A match I can have no complaints about. An early goal from a penalty scored by Schaub, the neat littler player he is. For further vindication, new signing Fredrik Midtsjø smashed one in from 25 yards out, and Gerard Moreno sealed the deal in the 81st minute.
The FA Cup is back for the Third Round and we were drawn against Cambridge United, which pretty much guarantees us progression to the next round.
Very simple match that we won 5-0. The side I played was fairly strong, Fonte returning from a 3-match suspension for a straight red. Fortunately it was just a formality to move on to the next round.
The dreaded EFL Cup and it's ridiculous two leg semi-final. We were drawn against Manchester United and I have little to no interest in this competition. My priorities are top half league finish, FA Cup, and as far as we can go in the Europa League.
I found this game difficult in terms of control or counter settings. Never really was happy with my tactics but we still came away with a 1-1 draw. MUFC starting eleven was decent, but then Jose tossed on the kids in the second half. In opposition settings I had my players close down the kids always, as there first touch and composure is limited. We definitely deserved the late goal.
Oh, Alan Pardew. That dance you did will be burned forever in my brain. I have rotten luck against Pardew and Crystal Palace.
It started off so well, Gerard Moreno with another goal (8 in the league, 16 total!). Then the error by Forester happened; right through his hands and into the back of the net. Capitulation shortly followed and we never recovered.
A week later our attentions are directed at Arsenal, who are in first. Ozil and Sanchez are out, perhaps that is to my benefit.
Eh, not really. Moreno with a neat finish from a cross from Bertrand, they link up well. Then the eternal struggle I face; when to switch to containment. As a possession oriented team, choosing the right time to drop back and hold the lead can be really difficult. Over and over again, in FM, if you switch to early, you get punished. Clearly, I switched too early. I may have gotten away with a control setting, but it was nonstop pressure on our end. Disappointing draw as we were leading most of the game.
The second leg of the EFL semi-final, away to Old Trafford. I care about all games on FM, but as Southampton manager, I could have cared less about the final result of this game. There's a FA Cup match against Spurs right around the corner...
It was a fairly limp display, but the key was no one got hurt.
The FA Cup Fourth Round had us visiting White Hart Lane and in form Spurs. I played close to my strongest lineup, with new signing Leo Suarez coming in on the right hand side of attack. Spurs are still without Harry Kane, so that is to my benefit.
This was a January mega post as I am in the tail end of the semester at university. I'm on Thanksgiving Break and I hope to make a tactics post, where I'll detail what I use and why. Next however, I will make a post about my January Ins and Outs! I can also including scouting updates if folks are interested; even if I can't add them to my squad, I'm obsessed with scouting.
Thanks for those that are reading and feel free to get in touch via email or twitter!
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