[Albion] Those two carbon copy (ish) free-kicks...

[Bozza]

...that Dunk headed over and Webster hit wide.

I noticed Dunk go straight through a Saints' defender on his run onto goal, and VAR would have looked at that, but was he offside also?

I'm pretty sure Webster was onside and I couldn't see too much wrong with that move, other than his woeful finish.

Regardless, disappointing to not hit the target with either of those and at least work the keeper and/or the VAR ref.

 

[Insel affe]

Let's face it we are woeful at set pieces and have been for some time now.

It is actually embarrassing, everytime we get a corner or free kick, it is wasted and ends up in our own half after about two touches.

 

[Mellotron]

Not to make another thread a moanfest (especially if you'd offered 4 points from Villa, Liverpool and Saints, I think most would've taken it) but set pieces is probably our weakest point under Potter, at both ends.

Still think we're missing the likes of Duffy, Murray, Hemed and others. Players who caused a real issue for the opposition at set pieces, both attacking and defending.

 

[A1X]

I noticed Dunk go straight through a Saints' defender on his run onto goal, and VAR would have looked at that, but was he offside also?

I wondered the same but after seeing the replay he was not offside as he'd come from deep. The foul may have been another question but was 100% onside.

For me this was the big miss. Had to hit the target.

 

[Stat Brother]

I wondered the same but after seeing the replay he was not offside as he'd come from deep. The foul may have been another question but was 100% onside.

For me this was the big miss. Had to hit the target.

I think the 'for me' is a bit superfluous.

That was an embarrassing miss I genuinely would expect the kids to get that on target.


(Not myself obvs, I'd have been crying, flat out on the centre spot saying 'just go on without me')

 

[Bold Seagull]

Not to make another thread a moanfest (especially if you'd offered 4 points from Villa, Liverpool and Saints, I think most would've taken it) but set pieces is probably our weakest point under Potter, at both ends.

Still think we're missing the likes of Duffy, Murray, Hemed and others. Players who caused a real issue for the opposition at set pieces, both attacking and defending.

2nd half, we got a free kick not far outside the box to the keeper's left of the goal. Instead of having a shot on goal, which I imagine every other team in the PL would have attempted, Gross tried a little dink cross for Webster to try to get his head on. Was it really not worth a shot? We make some very odd decisions.

 

[El Turi]

Dunk was onside. Walker-Peters tried to block him without even looking at the ball but Dunk shrugged him off so I don’t think a foul would have been given (although you never know with VAR).

 

[LamieRobertson]

Not to make another thread a moanfest (especially if you'd offered 4 points from Villa, Liverpool and Saints, I think most would've taken it) but set pieces is probably our weakest point under Potter, at both ends.

Still think we're missing the likes of Duffy, Murray, Hemed and others. Players who caused a real issue for the opposition at set pieces, both attacking and defending.

I thought Welbeck had taken on Murray’s duties in defence quite well...we struggle defending set pieces so it’s not surprising we can’t do anything much from say corners up the other end

 

[zefarelly]

Dunk was onside. Walker-Peters tried to block him without even looking at the ball but Dunk shrugged him off so I don’t think a foul would have been given (although you never know with VAR).

I thought Dunk was impeded. If VAR had looked at it it would have been a Penalty.

To Stains

 

[Bob!]

I thought Dunk was impeded. If VAR had looked at it it would have been a Penalty.

To Stains

It was outside the area wasn't it?

oh!

As you were then, Penalty Southampton.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

It's hard to say with the randomness of VAR but it looked very much like the saints defender's only job was to step in the way of Dunk and block his run. He wasn't watching the ball, just Dunk, so presumably if Dunk had scored and it had gone to VAR the goal would have stood on the basis of advantage played.

But honestly, who can second guess what VAR would decide.

 

[Gwylan]

It do show up the difference between the two sides. Both teams had a dead ball specialist who could deliver a pin-point cross to a defender in the box. Southampton had a player who could bury his, our defenders (who had more space) managed to waste both chances. And why doesn't Gross take corners? His tend to be much better than March's.

Other teams have centre backs who score goals (often against us); we usually play three of them and haven't scored one this season

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

In both cases I thought they should have headed back across goal where we had players in better positions, free in the middle, rather than going for goal themselves.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

They were both excellent free kicks and both examples of things we're doing better than we were before. The fact they both botched their finish doesn't change that we've improved there so I think a little harsh to hold them up as an argument that we're STILL bad at set pieces.

 

[Pint of Ale and a Burger]

Our set pieces have been frustrating for years now.
Especially corners.

 

[PHCgull]

Soton seemed to play a very high line for both, giving us space to fluff our lines in...

 

[Boroseagull]

2 or 3 seasons ago Dunk would have buried that chance last night. This season it seems rare to see him actually get to the cross. Was it perhaps the strength of Duffy working in combination that made for a higher success rate?

 

[Stat Brother]

My nemesis Slabhead Maguire would have definitely headed Dunk's chance on target, quite probably in.

It's gonna be a while before I next say 'Dunk would have got that'.

 

[Swansman]

Let's face it we are woeful at set pieces and have been for some time now.

It is actually embarrassing, everytime we get a corner or free kick, it is wasted and ends up in our own half after about two touches.

Are you saying that the free kicks Bozza wrote about never happened?

I like a good conspiracy theory.

 

[Machiavelli]

Dunk was onside. Walker-Peters tried to block him without even looking at the ball but Dunk shrugged him off so I don’t think a foul would have been given (although you never know with VAR).

Yes, this. Walker-Peters was trying to impede Dunk's run, purely by fouling him. Dunk just brushed him off. No way that was a foul. Bad miss though. Despite that, Dunk was head and shoulders our best CB last night, which hasn't been the case too often this season. I thought both Veltman and Webster were poor last night.