't do the job or that Southampton did well enough on that day. It can be that simple.

As someone else pointed out: if we beat United (possible) and thrash Crystal Palace (possible, if not probable) are we all cheery, and will the spirit remain? Who says it's left in the first place? Assumptions based on very little...god I hate it.

[PhaseOfPlay]

This is one of the best and most powerful Round Tables for months and months, great stuff from all of you. There's been some good discussion stimulated from that unfortunate outing.

PoP, I don't think anyone left Anfield on Saturday hoping we had the consultation of stats on our side, I know you've landed the blame square at BR but on this occasion I think visual torture overcomes the stats mate

Don't get me wrong. I didn't use the stats to try and put a gloss over the game. I used the stats to show that the game was won on narrow margins, and that we were reasonably matched in terms of the ebb and flow of the game for most of the game. Our crapness allowed Southampton to get the foothold that they did. But we also must remember - we had 30+ minutes to get an equaliser, and they didn't double their lead. At 0-0 it could have gone either way, and at 1-0 we still had a chance to get a point. That's the only reason that I showed the stats - to get past the emotion and get down to how the game actually played out. We were crap, but we weren't out of the game at any point. We could, and should, have done more.

[Jizzinho]

/snip/
We were crap, but we weren't out of the game at any point. We could, and should, have done more.

This is just spin; every opponent we have faced this season could say exactly the same.

[jake11]

If anyone thinks that Rodgers hasn't reviewed what didn't work on Saturday and won't act on it, then you're a better mind reader than Clinton Baptiste.

This is a great point. Rogers makes mistakes, but he is intelligent enough to learn from them. I doubt we will ever see four centre-backs on the pitch under him again. Likewise I guess he is currently trying to work out how he will change the two centre-backs and the two center-mids.

I will never claim to be any type of manager, or tactical genius, but when I saw the back four against Southampton I knew it was wrong. We use our fullbacks to press and provide, something that was never going to happen on Saturday. Also our centre-backs were never going to press the line forward. On the 70th minute however Brendan had a back-line on the pitch similar to what I would have gone with (I'd have had Henderson in centre-mid and the guy he displaced at right-back ).

There are not too many problems with this squad, and the ones there are are quite obvious and easy to solve. The big problem though is that solving them will be hard for a relatively inexperience manager in his second season at a giant club with heros and legends that need replacing. 

[PhaseOfPlay]

This is just spin; every opponent we have faced this season could say exactly the same.

Except Notts County. They were out of the game at 4-2 down in extra time.

[Eeyore]

To be fair with Moyes in charge United were out of the game at 0-0.

[mrantarctica]

The nature of our play against Southampton may not have been flattering. That being said, regardless of HOW we played, you can't ignore what actually transpired and that was that it was a fairly even contest. Whether this is an opinion or you try to use stats to justify the point is irrelevant.. Most likely it was even because they played at their best and we played well below our level.

The league is going to be full of games like this. I think we can despair if we play at our very best and still can't beat teams - then we'll know we're not good enough. But we KNOW we can play a lot better. We KNOW we're missing 4-5 key squad members. Despite that, against a well drilled team, I still thought we had a chance of coming away with something.

[farawayred]

Suppose the ref gave the stone-wall penalty and we scored. It would have been a very different result, a different game. Maybe they would have scored still, but anyway, if the game ended 1-1, would people be saying different things? Would the assessment be any different? I sadly think the answer is yes, because we are very influenced by any result, although the great point haul from the first few games was paper over the cracks. We could have opened our season with a 1-1 draw, same hypothetical result, had it not been for a saved penalty. I'm curious to know how people would have assessed the game had the result been 1-1.

[GrkStav]

Suppose the ref gave the stone-wall penalty and we scored. It would have been a very different result, a different game. Maybe they would have scored still, but anyway, if the game ended 1-1, would people be saying different things? Would the assessment be any different? I sadly think the answer is yes, because we are very influenced by any result, although the great point haul from the first few games was paper over the cracks. We could have opened our season with a 1-1 draw, same hypothetical result, had it not been for a saved penalty. I'm curious to know how people would have assessed the game had the result been 1-1.

This.

I've been saying this for years (often, to myself, as well). 'Evaluating' backwards from results is lousy analysis.

"We must have played well enough, we won." "We must've played poorly, we lost" etc.

Not so.

[deadsetred]

Suppose the ref gave the stone-wall penalty and we scored. It would have been a very different result, a different game. Maybe they would have scored still, but anyway, if the game ended 1-1, would people be saying different things? Would the assessment be any different? I sadly think the answer is yes, because we are very influenced by any result, although the great point haul from the first few games was paper over the cracks. We could have opened our season with a 1-1 draw, same hypothetical result, had it not been for a saved penalty. I'm curious to know how people would have assessed the game had the result been 1-1.

There'd still be people saying that we were largely unimpressive and that the result contained a large element of luck, and that our inability to dominate the game from midfield raises significant concerns regarding the future of the campaign. I think our performances up until this point made the weekend's result largely unsurprising, but we have a lot of talent coming back into the squad, and some fitness issues plaguing a number of players, so i don't think we travelling too bad all things considered.

[Twelfth Man]

Suppose the ref gave the stone-wall penalty and we scored. It would have been a very different result, a different game. Maybe they would have scored still, but anyway, if the game ended 1-1, would people be saying different things? Would the assessment be any different? I sadly think the answer is yes, because we are very influenced by any result, although the great point haul from the first few games was paper over the cracks. We could have opened our season with a 1-1 draw, same hypothetical result, had it not been for a saved penalty. I'm curious to know how people would have assessed the game had the result been 1-1.

On performance? Which was lousy to put it mildly. I'm all for grinding out results, dogged determination ONCE you go ahead. The worrying lack of good spells this season should raise eyebrows. Saturday with the injuries, fine, but the capitulation versus Swansea, and then to compound matters not to have learnt from last season's defeat against Soton. Poor. The way they penned us back in our half for much of the game, granted without creating that many clear cut chances, a draw would have been harsh on them, they played better than us.

[Kop10]

So why didn't they score more? 

One might argue because they didn't need to. Besides you can batter a team and still end up not scoring at all, it doesn't mean the tie was even.

Why didn't they have more possession?
Why didn't they have more passes?

Because having possession is not the objective of the game. It's possible for a team to be comfortable even with less possession and that's what happened here.

Look up the stats for the Manchester derby on Sunday from the same source. Manchester United had more possession(58%), more passes, greater pass success, aerial success, higher average pass streak of 5(City's was 3).

Could you then argue that the manchester derby was an even game?

[GrkStav]

There'd still be people saying that we were largely unimpressive and that the result contained a large element of luck, and that our inability to dominate the game from midfield raises significant concerns regarding the future of the campaign. I think our performances up until this point made the weekend's result largely unsurprising, but we have a lot of talent coming back into the squad, and some fitness issues plaguing a number of players, so i don't think we travelling too bad all things considered.

Our inability or our unwillingness to PLAY through the central midfielders?

We tried to play on the counter, even at 0-1 down. So'ton effectively harassed and pressurized Gerrard into giving the ball away.

Before Enrique came in, our main attacking threat was Moses 1v1. When he did come in, we tried to work in patterns from the left flank. It didn't work. We also tried it on the right-hand side with Toure and Sterling a couple of times. It didn't work.

When did we try to play our normal game through the middle, or at least to involve the central midfielders vs So'ton?

[Jizzinho]

Except Notts County. They were out of the game at 4-2 down in extra time.

Yes eventually, but I'm sure at 2-2 having pulled back two goals and facing ten men they were having exactly the thoughts you mentioned.

[steveeastend]

I agree with everything you're saying, but here's a flip side to the coin -

if we want to play a pressing game, there is no better starting place than a long ball from the keeper into a 50/50 situation, with the team squeezing up rapidly to take advantage. This is essentially what Southampton are good at under Pocchetino. The difference is, though, that our central midfield is not mobile, quick, or aggressive enough to take advantage. Put Henderson into the central midfield, and Mignolet's clearances might actually be turned to our advantage. With Coutinho or Aspas there, though, it just becomes a lost possession and constant defensive stance.

We donīt have the target man around in order to win the first ball for this in the first place though..

[fowler9_god]

We donīt have the target man around in order to win the first ball for this in the first place though..

Perhaps we can squeeze the space and look to win the second balls.

[Gnurglan]

I agree with everything you're saying, but here's a flip side to the coin -

if we want to play a pressing game, there is no better starting place than a long ball from the keeper into a 50/50 situation, with the team squeezing up rapidly to take advantage. This is essentially what Southampton are good at under Pocchetino. The difference is, though, that our central midfield is not mobile, quick, or aggressive enough to take advantage. Put Henderson into the central midfield, and Mignolet's clearances might actually be turned to our advantage. With Coutinho or Aspas there, though, it just becomes a lost possession and constant defensive stance.

Are there alternative ways to solve the problem? You have mentioned Downing's ability to hold the ball up. A few years ago, we used to lob every long ball for Kuyt. Do you think we could find a decent enough solution with the current players?

[sattapaartridge]

One word sticks out to me and that word is CONTROL.

For all of our 2nd half performances, we've conceded a lot of possession, against Stoke, we played some magnificent football in the 1st half, and then stoke game back into it and almost snatched a draw. Against Villa, 1st half was great, 2nd half not so. We fail to control the ball, keep possession and press higher up the pitch as a team.

See, I don't think we're fit enough as a team to keep the ball for 90 minutes at this moment. We've also got some key injuries. Johnson being one of the major blows for us. one thing that he gives you is an option. He is always free and can be seeked out from anywhere. I think the RB position has severely weakened us. Wisdom and Toure have both shown they cant play that role in an attacking capacity, and overall we're a lot deeper because of it.

So we have 2 players covering the right wing back position with neither one of them knowing what theyre doing. Henderson provides cover and width, but doesnt know when to run forward, and furthermore, the team dont look to search him out. So in effect, we're a man down!

This is how I saw us against southampton:

                Mig The Merciless

Toure     Skrtel       Agger          Sakho

Henderson

                   Lucas   Gerrard
                             

Sturridge
       
                                          Moses

                     Aspas

The space between the midfield and attack was huge and the unadventurous fullbacks and henderson didnt help join or drag the backline towards the halfway line. Question 1, do you think that henderson helped Toure? Question 2, would he be better off as an extra body in central midfield and gain control? IT WORKED LAST YEAR (when coutinho played left hand side). Why is he playing this role? Isn't Lucas supposed to be the bestest ever player to don the shirt and cover these full back positions?

Its all a bit disjointed in my opinion. I think we're unfit, we're trying too hard to blood Sahko in, we're trying too hard to replace Johnson with 2 players, Gerrard and Sturridge blatantly need a rest. The save in grace is Mignolet. He has been awesome, and in a way, we owe our good start to some match winning saves he's made. Now that Suarez is back gives us options to rest Sturridge and get him 100% fit. With Allen back can we rest Gerrard? With Kelly back can we play a proper attacking right back and Hendo back in the middle?

Given all of this, you'd have to say, the only way (performance wise) is up.

[Jizzinho]

I agree our terrible lack of fitness appears to be really hampering us.

We were promised amazing new training regimes and the players have reported we had an extremely gruelling preseason this year and it's not as though we've spent every minute of every game pressing.

Yet the players are plainly knackered in comparison to our opponents who seem to find a second wind with 25 minutes to go.

Is anyone able to explain in simple terms what has gone wrong?

[PhaseOfPlay]

We donīt have the target man around in order to win the first ball for this in the first place though..

You don't need to win the first ball, though. In fact, it's favourable that you don't. What you need to do is identify the defender with the poorest touch in the opposition backline, and always send the ball in that direction. Make sure your attacking mid/furthest central mid has the legs to get up and press, and then have the rest of the team pushing aggressively towards the ball as the ball is travelling forward - so the defender is now being pressed by 4-5 players, rather than just one. It's the second ball that's the most important. On Saturday, Southampton won over 20 more "second balls" than we did.