I thought the suggestion was Byram on the basis of defensive skill, which is a good idea in principle but I think unrealistic from a business perspective
This is a massive weakness in our defence and opposing sides have been exploiting it. It's very difficult for right sided players to clear balls on the left side so attackers always have the advantage as Hoillet showed on Saturday. Getting Gibson and Giannoulis in was meant to correct this, but injuries and errors have meant the opposite. One solution would be to go to 3 at the back with Gibson on the left and WBs in a 3-4-1-2 or something similar. In the PL this could shift to a 3-5-2 which could be stronger in defence and midfield, with the playmaker deeper behind the strikers. Both Aarons and Giannoulis can be excellent as WBs, playing to their strengths.
I’ve not been impressed at all with Byram since he came back and think he has been turned inside out several times. I can cut him slack for that as he has been out for so long after his last injury but I don’t understand people saying he has been good defensively, in my view he hasn’t
I don't know how much of a fan you are of Whoscored ratings Suffolk, but Byram ranks fourth in our squad with an average rating of 6.97. The three players with better ratings (over 7.0) are Sargent, Núñez and Hanley. What I would question is how much help he is getting from those in front of him.
Not a huge fan of them to be honest, unless they help prove my point! It is entirely possible to be completely ineffective in a game, caught out of position constantly but have a 100% passing statistic, even though they are all safe passes to the GK or CB, to achieve a good Whoscored rating - hence some of Gilmours rating last season. For me Byram suffers from being a right footed player on the left, he is quite clearly filling a hole so it’s not fault at all, but he looks blunt going forwards and unnatural in defence. He does however read the game quite well, which is why I’d rather see him play DM than left back, as he did for a game or so in the Prem. Switch him and Kenny over and then we could have a left footed player at left back.
Sam at RB and Kenny at LB. That would give Max a chance to rest. Not that I think he's done a poor job. I just think he should be rested once in a while.
PS% definitely isn't why Sam's overall rating is high! At 76%, it almost certainly reflects his rightfootedness in that position. But he makes more tackles per game than anyone else, and only the CBs make more blocks and clearances. Offensively he is, as you say, ill-equipped to provide crosses, but he does get into the opposition penalty area when we attack down our right, more so, I'd say, than Max does in reverse.. I'm all in favour of sticking McLean in at LB -- for all sorts of reasons
Byram's WhoScored rating is indeed hard earned through tackles, interceptions and other interventions, in spite of having to play on the wrong side. It's why Farke preferred him over Lewis back then. He, or whoever else plays against Watford will have a difficult time trying to keep Sarr under control this Saturday. The lack of a true LB and Hayden will be severely tested, as it will against Sheffield United, Luton and Burnley in the following matches. This could have a big impact on our chances this season.
If that’s supposed to be a pointed dig at McLean, it’s a bit inconsistent given that McLean is ranked fifth on WhoScored… The reality is, as others mention, Byram is a solid defender but is vulnerable to turning the wrong way due to being right footed on the left hand side. The WhoScored statistics don’t factor that in.
I wonder if the tackles, blocks etc. that Byram has completed are high more because teams have identified him being right footed as a weakness so attack down that flank moreso that Aarons who is playing in him natural(ish) position (think he's better as a wingback or right winger personally)
Good point, I think there is a very strong possibility of that - he’s/our left hand side is definitely targeted.
Except when teams send their tallest player out to compete with Aarons for headers (Andy Carroll, for example). Headers lost cost Max many points.
Yes, in part. But, with his CB credentials, he also contributes more at set pieces; he's made some crucial penalty area blocks.
Agreed, I think that’s why he’s (rightly) seen as strong defensively even if on the left hand side he gets exposed - not really blaming him for that, I think fans recognise he is putting a shift in a difficult position
