In a new addition to our usual match verdict we take a look at the performances of each player and give the verdict on their contribution to the game.

The first thing to say as we start this series is that the comments in the main will refer only to the performance in the match in question, players will have bad or good games during a season and that will mean that sometimes even our best players may be found wanting.

Paulo Gazzaniga - The keeper was underfire from some quarters last week and the worry was that the crowd would get on his back, thankfully they didnt. In the first half he had little to do but had to be alert midway through it when Cardiff had a succession of corners where he had to deal with them under pressure. In the second half you could see he rose in confidence and was catching the ball rather than punching, didnt stsnd a chance with the goal and made a smart save late on when it was one on one.

Callum Chambers - Looked strong and confident, got forward a lot but doesn't yet have the crossing ability of Clyne, we have to bear in mind though how few games he has actually played, he has yet to start 20 league games for Saints, but his inexperience belies his maturity and he looks the part and will get better.

Jose Fonte - Didnt look good especially in the second half and got caught on a couple of occasions, needs to step up his performances in the final games.

Dejan Lovren - Has not been as dominant since returning from injury, like his central defensive partner Fonte he got caught on a couple of occasions.

Luke Shaw - Defensively he was sound and his speed gets him out of trouble, going forward he got into great positions to cross the ball on a dozen occasions, I cant remember him actually finding one of our players once, needs to work on his delivery.

Adam Lallana - A quiet day for Adam and he struggled to get going, seemed to miss Jay Rodriguez more than most having no one to aim for.

Jack Cork - Put in his usual performance high work rate and won the ball and moved it on quickly to those who can deliver, sadly for Jack they didnt, in my opinion should not have gone off.

Morgan Schneiderlin - Quiet day for Morgan, Cardiff didnt offer much going forward so it wasnt a day where he needed to do what he does best very often, given Cork was getting forward more often perhaps it should have been Morgan who came off.

Steve Davis- Usual solid performance from Steve, like Cork doesnt try anything too spectacular but will move the ball around quickly, sadly without Jay Rod we couldnt take advantage of this by catching teams on the back foot as we had no pace going forward.

Gaston Ramirez - Came in and tried hard, if anyone was going to break down Cardiff it was probably going to be Gaston, his problem though is that he is a passer of a ball, but that is wasted if all he has open to him is short passes, he needs someone up fron he can put through balls to.

Rickie Lambert - It hasnt been a great season for Rickie, however he has usually performed against the lower clubs, this time he didnt, missed a glorious chance late on when he scuffed his shot wide.

Subs

Nathan Clyne - He came on to try and offer a bit of his crossing ability, he tried hard but found it hard to find a target to aim at.

Sam Gallagher - He needs a spell out of the firing line, its been a tough year both on and off the field, but to be blunt he isnt ready for the Premier League, with some players of his age they instinctively know where to make the runs and how to lose their man, Sam doesnt have that ability, he is going to learn that over time I have no doubt but for the moment he needs to continue his education away from the glare of the first team, a couple of months ago the fans expected big things from Sam, he hasnt quite delivered, he will do in the future but some fans wont give him that time if we dont ration him.

Guly - I like Guly however we missed a chance here, I would rather have seen a youngster blooded, the game was crying out for pace, Guly wasnt going to give that, perhaps Rowe, Reed or Sims would have given us that.

Mauricio Pochettino - The loss of Jay Rodriguez is a big problem because of the way we play, our formation relies on the two wide attacking players speed, we have no direct replacement for him in this respect. So the question asked of the manager was could he alter the formation to suit what he has to hand or would he try to squeeze square pegs into round holes, sadly the answer was the latter.

Photo: Action Images

Stephen added 11:08 - Apr 13 Cork was good in the first half when he was putting balls through to the front men. He was taken off when he reverted to his old game of passing sideways and backwards. He needs to keep focused for the whole 90 minutes.
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SaintNick added 11:11 - Apr 13 I would contend that he had no one to pass forward to, Lambert hasnt the pace and Gallagher hasnt the experience to make runs and lose his man
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Fordy added 13:05 - Apr 13 I don't think there is much wrong with Shaw's delivery, it is his decision making that is the problem. He seems to try to fire it across the six yard box when there is a defender in front of him then he cuts it back when there is noone to cut it back to. I would like to see him try and dink it up at the far post once in a while. Think you're a little harsh on Gallagher. Essentially, now he is the club's second choice striker at the moment. I don't think he's ready for that but it's hardly his fault. The club should have brought someone else in January. As for Fonte, he is starting to look an accident waiting to happen every week. The way Zaha got the better of him was embarrassing to watch.

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SaintNick added 15:14 - Apr 13 Your right fordy , shaw can deliver a ball but for whatever reason he doesnt, part decision making I think part inexperience and i just hope that it ISNT part lack of ability to do so. I did make it clear on Gallagher that its about him not being ready but there being little choice
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