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Episode 416: Matchday Preview: Derby County at St Mary's!
98 Plays20 days ago
Southampton – Who can stop us at the moment? Well Derby will probably be giving it a go! We talk about what we expect from the game.
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcasting as Daily Routine
00:00:13
DailySaintsPod
Hello and welcome back to episode 416 of the Daily Saints pod. My name is Greg and as always stay joined by my good friend and wonderful co-host Zach mate, how are you doing?
00:00:28
Zak
I'm good mate. And I know that we haven't recorded like every episode together. So, so there's, you know, that there's probably slightly different numbers for both me and you there. But so I was talking to me earlier today that was like, yeah, it was like, we've got your podcast as well. And I was like, oh yeah.
00:00:44
Zak
And it's become such an integral part of like my existence at this point. But Like, I don't really talk to many people about it because it's one of those things where, like, it's like brushing your teeth every day, isn it?
00:00:56
Zak
We just record and talk about Saints. That's just just part of everyone's life, right? This is normal. And yeah, pretty it really threw me off. But don't why that popped into my mind. I thought I'd share it as my opening
Match Analysis: Recent Derby County Game
00:01:06
Zak
thought. We played Derby, mate.
00:01:09
Zak
We played Derby County. Probably a good time. You know, i think we're all still buzzing off that Wrexham win, right?
00:01:15
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, I mean, absolutely. How could you not be? A performance like that, that solid. You think about the the potential hangover, I guess, or the potential lethargy that could come into the squad, and they showed no signs of that. And and all of the players that were rotated in were...
00:01:36
DailySaintsPod
brilliant and the performance was really good and it's good because we're going to need every single one of those players because we're playing every four days between now and the end of the season like i don't know if you've looked at the fiction this mate but it's busy
00:01:55
Zak
Yeah, just a tad, isn't
00:01:59
Zak
it? It's going to be really, really busy. And I was having a look at the last time we played Derby, by the way. so do remember what their score was or not?
00:02:08
DailySaintsPod
Was it 1-all?
00:02:10
Zak
You're right. It was 1-0. But this is how mad... like Again, we talk about how quick things have changed in such short period of time. It was 1-0. The goal was scored by Adam Armstrong.
00:02:21
Zak
Will still was in charge for that game. I think it was the time that Stuart picked up an injury because 15 minutes in, he picked up a yellow card and then he was stopped out for fellows. But the most bizarre thing is like...
00:02:34
Zak
We have a back four at this point, Greg, but the back four consisted of Edwards at right back, Wood, Quasi, Manning, McCarthy in goal. Now, the middle of the park hasn't changed much with Yander and Charles, but then we had so Fraser on the right, Sienza in the middle, Armstrong on the left, and then Stewart in attack.
00:02:47
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:02:54
Zak
And Flynn Downs came on for 10 minutes. Damien Downs came on for Sienza. in 60 minutes and Azaz got to play 10 minutes behind Ryan Fraser. And you kind of think about how integral he is to the team now.
Seasonal Challenges and Performance Inconsistencies
00:03:07
Zak
And it's just like, it's just kind of insane.
00:03:11
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:03:12
Zak
and he Really, really nuts. And it was also that that you know their American lad, he's just gone out injured with an ACL. He was also the one to score the goal against us. So, it's a very, very different time, right? And this was after we got told that it was going to easy walkover game against them, right?
00:03:30
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, supposedly supposedly so.
00:03:30
Zak
If you remember that too.
00:03:33
DailySaintsPod
That was what was said. That was the game, if I recall correctly, straight after the week after the Sheffield United game, right? It was it was on Saturday after the Sheffield United game where we
00:03:42
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:03:48
DailySaintsPod
won, but just about. And then we went on to play Derby. And then we... Was it international break after that? Yeah, but I think you're right. It's where Ross Stewart got injured. it's hey You're right. that The like dichotomy of the season almost, like the the stark contrast between the two parts of the season are almost frightening, really. the It really goes to show the turnaround that we've had under Tonda. And now...
00:04:17
DailySaintsPod
you know realistically, I think any team in the Championship don't want to come up against us. it's I don't think that we're a team that Derby are going to want to face this weekend. Even with their position in the league, obviously they're only a few points behind us, down in eighth.
00:04:34
Zak
Yes.
00:04:35
DailySaintsPod
And yeah, like you say, probably exceeding their expectations of how the season was going to go based on the chats we had with our former boss. But Yeah, it's a strange time for their form. Their home form is is exceptional, right?
00:04:53
DailySaintsPod
But it's a bad time for them to come to us because they're away form.
00:04:56
Zak
yes
00:04:57
DailySaintsPod
They've only managed to beat Pompey. Everything else they've lost in the last five games away from home. St Mary's is going to be well up for it.
00:05:07
Zak
God.
00:05:08
DailySaintsPod
I think this is our last three o'clock kickoff on a Saturday of the season as well. which
00:05:15
Zak
Sure.
00:05:17
DailySaintsPod
which Which is pretty nuts.
Future Match Expectations Against Derby County
00:05:19
DailySaintsPod
I don't don't know if that's accurate.
00:05:20
Zak
Yeah, that is is kind of crazy.
00:05:22
DailySaintsPod
or I'll verify. No, we're playing Swansea at three o'clock on a Saturday as well. That will be our last three o'clock on a Saturday kickoff. So so yeah, our second last three o'clock kickoff on a Saturday of the season with a busy run-in, their main striker's out. Their other striker that's been scoring goals is Benborough and Diaz, who can't play against his parent club. So, yeah I mean, all things point to not being in a particularly good day out for Derby.
00:05:53
DailySaintsPod
Let's just hope that we can maintain this mentality and not be complacent about it. That's that's the important part.
00:05:59
Zak
Yeah, it's it's so hard to not just be well, you should be winning that, right?
00:06:03
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, um'm I'm really struggling with it, mate. I'm really struggling to try and keep grounded and be like, we need to lock in because these are all banana skins. Like, yeah, they're away forms poor and they've lost their striker, but they're you know they're up and around these playoff positions and challenging with us for a reason.
00:06:21
DailySaintsPod
It's not because they're a rubbish team. they have They've put the across the season in a position to be only three points behind us. So...
00:06:32
DailySaintsPod
You know, it it kind of is an interesting one, but yeah, I kind of feel like despite that, we should still do them, right?
00:06:43
Zak
Yeah.
00:06:45
DailySaintsPod
but
00:06:45
Zak
like Like, spoiler alert for the end, I very much doubt Ivarus are predicting a loss for this game, right? Like...
00:06:51
DailySaintsPod
Yeah, I mean, how could you with the run we're on? It's just, yeah, it's, like I say, impossible to stay grounded because we're flying so high. I'm beaten in 16 now.
00:07:07
DailySaintsPod
think Alfie was saying on TSP that all Tonda has to do to beat the club record for unbeaten streak is go on and win the FA Cup and the Community Shield, and then it beats the record.
Football Culture and Team Potential Discussion
00:07:22
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:07:24
Zak
Oh, yeah, this is the point, right? like this is it's it's I'm just very, very conscious of not of of staying composed and not feeding into just becoming arrogant. We've seen a lot over the last couple of days across multiple different areas of football, multiple different clubs.
00:07:43
Zak
What happens when you have such ridiculous high expectations of your club
00:07:48
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:07:48
Zak
and of your players and if you know sometimes people just lose a game and sometimes that is just the case a game can be lost that isn't expected this could be it for us but like some of the ways that people react again like i bring back to the arsenal game with the conspiracy theory of the balloons the reason they lost i have now seen one knocking around that karl aaron was definitely offside they had far like they could have called that if they were really concerned and also welcome to the life of a championship club anyway, where we don't have to deal with that.
00:07:58
DailySaintsPod
Yeah.
00:08:18
Zak
And, you know, like, you know, we talked about that, those connotations in the Rexxon game. It's very, it's very, very easy to just get swept up in it. And I'm not saying don't enjoy it all.
00:08:28
Zak
Like I've been a big, like prominent advocate for us to enjoy all of the moments we're getting as a Saints fan. I just really don't like to come and into the show and just be like, Derby or Rubbish, we should beat them.
00:08:40
Zak
Because that but that is also like, we did animal syndrome. There's tons of things that could flip it.
00:08:43
DailySaintsPod
Yeah. Yeah. And it's just just not accurate, right? And, like, you're you're right.
00:08:48
Zak
Yeah.
00:08:49
DailySaintsPod
is that we I think it's going to become this season's buzz turn, mate. I know that we go through them. But it's it's belief, not expectation, right?
00:08:59
Zak
Yeah.
00:08:59
DailySaintsPod
Like, I fully believe that we should beat Derby.
00:09:00
Zak
Yeah.
00:09:02
DailySaintsPod
I don't necessarily expect it. Like i say, they are where they are in the table on merit. We're at the point in the season where, you know, those things start to shake out and and you find the real position. So, you know, they're not they're not up there by a fluke. and And, you know, just because injuries haven't gone their way and away form hasn't been their way.
00:09:22
DailySaintsPod
And in fact, form overall, they've been very good at beating the teams below them and not very good at beating the teams around them. But it doesn't mean say anything. Anything can happen in 90 minutes.
00:09:33
DailySaintsPod
We are the walking proof of that with that Arsenal game, right? And that is, you know, something that we've got to be aware of and got to be open to.
00:09:38
Zak
yes
00:09:43
DailySaintsPod
But do I expect Saints to carry on and win every single game that's left this season? No, absolutely not.
00:09:53
DailySaintsPod
Do I believe we can? Yeah, I kind of do because this team just has something special about it. This a real special feeling. So of not ruling it out, but I also will not be surprised if, if one of these teams, and you know, it will be the team where we come into the episode like, nah, there's a lot of rubbish.
00:10:03
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:10:14
DailySaintsPod
We're going to, I'm going to worry too much about them. We're just going to steamroll it. Job done. That'll be the team we lose to.
Team Strategy and Lineup Predictions
00:10:20
Zak
Yeah, I think but that's a good thing, i think, about the management and the situation of Cup at the moment is that they are treating every game as important, treating every game as a must-win.
00:10:20
DailySaintsPod
Uh,
00:10:30
Zak
We're not seeing any of this... I think we talked about like rotation around like FA Cup and things like that, and we wondered how it would kind of go out. And what we've actually seen is that Tonda is treating every single game as a must-win and putting out full-strength sides in every single game.
00:10:46
Zak
like there's nothing being sacrificed right i think that's one of the the big big big bits for me is that nothing is being you know we're not starting a bunch of a bunch of kids in the fa cup because we don't care because we're concentrating on anything out everything else and that's what i think i'm seeing with some other teams is that
00:11:01
DailySaintsPod
All of those
00:11:05
Zak
you're you're seeing them show that they are not trying to just do the best they can do in every single game and they're willing to kind of chop, change bits pieces here. Like sometimes obviously rotation takes place because it needs to, but there does seem to be a very, there is a seriousness about it, right?
00:11:20
Zak
There is a, okay, right, we've won that game.
00:11:20
DailySaintsPod
yeah
00:11:22
Zak
Fantastic job. Let's move on to the next one. Let's win the next one. as opposed to sort of like, yeah, we can take our foot off the gas here. it should be an easy win, this and the other. Like, we're not seeing that. And that's why I think that I'm in agreement with you that it is a belief, not necessarily an expectation because...
00:11:38
DailySaintsPod
Well, let's let's be honest. We're very blessed with what we've got because... It's all coming together at the right time. All of these players that have kind of been fringe players or have been finding their way back to fitness or not quite fitting in with the system, they've all stepped up into their roles at at the right time, right?
00:12:00
DailySaintsPod
with You know, six changes between Wrexham and Arsenal.
00:12:01
Zak
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:12:04
DailySaintsPod
But honestly, you look at either of those teams and you're happy with that as the first XI. It was not an A team and a B team. It's just that there's so much competition for key places.
00:12:16
DailySaintsPod
And that's exactly what we're going to need because of how the fixtures are piling up. right Literally a game every four days for the rest of the season. Absolutely fine. We're going to need every single one of them to be stepping up. And so, i mean, guess that takes us nicely into our our predicted lineups right and how we see it going. So do you think it's kind of like a high level view before we get into the nitty gritty and try and name the 11th?
00:12:46
DailySaintsPod
Do you think from this point forward, we almost see a a weekend group and a midweek group that's going to be rotated?
00:12:57
DailySaintsPod
Or do you think it's just going to be whatever matches best? Like, are we going to Downs and Matsky come straight back out and rotate, for example?
00:13:01
Zak
Yeah, no, I don't think... I i don't...