For the second season in succession, Palace face a trip to the South Coast to take on Southampton albeit a round earlier in the FA Cup. We had a chat with Saints fan Connor Armstrong ahead of the cup tie.
Q. Perhaps you could share your thoughts on the recent game at Selhurst Park which Palace narrowly won?
It seems that result at Selhurst Park was yet another ‘typical Saints’ performance in what has been a very frustrating season. I did not actually think we played that badly, but we have been lacking defensively and when we go behind we never seem to have it in us to fight back.
Q. How has the form been since that game?
But for a pretty inexplicable and pleasing display against Arsenal, it has been much of the same. Lacking creativity, lacking fight and lacking bottle. Saints are in a rut and it is hard to see the way out at this moment in time.
Q. Do you have a pressing needs in the transfer window?
We really need a good forward. Graziano Pellè is not mobile enough and can be very frustrating when he is not ‘in’ a game, and Shane Long, for all his effort and work rate, wastes far too many chances at this level. However, I do not see us finding what we really need. Simply put, it is January and you either pay massively over the odds or take a punt on someone who in all likelihood is not what we need. Hopefully we can rectify the situation in the summer of 2016.
Q. Is there a fear that you may lose some of your current squad?
It is not so much a fear, more an acceptance.
Victor Wanyama will have to move on, as in the next summer he will only have twelve months of contract remaining and if we do not sell, his value will drop rapidly. Also, since his tantrum in a bid to join Spurs, it seems that Victor is not really pulling his weight. Whether that is simply down to the absence of Morgan Schneiderlin, I am not sure, but he certainly has been nowhere near as impressive as he can be. Except again Arsenal, strangely enough.
Sadio Mané is another who will be coveted by other clubs. Bayern Munich and Manchester United have both had him watched on a regular basis, and he is capable of stepping up a level in his career, so it might not be easy to keep him.
Those two aside, I do not think there is really any unexpected or worrying departures on the horizon.
Q. Does the FA Cup still retain some of that much talked about magic for you or is there a concern that the approach to the competition these days by more and more clubs is degrading it?
For me, it does. But I can see how it has lost something for many others.
Ronald Koeman always sets us up to take the cups seriously, in terms of team selection, but that has not always been the way at Saints. Both Mauricio Pochettino and Nigel Adkins did not seem to prioritise the competition or take it as seriously as possible, judging by their team selections. Pochettino in particular wasted a big opportunity for the club to go far in the FA Cup the other season, which upset the majority of the fanbase.
Q. Bizarrely enough, we now face each other again in the FA Cup after a good game in the fourth round last season so what would your assessment be of Southampton in that period of almost a year since that defeat?
It has not been great, really. We have slipped down the table continuously since the beginning of 2015, and although we qualified for the Europa League, the disappointing manner of our exit and our league form since means it is not exactly a year I will look back too fondly on, sadly.
It should have been a year to look back on with great fondness, but everything that has happened since August has soured it somewhat.
Q. Do you expect Southampton to play a full strength side for this game or will there be a few fringe players involved?
Yes, I would expect a strong side. In the event of changes, I can only see Ronald Koeman switching it up by three players, give or take one. But either way, it will be senior pros who are all capable of playing in the top flight.
Q. Name a player from each side that you think will be a threat in this game.
For us, if he gets his timekeeping right and keeps his head straight, it can only really be Sadio Mané. At the moment he looks to be our only creative player and the only one who gets fans out of their seats, which is slightly concerning when you consider the speculation surrounding his future.
Q. Your prediction?
Palace to beat Saints 2-1.
Q. Please tell us about any projects you are currently working on or anything that you would like to promote.
Nothing much that I can think of. I am a freelance writer but please check out the St Marys Musings website and follow the group on Twitter.
