PL2: Southampton U21s - Reading U21s (6-0)
Premier League 2 is now an unique 26-team seed. What could possibly go wrong
Premier League 2 is now an unique 26-team seed, with no relegation. It remains to be seen how much context it will bring as the last step before first team matters, and whether the amount of games without much at stake will allow more expression and open football; or simply some more unrealistic scorelines merely providing an extended garbage time to fastrack ever so young players.
The good photos are Chris Moorhous’ from Southampton
Video highlights:
The game
Saints: Mohamed, Davis, Armitage, Awe, Meghoma (Lett 76), Bragg, Amo-Ameyaw, Doyle (c), Ehibhatiomhan (Robinson 76), Dibling (Edwards 76), Merry (Vokins 66).
Subs not used: McNamara.
Goals: Ehibhatiomhan 38, Doyle 45+1, 65, Amo-Ameyaw 50, Dibling 55, 74.
Reading: Norcott, Abrefa, Paul, Stickland (c), Dorsett, Holmes, Harris (Guinness-Walker 51), Hammond-Chambers-Borgnis (Purcell 67), Okine-Peters, Wareham (Spencer 75), Wellens (Clark 67).
Subs not used: Rhone.
Yellow Cards: Dorsett (90+2)
SOUTHAMPTON
A couple of notes on the stand-out players
Adli MOHAMMED
Southampton’s reserve goalkeeper showed variety with his footed play, in terms of ability to hit the ball and reach team mates in long distances; and played a role on one of the goals by aiming for the zone just over the CBs, which led to a mix up with the CBs.
He’s obviously ready to replicate this at first team level, which might not be the case of every Academy goalkeeper influenced into playing 100% short (who will be of little interest to 95% coaches in the world).
~
Nerd alert:
I was surprised the goalkeeper didn’t put Zach Awe as keystone of the wall (the guy between the post and the wall) which is usually the second from outside (and not outside man like here)
Free kick fled over but if they’d jump, that’s why you put your base man here.
~
On a positive side, he’s got a big frame with long arms, and blocked with his leg one cutback cross met by Wareham that looked like a tap-in until he parried it away with his foot (which is an aspect somehow considered not ideal - usually because goalkeepers who do are wiry and stiff - which doesn’t make parrying shots with the feet bad).
It is true however that Adli could’ve made with more clipped passes to fullback, albeit Southampton’s right back didn’t always ready to receive; and Maghoma on the right spent some time deep or slightly inside.
Will ARMITAGE
Some nice anticipations early on, able to step in front of the forward.
Zach AWE
The former Arsenal’s towering CB might not be the most graceful defender seen at this level but gets the job done, being able to handle duels with CFs well before the ball is played, in order to get an upper hand and, even at times, draw the foul with some clever gamemanship.
The quality of his needle passes testify of his player development curriculum at Arsenal, which are equally important as his ability to volley or clip the ball out of danger efficiently whithin the boundaries
Jayden MAGHOMA
The former Tottenham academy player showed good recovery pace
[pace] which he might want to develop further going forward, especially on the overlap albeit instructions seemed to adopt a positioning inside (to cause an issue to the Reading winger - Harris, subbed at half time after going through the motions)
Maghoma nevertheless showed quality to find solutions around him with masked passes, that zip on the floor. Was comfortable when interchanging and having to receive / find solutions inside the pitch as well.
His effort from outside the box was parried away for a corner
Kamari DOYLE
The Southampton captain stood out for his two-way ability to be an effective receiver, often on the move and providing options to the ball carrier, being an elegant and effective one himself (with the ball kept close to the laces)
The interesting thing is that Doyle is also an industrious CM who harvested a considerable amount of second balls, which allowed Southampton to fully dominate territory in midfield (against Reading’s two man midfield where senior player Tom Holmes - usually a CB / right back - was likely on his way to recovery, and dealt with about everything first time).
Doyle’s performance was rewarded by his two goals that couldn’t epitomize more what his all round game is about, made all the better that it evidenced his composure to make the right decision and force luck come final third.
The first goal is worth a look on the highlights package linked at the start (but pls come back)
Weak foot effort forcing a save after a carry = on the money
topped by a second goal:
Sam AMO-AMEYAW
SAA is obviously Southampton’s standout prospect, after joining from Tottenham. He was already the best performer in the FA Youth Cup semi final lost to a margin to eventual winners West Ham United last spring.
Whilst most players his age would want to get the ball as soon as possible, get drawn to it and sometimes run into dead ends, Amo-Ameyaw’s separation movement (before receiving) is quite accomplished.
The preparatory steps and curved runs help him attack defenders at an angle, with a variety of take-ons, cutting inside, switching play and playing runners.
The way Amo-Ameyaw turned pace on his first goal was worth the matchday ticket, sending the two Reading defenders go get a hot-dog in the adjascent AFC Totton’s club house
his first touch being generally good and positive, there’s room to make it sharper with shoulders quicker over the ball to gather pace before the defender sets
On a second instance, the same stuttering (as he looks to favour a first touch with the outside left - it’s fine).
Second and third touches are close but the one before last stays in the boot and doesn’t allow enough room to swing the leg and go through
far from ever suggesting he’d need to “get rid of it”; when the window of opportunity disappears, dribbling at square angles (by the 18 yard box line) can expose to more turnovers than open up good angles or positions to shoot.
Nothing’s wrong on this play, which is quite impressive in isolation. But being easy to referee is also part of the top player’s skillset come to the big stage. One of the best examples at top level is Willian who’ll shrug off challenges, and when the line is crossed; will stop and look at the ref and shrug (and get his way)
Ultimately, that play (where’s the right arm, see where Willian’s left is) involving a shirt pull, chopping before the striker and avoiding being clipped and a backheel (successful) with CBs open like the first team’s. Is a lot of energy (that might be required at the other end come the end of the game)
But in order to contextualise these last two points, these are the things that Noni Madueke, 4 years older need to bring to Premier League matchwinning standard.
That switch was spot on and well executed
and on the follow up of that move, reviewing the game on tape might bring up the reading of that cross “in the mixer”, where Reading’s defenders are quite high; therefore it’d have made more sense to crash the back post and put pressure on Nesta GUINNESS-WALKER (who couldn’t use The Force if his shinpad decided to pull a Jedi trick on him and bounce the ball into the net).
Tyler DIBLING
Dibbling is a good player, who was involved in making the dynamic around Amo-Ameyaw work: not only being a good outlet to retain with short passes and give and go,
… but also by drawing defenders away then creating space to cut inside.
Likes a carry, and eager to attack space and make runs off the ball
The link up between Dibling and Amo Ameyaw proved to be effective to sustain possession in final third around the box.
Dibbling was efficient in crashing the box whilst his team mates were overlapping to cross, found himself in good position, alive to connect and tap a cross in
And conclude that fastbreak having overlapped the carrier as you should, finishing the game with a brace
Prince EHIBHATIOMHAN
The Southampton striker showed glimpses of the ability to contribute and get involved in final third, more by dropping off the front than battling with a central defender though
Acquiring gamemanship to make the most of receptions back to goal takes some time, to figure out and experiment how much weight has to be dedicated to deal with the defender’s attempt to put off balance, without ever losing his.
Having received a number of passes being flat, it was all the easier for defenders to nick the ball or take a step back and let him fall backwards over the ball.
This is an area that could be of great value to Ehibhatiomhan’s game as his strength seems to lie first and foremost in running beyond defences, which is how he scored his goal.
Prince E. also got another chance near the end of the game
and would want to make sure he’s the one keeping the defender at bay (his arm barely makes contact, unlike Stickland’s whose nudge is enough to sligthly put PE off balance
Landing the foot sligthly ahead of the ball didn’t allow him to go through properly let alone open the hip enough to hit the far post
READING
As a team, Reading didn’t necessarly deliver a strong display, with three players sort of standing out. Tom Holmes is a senior player who played in CM, and was focused on doing the same things he’d do in a Championship game if he’d ever be asked to play there: deal with everything in one or two touches, including attempting to clear/clip the ball in dead zones (which was to an extent, a culture clash with the outlook of the game as an academy fixture).
Reading mostly went through the motions as a result of having fairly unspectacular individuals, set in 442 with a senior CB in midfield so couldn’t really get any close to match up with Southampton’s midfield.
That being said, one player stood out in the opening quarter of each half:
Kelvin ABREFA
showed a genuine willingness to progress the game down the sides, with intensity and intent coupled with a acute use of his arms to create separation as well as shoulder drops. A display which could be reminiscent of Kyle Walker Peters, albeit in a more muscular/powerful way to ride challenges.
Was keen to offer solutions in behind, without maybe having players on the same wavelength able to connect
Jayden WAREHAM
The former Chelsea Academy striker evidenced what’s the point of a football academy in the English ecosystem: make sure that players will make a career in the game. Wareham plays to the best of his ability, industrious and keen to try to draw defenders wider than the width of the box.
His standard might lie between starting League One striker/second striker and Championship rotation/3rd/4th striker.
Being quite hard to dislodge, there’s still room to receive at an angle (using his arm to shield) but involvement when dropping off the front is better than a poacher’s (but not necessarily more varied than a true support striker).
Had a challenge to contest most of the service (with little support) against the wiry Zach AWE. Wareham put a lot of energy and husstling to try to get in front but with the towering former Arsenal man frequently getting the better (with more ease), as a result of starting the off the ball shenanigans earlier (shirt pulls and obstructing the path to the drop point).
Jeremiah OKINE-PETERS
Usually a left winger, but fielded off Jayden Wareham. I expected Basil TUMA to get the nod upfront, but Okine-Peters did.
Maybe to a degree more to his opposite counterpart Ehibhatiomhan, he was mostly reactive, ending up trying to do several things in a row with defenders closing in differently than from wide areas (where fullbacks usually keep a distance to backtrack)
And when tring to think ahead; strikers need to get a grasp on the range of situation they might face. Ball up in the air, try to get hold of it to bring people into play
even if the channel being oppened round the CBs is enticing here, a header is never gonna be an exploitable through ball.
Therefore it might have been more sound to try to get to a reasonable drop point, with the subsequent shielding from the challenge.
