We need attacking strength on the wings to feed Woods aerial threat - ----------------Wood------------------- ASM------------------------------Murphy -----Almiron-Shelvey-Joelinton----- Dummett--Schar-Fernandez--Trippier ----------------------Dubz----------------- Put Almiron LCM to make up for our left sided defensive frailties.
Why are so many people picking Fernandez, he's out injured and no one has said with what. Originally said he'd miss Christmas games, however, 4 weeks later and he's nowhere to be seen ?????
Joelinton has EVERY trait needed for a dynamic DM. He's quick, brave, wins tackles, keeps it simple, works incredibly hard. What can he NOT do - score or assist. So why the **** do we continue to play him further up the field?! He's wasted there, and isn't a threat. Shelvey should NEVER play for this club again. He dictates a style of play that drops us too deep and concedes too much possession. Having Almiron and WIllock alongside Joe would have bundles of energy and would be a shot in the arm for players who must be sick to ****ing death of playing around Shelvey's laziness. The point of my suggestion is to push the wing backs further up and to allow Almiron/Willock to join the attack transitioning from 5-3-2 to 3-5-2 to 3-3-4. We have wing back width for early crosses - Wood needs to stay pushed right up, with ASM operating freely in the hole - and won't get sucked in to the pathetic "get it down the line and cross it". With Joe holding and Almiron/Willock working box to box there's enough of a threat. The 3 at the back plays to the strengths of Dummett and Schar, and if Fede is fit he starts - if he isn't, I honestly go with Hayden instead. Lascelles should be stripped of the captaincy and sold as soon as humanly possible. The hope, of course, is we have a new signing to start in that position and someone better than Almiron in CM - a dedicated DM to allow Joe to operate box to box is ideal. Anyway, we've got zero chance of playing this way, so it's a moot point! Under Howe, there's zero chance of dropping Lascelles or Shelvey either 'cos he's a spineless moron who sees football according to FA coaching methods which, believe me, are ****ing shockingly archaic and rely almost entirely on individual ability rather than collective tactics. In short, we're ****ed til we appoint a progressive European manager.
I can’t see is beating Leeds if we play 4-4-1-1 with Lascelles and Shelvey. We will just be over run in midfield.
Agreed with the main sentiment Lacselles out Shelvey out. Honestly think Shelvey is the main issue though, lazy, petulant and antagonistic - we made a mistake early doors against Watford (think it was Joelinton with a misplaced pass) and Shelvey turned around screaming at him. Trippier could clearly been seen telling him to calm down. I'd not take that from a player of Shelvey's (lack of) quality and it just demotivates the entire team and put them on edge. Back 4 of Trippier-Fede-Dummy-Lewis if fit and available for me. Midfield is where it is tough none are really good enough but Willock and Miggy either side of Joelinton Strike force of ASM (fustrating but worth a goal on his day) and Murphy feeding Wood with crosses because I can't remember Fraser putting in a decent cross.
Trippier does seem like captain material. I would have no problem him being captain when Lascelles does leave.
Don't wait for it I say. Just pull Lascelles and Shelvey to one side, tell them the lads need to hear a different voice so I'm removing you from the captaincy roles. You're still involved here and I need you to help get this bedded in. Then sell them the first chance you get
I honestly think we've got to accept the new manager and his coaching team want to build a side around lacelles and Shelvey. Unless of course the penny dropped very recently.
Don’t even go there. Get it down the wing and cross it was a tactic we used last time we win a trophy.
That's definitely the masterplan or it would appear so anyway. I thought Howe was into free flowing attacking football? Has his relegation and the voices telling him he needed cloggers to stay up made him doubt himself and go direct?
I think we've got to wait until he has his players. Hopefully very soon, its clear left backs, centre mids and centre halfs are on their radar (plus more strikers by looks of it). That alone suggests he knows the current bunch aren't going to save us or keep him in a job. Shelvey and Lascelles will **** him - no lube.
I believe there is a scientific answer to this and it is: The players are ****! Was it someone here or one of my mates sent the stat about Villa's team having none of their championship players in the squad any more... While we have 8... (Darlow*, Lacselles*, Clark*, Hayden, Dummett, Ritchie*, Shelvey*, Gayle*) then you take the players bought in the summer we came up (Dubravka, Manquillo and Murphy) plus Longstaff and Woodman who were already here and you have 13 of the 25 man squad who've been signed to either come up or fight relegation 1st year. Since then we've signed Schar, Fede, Almiron/ Krafth*, ASM, Joelinton/ Hendrick*, Lewis, Fraser Wilson, Gillespie*/ Willock the years after the 1st year since promotion. *I make that 9 players who need replacing in that squad, so far we have Trippier for Krafth - fantastic!, Wood for Gayle - meh Still need 7 players (and to get rid of the ones already replaced + those who have players come in and take their shirt) to be close to a decent EPL squad that could aim for more than a relegation battle. In order of significance: CB, CB, CM, CM, CF, LW, GK
