On Saturday our full backs got torn to shreds, the problem is unless we protect them then its going to happen week in week out.
Danny Fox has come in for a lot of criticism over the past few weeks, at Arsenal again he came under scrutiny, however Nathan Clyne on the other side was also found wanting which perhaps highlights that the heart of the problem is not the players in the position, but the players in front of them.
A good full back always has a good understanding with the player playing wide in midfield in front of him, think of how Wayne Bridge blossomed, he did so because he formed a partnership with Chris Marsden where both players complimented each other, when Bridge attacked down the line, Marsden covered for him, our two fullbacks have had no chance to form that sort of partnership this season, they are never sure of whom will be in front of them and more to the point they have usually been left exposed as the player who is there isnt suited to playing the way you need to in the premier.
In this division its about pace down the line, its a league for athletes, i have said for many years that if Le Tiss was coming through now he would never get past the academy, clubs want players who can motor for 90 minutes and get up and down the pitch, this is especially true of our new 4-5-1 formation, this relies on having a man on each flank who can not only attack and effectively convert if to 4-5-3 when going forward, but can also get back and make sure the full backs arent exposed.
Our wide men though are not blessed with that pace, Adam Lallana as great as he is and I love the man to bits as a player is essentially an attacker, on this site on Sunday someone pointed out that Fox was appaling and then mentioned that Lallana never got involved in the game, whether they could see the connection with the two comments Im not sure, but essentially when you go to a place like Arsenal, how can you hope to have your full back have a great game when the man in front of him isnt helping him out, I dont blame Lallana any more than I would blame Lambert if he had to go in goal and let in a few soft ones, just because they all play outfield it doesnt mean that our players are comfortable in any position.
The fact is when we started playing 4-5-1 we didnt have the personel to do so, playing Lallna in a middle three is great he is suited to that role, but then we had to play Rodriguez, a striker wide left, on the right we just have no one, Guly is again essentially an attacker and Puncheon too inconsistent, ask yourself this question, could you play Rodrigues, Guly, Puncheon or Lallana as full backs, the answer is not in a million years and that perhaps tells you why they are unsuited to the type of role we are asking them to play.
The only hope if we are to continue with this system is that Ramirez will shore up one side, but that still leaves a problem on the other, some have suggested Manyuka might be the answer because he definately has pace, but nothing I have read on his biography on the official site suggests he has played there.
The easy thing is to blame the full backs, Fox especially seems to be the whipping boy of many, however thats unfair on both of them, they are being exposed time and time again and find themselves caught in the situation where they have two men bearing down on them and their midfield cover nowhere to be seen, so some of this critisism is unfair, we could have Ashley Cole at left back at present and he would be torn to shreds and i havent even covered the need for strong central defenders in this formation.
The next two games are essential to Saints season, not just for getting points, but for changing a losing mentality into if not exactly a winning one, but a more confident one at that, the reason that Reading won the Championship last season and the reason that Norwich and Swansea stayed up is that they had systems and they had players suited to that system, at this momen in time it looks like we certainly dont have either.