(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
The moans and groans could be heard from distance when we saw the line-up which excluded the likes of Coufal, Balbuena and Bowen but given the time of year it is understandable.
The big shock was to see Craig Dawson included but the manager is in a much better position to judge having seen the guy on the training pitch and at the end of the night both of them can feel very happy with his performance.
It does raise the question as to why Issa Diop was excluded and with the January transfer window imminent the conspiracy theories will start.
Sadly the quick and attractive starts to games we witnessed earlier in the season have gone missing and that is something the boss needs to sort.
Thankfully, Saints are in a poor run themselves and didn’t have enough to take advantage, but in fairness Moyes and his backroom team they have sorted the defence very well and Ogbonna and Co rarely looked likely to be breached.
He kept the return of Mikey Antonio a well guarded secret and Said Benrahma was given an outing which showed he IS a real player who was only thwarted from winning the game for us by a fabulous stop from the Saints keeper.
By and large the manager can feel happy with his input tonight – clean sheets and away points are not to be sneezed at and this was certainly better than we saw against Brighton
Moyes rating 7
Moyes was poor again tonight. Southampton were there for the taking, like Chelsea and Brighton were. we played the wrong formation and the wrong personnel for the third game in a row. It had to be a 3-5-2 but no yet again he plays the wrong formation. Disappointing to see Fredericks starting ahead of Johnson (appreciate Coufal needed a break), even more disappointing to see Dawson selected ahead of Diop, and I don’t know how many more games does he need to see before he realises that Cresswell is a liability in a back 4. Cresswell can only play in a back 5. Again Moyes picked forwards that have no pace in to break teams down. Delighted to see Lanzini start but does Moyes not realise to get the best out of Lanzini you need players with pace in the other 3 forward positions. The only positive I would say was his substitutions were all positive. I would 100% sell Fredericks, Snodgrass and Yarmo if we got a decent offer for them.
Well done David, Alan, Kevin, Stuart and Paul.
Just find out the instigator of the quick and attractive starts to games we witnessed earlier in the season. Don’t think about it too much lads. Be natural, unafraid, instinctive and responsible from the beginning. Together we will go far – onwards and upwards.
COYI
I thought he had got it wrong but what do I know
As you say hugh he’s in a better position to know
Than us and I don’t think any one let us down and we had some good players on the bench
Surprised me with his selection but the end justifies the means, we were able to be exposed on both flanks but defended well as a team, 0 0 a fair result, we looked a threat with Benrahma, Bowen and Antonio on the field. Let’s hope we can keep them fit, Benrahma definitely gets us on the front foot with his directness and sharp passing. 7 for Moyes is a good score.
Southampton are a very good squad. Moyes set us up well.
I was nervous with Dawson starting and am happy to have been so wrong.
Wonder if Soucek and Rice will ever get a rest? They are not sled dogs and will get broken if overused. Thursday?
I like the way moyes is managing the team at the moment, using the full squad, including all the fringe players. It’s extremely tough playing three games in a week, and only two days between Brighton and Southampton. Using all the players with everyone getting a sniff keeps everyone motivated in training and builds a great team spirit. I think that’s something moyes is very good at. Helped by a great team of back room staff, Pearce, Irvine, Nolan, Nevin etc.