LC Southampton @home Tuesday 23td Sept 8pm

[memzey]

Furry muff. I'm not trying to convince you, Arne or anyone else by the way. We can share differing views without us going round in circles.

As you say, we'll find out tomorrow. FWIW I think the boss will agree with you rather than me.

[BigChief]

Furry muff. I'm not trying to convince you, Arne or anyone else by the way. We can share differing views without us going round in circles.

As you say, we'll find out tomorrow. FWIW I think the boss will agree with you rather than me.

I agree with you: the boss will agree with rudedog

[memzey]

[peterbread]

[James Pearce] No Slot press conference today with a contingent en route to the Ballon d'Or ceremony. Predicted line up for tomorrow: Mamardashvili, Frimpong, Gomez, Leoni, Robertson, Endo, Jones, Nyoni, Chiesa, Isak, Ngumoha.

[BigChief]

Oooh I do love that predicted lineup. I couldn't have picked it better myself.

[danperkins]

He needs game time, would be daft not to use this to build his match fitness

it's the perfect opportunity to get him & a few others up to speed.

[Mark79]

I hope we go deep, all the way, ideally. We have a large squad with players that need games for form and morale. Being dumped out in the first couple of rounds would be suboptimal to say the least.

Having said that, I'm still sketchy on Isak starting this one. It feels like an unnecessary risk to be taking. Start someone else and bring him on in the second half. What's the rush to get him game time anyway? We have him on a 6 year contract not 6 weeks. Ekitike is playing well and we are top of the league. Gently does it until he's fully up to speed and then unleash the prick on all and sundry.

In what sense would it be an unnecessary risk? We want him to be match fit and playing eventually, don't we? At what point does playing him stop being a risk?

He wouldn't play the full game anyway. It would likely be 60 mins tops, like against Atletico. We are bringing him up to speed gradually.

[Kenneth]

In the sense that he isn't match fit yet and it's a relatively meaningless game. If it's a lack of preseason that's the issue, as Slot has said repeatedly, that implies that his general fitness is behind the other players, and that can be sorted on the training ground, like it was for everyone else.

[Mark79]

In the sense that he isn't match fit yet and it's a relatively meaningless game. If it's a lack of preseason that's the issue, as Slot has said repeatedly, that implies that his general fitness is behind the other players, and that can be sorted on the training ground, like it was for everyone else.

It isn't sorted entirely on the training ground though. Match fitness requires matches. That's why everyone else had pre-season games.

[Mark79]

The fact it's a relatively meaningless game is a benefit.
Rather use the Carabao 3rd round minutes for him to get his fitness up than a PL game.

[vlahka]

****ing **** cunts! Signed up to Stan for an obscene amount and thought they had everything, only to just see this cup run is with bein sports. Why stress me.

[SB]

****ing **** cunts! Signed up to Stan for an obscene amount and thought they had everything, only to just see this cup run is with bein sports. Why stress me.

You’re not an Optus customer I take it? Only costs me $10 pm. But at least Stan has PL & CL matches plus some decent movies etc for the wife.

[labourRed]

It isn't sorted entirely on the training ground though. Match fitness requires matches. That's why everyone else had pre-season games.

Absolutely. It's akin to training for a marathon and then actually doing one.

Anyone that's played football/sport understands this. It takes about a month to get anywhere near where you were before injury or a lay off at a minimum.

Isak trained the whole preseason with a team of PTs and he's still behind the rest. He's ahead of were I thought he'd be though.

[SB]

And remembering it’s not being played on some dog park where rolling an ankle or whatever is a very real concern, it’s played at home on our turf. Isak will start & play around 60 mins IMO.

[RedReet]

The Isak, Ngumoha, Chiesa line up tonight should be nearly as exciting as the Nunez, Ngumoha, Doak forward line against Bilbao

Unless he's injured, no way Isak doesn't start this. Can't wait to see Leoni too.