GOOD EVANS, JONNY!
Revered by Fergie, courted by Pep and Wenger and a top pro, so WHY did Jonny Evans end up riding in that stolen taxi?
AmiD the fall- out from that night in Barcelona, perhaps the most intriguing questions centre on the involvement of Jonny Evans.
Here was the West Bromwich albion captain in a cohort of four stealing a taxi in the city little over 48 hours before a match.
Schooled by Sir alex ferguson at manchester United, Evans has previously been known for his professionalism, but the mask slipped in the early hours of thursday morning.
the incident came little more than two weeks after Evans failed to secure a move away from the Hawthorns, with the club seemingly sleep-walking into the Championship. He’s available for £3million should they end up relegated.
manchester City were more serious in discussing a move for Evans than arsenal, whose interest was fairly subdued as they acquired other targets. City ended up buying aymeric Laporte from athletic Bilbao, leaving Evans staring at a battle for survival as the promise of something altogether more satisfying never materialised.
maybe one or more of those factors crept into his subconscious when, along with Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore and Boaz myhill, they chose to break manager alan Pardew’s training trip curfew.
Pardew decided to strip Evans of the captain’s armband for the visit of Southampton, and the manager will decide this week whether to make that permanent. thankfully for Pardew, Evans was strong in this game, and his manager was happy with his contribution in unfamiliar surroundings at left back. one recovery challenge as the visitors broke at pace was exemplary and kept the deficit before half-time to one goal.
Questions still need answering following the escapades in Spain and Pardew’s job remains under severe threat after another defeat. the manager said he will be at the training ground ‘bright and early’ this morning.
‘We can only salvage it by getting some momentum,’ he said. ‘We had a little bit of momentum when we went to Liverpool and got that result (in the last round). Unfortunately we suffered four injuries that week.
‘i thought there were some good things to take from this game. i think anybody who was there will see that was a proper fight and a proper effort.’
albion’s performance after half-time was encouraging, with the crowd vociferous all afternoon. Yet the wisdom of taking the trip in the days before an fa Cup fifth-round tie will surely be swirling around Pardew’s head. He admitted to not knowing the players ‘socially’ and it backfired spectacularly.
that the jaunt, which sources say was largely relaxation, was planned before the Liverpool tie last month points to the mindset at West Brom right now. they didn’t go to anfield expecting to win.
Southampton boss mauricio Pellegrino revealed such antics would not deter him from planning similar midseason breaks.
‘i’ve never had any problems,’ he said. ‘Sometimes the manager says take one day off and enjoy it, but the problem is when you are all together you are representing the club and have to be aware about your behaviour.
‘Sometimes they’ve got the right to enjoy themselves. nutrition is important but sometimes you have the right to eat something you enjoy, otherwise life is too boring.’
Seven points from Premier League safety, whether West Brom’s players had earned the right to enjoy themselves is debatable. Pellegrino could after this, though, with Southampton beginning to stand the test of time. that must embolden him.
as alex mcCarthy’s goal came under siege in the closing moments, Pellegrino may well have thought back to last month. a draw against Crystal Palace was snatched from them with 10 minutes to go; victory at Watford vanished in stoppage time. those three lost points are the difference between staring at relegation and touching the top half of the table.
Here Southampton stood tall. Bodies were thrown in front of shots, heads cleared certain goals on the line.
their defensive record under Pellegrino is hardly an aberration by any stretch — 40 conceded in the Premier League — but the steel has softened in vital moments. not here, though, with the sort of backs-to-thewall and sleeves-rolled-up defensive rearguard that Southampton have not always produced when it’s mattered.
it is why the word ‘spirit’ was introduced in Pellegrino’s own subtle way afterwards.
no prizes for winning away at West Brom, other than another trip north for a quarter-final, but a test passed. and that is all they can do.
‘in the second half it was difficult because they played direct and you need
to defend against that,’ Dusan Tadic said. ‘We showed we can do that.’
Tadic showed what his feet can produce, too, sumptuously lobbing Ben Foster on the break after half-time. Tadic’s meagre tally of four goals is also evidence of the profligacy going forward and the speed with which they countered — albeit mitigated by West Brom’s lack of shape e — offers inspiration for the away matches to come against those around nd them.
Guido Carrillo, Nathan Redmond and Ryan Bertrand were all ll involved in the move before Tadic ic applied the finishing touch and the move was more reminiscent of previous ous Southampton Southam teams than this one.
‘It was a nice finish but I am more pleased with our teamwork,’ Tadic said. ‘We will have these kind of teams ms for the rest of the season. Next we have ve Burnley, who are also physical, and we e need to compete against them.’ WEST BROMWICH ALBION (4-4-2): Foster 6; Dawson 5.5, McAuley 5.5, Hegazi 6.5, Evans 7; Phillips 6 (Burke 89min), Barry 5.5 (Brunt 72, 6), Krychowiak 7 (Field 82), McClean 7; Rodriguez 7, Rondon 7.5. Subs not used: Myhill, Nyom, Yacob, Gabr. Scorer: Rondon 58. Booked: Krychowiak, McClean. Manager: Alan Pardew 6. SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-3-1): McCarthy 7.5; Soares 6.5, Hoedt 6.5, Stephens 6.5, Bertrand 6.5; Hojbjerg 7 (Romeu 78), Lemina 7; Ward-Prowse 7, TADIC 8, Redmond 6.5 (Gabbiadini 72, 6); Carrillo 7 (Sims 85). Subs not used: Forster, Pied, Bednarek, McQueen. Scorers: Hoedt 11, Tadic 56. Booked: Lemina, Carrillo. Manager: Mauricio Pellegrino 7. Referee: Chris Kavanagh 6. Attendance: 17,600.