FA Cup 4th Round - Southampton 2 Coventry City 1 (after extra time)

 

Don't Shoot From There FFS!

FA Cup 4^th Round a and a home game for the first time in ages, against Coventry City. Coventry are doing pretty well in the Championship so this won’t be an easy game but it’s one that we should certainly be progressing from.  How many players will we rest, is the pertinent question.

Last weeks’ international break didn’t bring much news from the Saints camp other than the fact that Moussa Djenepo and Mali got knocked out of the AFCON and Saints released a limited-edition white kit which they were going to wear today, to raise money for the Saints Foundation which is apparently, 20 years old today. Tino Livramento was one of the faces used to launch the white kit so I think we can assume that he is fit again and there was a big feature on the website on Thierry Small which suggests that he’s going to play.

With two games coming up straight after this, I can see us relying on a largely second-string side to try and get us through to the next round.  Saints have got the ticketing prices spot-on because the sold-out signs were going up so we can certainly expect 30,000+ to be in attendance today. This figure is boosted by the fact that Coventry have sold out the entire Northam end so it should be a good atmosphere even though Coventry have their own song which is rather shit. Sky Blue shooting to win… or some such bollocks.

The social media team at St Mary‘s have been reminding us of previous games against Coventry, most notably the 4-0 win in the Championship that sealed our promotion back to the Premier League in 2012. Even Rickie Lambert managed to do an Instagram post on that, thus breaking his streak of 50 Covid conspiracy posts. Talking of Covid conspirators, one of my favourite goals is one that Matt le Tissier scored at Highfield Road when with minimal backlift, he just pinged a ball over Steve Ogrizovic and into the top corner of the net from 35 yards. Great days and straight after it went in, we got pelted with coins by some Coventry fans who clearly had too much money.

Team news – Reserves.  Big Willy, a back three of Stephens, Lyanco and Valery with Thierry Small and Tino at wing backs.  JWP of course and Diallo in midfield with a front three to strike fear into any side - Adam Armstrong, Shane Long and Theo Walcott.

Our team has a decidedly makeshift look about it and the start of the game is horrible as Coventry break down our right-hand side with Jack Stephens getting suckered into a challenge and absolutely roasted by the winger. Over comes the cross and there is carnage at the back post between Caballero missing it, Small blocking it and Diallo dithering but we do eventually smuggle the ball clear.

There is no intensity in Saints defending at all. Coventry midfielder Eccles picks up the ball on the right wing and just makes a straight diagonal run towards the penalty area with Small and Diallo jogging alongside him. Before anyone seems to realise that there is actually any fucking danger, he shoots and Big Willy has to get well down well to push it wide.

We win a corner on the right-hand side when an Adam Armstrong cross is knocked behind. JWP takes a short corner along the line to Armstrong who knocks it back and … who is that guy with a ponytail? Oh yes, it’s Theo Walcott - and he manages to stab a shot goalward, which is clawed out easily enough by the Coventry keeper.

The next effort on goal was fucking bizarre as Coventry built down our right again and when the cross came into the box, it was nowhere near Coventry player but never fear, in came Thierry Small who I think was intending to chest it back but instead, he smashed a header straight at Caballero, who must’ve wondered what the fuck was going on. Luckily it was straight at him but it was a decent save.   Said incident was going to do nothing for Small’s confidence and neither was the fact that when we were going forward, Diallo, who was closest to him on the left, never ever looked left to give him the ball, He is a 17-year-old kid, give him the fucking ball.

Coventry we are by far the better side and then they put it together perfectly with a lovely exchange of passes between midfield and Gyokeres up front and on went the Coventry striker to finish easily with Caballero not having a prayer. At the other end from me there are quite a few Coventry fans who have broken over the netting and into the empty area to segregate the fans and are giving it the big one to the Itchin North. It’s annoying that the stewards just motion them back into the Coventry section as every single one of them should be chucked out. Enjoy your moment lads.

Things went from bad to worse soon after as Lyanco pulled up with what looked like a hamstring tear so he was off and Ralph had seen enough or us looking lost positionally, so the replacement was Nathan Redmond, which basically meant that we went to the 4-2-2-2 formation, which meant Yan Valery again having to play as a centre back in a flat back four. This change seemed to suit Thierry Small and he found himself breaking forward a couple of times and got a good couple of crosses over. It was still mainly shambolic though and we were lucky that Coventry didn’t increase their lead.

Half time and to be honest we are lucky to only be 1-0 down. Ralph obviously agreed and Thierry Small was done for the day, as was Adam Armstrong who was a bit unfortunate to come off because he was certainly no worse than Shane Long or Theo Walcott. The two players entering the fray were Stuart Armstrong and KWP.

As the second-half started, it became pretty obvious that Coventry were going to try and hold onto what they had and began sitting back. This allowed Saints to get into the game and we immediately look like we had more intensity. We were allowed to work the ball across from the left-hand side and eventually Valery just knocked it to his right to Stuart Armstrong who in keeping with JWP at Wolves and KWP against Man City, unleashed a swerving thunderbastard into the top corner from 25 yards. What a fucking goal.  Such a good player.

Having got back into it, we make an effort to fuck it all up as Valery pulls out his one huge mistake for the game with a back pass that didn’t even get halfway to Caballero and put Coventry substitute Waghorn clean through. Luckily, Waghorn, a journey man Championship level striker, showed exactly what he is by hitting it straight at Big Willy, who to be fair, had got himself in exactly the right place. It’s a shame that Valery has this tendency to pull the one big fuck up out because otherwise, he’s been excellent today.

We don’t look like scoring again, which is a mystery with a Theo and Shane partnership up front, so Ralph decides to bring on a proper forward in Armando Broja, with Theo being the one to make way, having contributed his usual nothing. We arrive at the 90 minute mark and Ralph brings on Romeu for Livramento, presumably for extra time, which means JWP going to right back.  Coventry are certainly happy to go to extra time and we don’t have the wit or invention to create another decent chance.  I don’t really want extra time, not gonna lie.  It’s been a tough watch.

We have another Broja classic moment at the start of extra time as he picks up the ball on the right wing right on the halfway line and he just goes, burning the full back off before closing in on goal but unfortunately the angle is against him and he hits the side netting. We have one more chance in the first period of extra time as Redmond skips across from the left and the ball eventually ends up with JWP on the right and side. His cross back into the mixer is headed straight to the keeper by Shane Long but guess what, water is still wet and he’s offside.

The second period starts and Coventry are basically playing five at the back, four in midfield and one isolated up front which is allowing us just passed the ball around the edge of the penalty area. We eventually feed the ball into Broja on the edge of the box who knocks it out to KWP on the left, who cuts in and skims a shot with his right foot which flicks off a defender and nestles in the bottom corner of the net. The man is turning into a fucking goal machine.  Into the crowd he goes in a rather silly attempt to catch Covid and earn himself a yellow card but there you go, the Magic of the Cup and all that, 2-1 up.

A Goal-Machine, with Nathan Redmond

There really doesn’t seem to be much danger and then we get to 120 minutes and then of course it’s fucking carnage. Coventry swing in a cross from the right-hand side and there is Waghorn completely unmarked at the back post with a free header and he shows Championship Journeyman instincts and heads it wide of the far post

There is still time to not play the game out in convincing fashion.  We lose the ball in midfield and Gyokeres picks it up 30 yards out drives it goal and smashes it low and Big Willy has to produce a good save. Back it bounces to Waghorn who hits it again, Big Willy stands tall once more and the ball goes out wide right it’s fired backing by Kane and there is Waghorn to tap into an empty net from right in front of Caballero.  Has to be offside. The linesman though takes fucking ages and eventually raises his flag. I mean, it’s not even close. It’s a good 5 yards offside. The Coventry fans go mad, giving it the big one. Never mind lads.

Final whistle and relief. Shane Long, to be fair, has run himself into the ground and collapsed in a heap. We got it done – just.  Like in the previous round against Swansea, we made things incredibly difficult for ourselves but got there in the end, mainly because we had just a little bit too much quality for our Championship opponents.

We didn’t have too much quality with the original starting line-up, with which we were largely fucking dreadful. The first half was absolutely appalling with only about three players emerging with any credit, those being JWP, Valery and Caballero. The formation was clearly wrong as well and at least Ralph recognised that when Lyanco went down injured. However, Nathan Redmond was back to being his infuriating self where once again he was stationed on the left-hand side and he spent the entire rest of the game giving the ball away or turning sideways and backwards.

The two substitutions at half time we are desperately needed with Stuart Armstrong adding some quality and guile to the proceedings and KWP coming on to end what was a very difficult afternoon for Thierry Small.  Small had a very tough introduction to senior football. Firstly he had to contend with not getting passed the ball much because of Diallo’s tendency to turn inside.   When Small got given the ball going forward, he looked decent.  Where Small really struggled was defensively where he didn’t seem to have the determination to get back goal side when the ball was lost or to know when to engage.  This was a partial contributor to the opening goal for Coventry but before that, he had nearly had an absolute calamity with the back header.  17-year-old bailed out by 40-year-old.  It’s unfair just to highlight the difficulties of a 17-year-old kid making his debut.  The majority of our defending in the first half and when under pressure in the second, was fucking atrocious. We just stood off, passive and let them pass around us.

Jack Stephens looked like he’d never played centre back before and though he got better as the game went on, he still never seemed to get to grips with the game and gave a perfect illustration of why he is now our fourth-choice central defender.  He stood off and allowed strikers to turn, or he got tight and got spun.  To be honest, Yan Valery had a great game today so I might alter that pecking order further. No one would’ve predicted that Valery could play centre back in a flat back four but he’s done it twice now and performed really well. He had one mistake but other than that he was excellent.

Big Willy had a great game as well.  Give the man a new 5 year contract, like we did with Kelvin Davis when he was 45.  The double save at the end was what saved us from a nerve shredding penalty shoot-out and for me, he’s already proved himself a worthy acquisition.

The Legend of Big Willy

The victory came at a cost though with Lyanco’s injury likely to keep him out for at least a month with it being a hamstring tear and it’s worrying to see Broja limp off the pitch at the end. I know he’s got a tendency to limp everywhere but the tackle where he picked up his injury was a horrible one as he sprinted away from the Coventry defender who just cynically took him out. I would have no problem with those been given as red cards as there was absolutely no attempt to play the ball whatsoever and all that was ever going to happen was that the opponent got injured.

In the end it was two goals from the two substitutes. Stuart Armstrong‘s effort was just ridiculous to cut across the ball like that and send it flying into the top corner giving the goalkeeper absolutely no chance.  He scores worldies all the time as the song goes. Well, he doesn’t do it all the time but he did it today and it was a brilliant strike, right up with KWP’s one from last week.  Did I say last week? Kyle Goal-Machine was at it again today.  Left back or right back – no worries.

On the other hand, Adam Armstrong looked like a player with absolutely no confidence, and it was no real surprise he was hooked at half-time and Theo Walcott, Ladies and Gentlemen, used to be regarded as a decent footballer. Fuck me. If he wasn’t aimlessly flicking the ball around the corner to nobody he was just losing a ball in the challenge and not taking anyone on.  The pace has gone and there is not much footballing ability to fall back on.

So, we got away with it and into the fifth round we go.  The draw got made on Sunday and we are in the only all Premier League tie against bloody West Ham at home – not a great draw.  Mind you, they’ll be thinking it’s not a great draw for them either.  All the Premier League Big Guns got kept apart again – big shock there especially as United and Arsenal are already out.  Hot balls and all that.

We’ve not too long to think about that because it’s Spurs away on Wednesday night. Saints will look a different proposition with Forster, Salisu, Bednarek and Romeu back and hopefully KWP and Stuart Armstrong did enough off the bench today to get them selected for the next Premier League game.  If the ref doesn’t buy Son’s diving about, we may have a chance.