Carroll on song again, but with a note of caution
PERHAPS the two will always go together for Andy Carroll — goals of quality and twinges of concern.
It happened again here, with the strike that laid a platform for a West Ham win and a groin niggle that ended his afternoon half an hour early.
Only a precaution, Slaven Bilic explained, and it certainly seemed that way as Carroll smiled on his way off the pitch, a spring in his step as he went when so often it has been the slow trudge of the damned.
The expectation, Bilic added, is that he will be back to face West Brom on Saturday and only the cruel would want otherwise, given how much this striker has suffered and how good he can be when his body wants to play ball. He showed those talents again in this fixture, scoring his fourth goal in four games.
It wasn’t nearly so spectacular as the goal against Crystal Palace last month, merely a clever run and sharp finish rather than an act of flight, but it was even more decisive, given it came just two minutes after Manolo Gabbiadini struck a lovely debut goal.
From there, Southampton looked to close the door, but up popped Carroll to smash it open again moments later, allowing a foundation for Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble to go on and win it.
Bilic grinned broadly, as well he should considering he has faced speculation this week about his future, despite a wider perspective showing his team have won six times in nine league games, with two of their defeats coming against Manchester United and Manchester City.
Not too shabby on the bottom line, even if the 4-0 home defeat against City in midweek was damaging.
Bilic said: ‘I said after the City game that never mind how much it hurt, it shouldn’t affect our confidence. And it didn’t — we played fantastic here.
‘We did everything you can ask for as a manager and staff. The boys executed the plan brilliantly.’
He said Carroll had the groin concern in the game against Middlesbrough on January 21 and added: ‘We didn’t want to take any risks. We said at half-time to play 10 minutes and he said yes, so we left him on. Hopefully he is going to be available for the next game.’
For Southampton and Claude Puel, there is a risk of a drama becoming a crisis with six defeats in seven.
They have a League Cup final on their horizon but the day job is suffering. Puel looked for solutions here but little worked. He made four changes and only Gabbiadini of the incoming excelled, with the striker rocketing the opener 12 minutes into his first game following a £14m move from Napoli.
Sadly for Puel, that was about as good as it got. He said: ‘Of course I am worried. We have to correct things. We need some results and points to get some confidence.’ Work is also needed on a defence that lacks leadership and strength in the absence of Virgil van Dijk.
Carroll’s goal came from a through ball that ought to have been cut out, Obiang’s originated with a corner and the third was created by a Mark Noble free-kick that Steven Davis sliced into his own net.
Clearly, Southampton have problems that need addressing; the hope for West Ham is that Carroll does not.