Is This Saints Best XI?

Had this team in my head for some time and have been waiting for Will Still to wake up and smell the coffee.
To me it seems clear and a lot of my mates agree.
So i've done a poll to see what percentage of fans on here agree.

4-2-3-1

(currently injured)

McCarthy
*(Jelert), Edwards, Wood, Welington/Manning
Charles, Jander
Armstrong/Fellows, Azaz, Scienza
Archer (Stewart)

*Move Edwards to RB and replace with THB until Jelert recovers.

 

Manning over Welington.

Right back is a bit up for grabs because Roerslev will get another crack at some point.

Jander generally has been ok, but his two horrendous misses and last nights brain fart make me want to try Downes again.

Armstrong and Scienza are guarenteed first XI for me.

Archer is the best striker available, but he is also absolutely terrible at the moment and living on an 18 month purple patch 3 years ago, before he joined Saints.

Agree with dropping THB and just going Edwards and Wood for now.

I prefer Robinson to Azaz and Fellows honestly, but not sure if he can do the number 10 role.

Hell we have Aribo not even getting a look in and I saw far more from him in our last Championship season than I have seen from Fellows or Azaz in their brief glimpses so far.

 

Line up is kind of irrelevant when you have a crap manager telling them what to do.

 

Fellows has to play in my opinion as he is simply a better option for the right-sided attacking role than Armstrong. Granted, he hasn't shown much yet but that's understandable when the manager keeps starting him on the bench...!! What that means for Armstrong though I'm not sure.....

 

Playing a somewhat old school 4-4-2 would be a simple way to get them both in.

As I see it, getting two of Armstrong, Fellows and Azaz in the starting line-up should always be possible (and desired) when they're available, regardless of which two that might be. The problem is getting all three of them in.

 

You'll have Lincs wanting his lump it in the mixer all excited!

 

I voted yea but in reality it’s the 4231 over the back 3/5 I’m voting for.

GK and DF I’m not that fussed which players

McCarthy / Bazunu
Jelert/Edwards/Stephens
2 x Wood / Edwards / Stephens / THB / Quarshie
Wellington / Manning


CM any 2 of Charles / Jander / Downes


Front 4 I would go
RW Fellows
CAM - Azaz
LW - Scienza
ST - Armstrong

I don’t like AA at ST but it’s the situation we’ve got



I’d want Fellows holding the width on the right. The RB holds back and “invert”. Scienza to cut inside more and the LB offer width by overlapping,

 

I honestly wouldn’t bother starting archer or downs. They may come good but aren’t up to the championship atm.

I would play a youth striker or an extra attacking midfielder.

McCarthy
Jelert Edwards wood manning
Jander Charles
Fellows scienza Azaz Armstrong

Nobody up top, they can take turns running forward.

 

I know it's been noted that formations etc are pointless until something else changes but it's the only thing we on the outside can really discuss.

I'm mostly baffled that we bought in a group of players that seem to fit a certain system well and then we don't play them and some of them are known to be quality for this league.

So, injuries accounted for I'm going with:

McCarthy
Edwards, Wood, THB, Wellington
Jander Charles
Fellows Azaz Scienza
Armstrong

We all know McCarthy has a blunder in him but he seems a bit more solid than bazunu (though I was / am in the camp that bazunu can get better and McCarthy can't)

A back four gives an immediate extra body forward - I know a 5 or a 3 plus WB's can be attacking but I just don't like the mentality of half the team being "defence". Plus putting the likes of Fraser / Fellows in any form of WB position is a no go for me. I have Wellington over Manning as he's more likely to actually try to defend a cross even if he's a bit raw. I've moved Edwards to RB only due to injuries but if we can get an earlier model THB in the side that's not so bad and has some experience in beside Wellington to help him over those errors he will have.

Jander and Charles is a given and whilst Jander seems determined to miss any chance he gets he's not someone who we should be relying on scoring. Otherwise him and charles can just keep doing what they seem to do all game. Downes is just a step down on either so I'd not start him

When we thread balls through we score and this is what we bought Azaz for so lets actually play him.

Fellows wide on the right, scienza cutting in from the left.

I'd say archer up front but armstrong is actually scoring so whilst he's usually ineffective in the centre perhaps with the three behind him putting the ball in the right places he should score (provided it's not a limp one at the keeper)

 

Yeah agreed on all this. Armstrong is a horrid 9, so I have no problem with him being fluid and interchanging with Scienza and Azaz a bit (maybe Fellows too, but that doesn't feel quite right). But he's also the best we have in that position right now, and shouldn't be dropped as he's scoring.

 

In the warm fuzzy place in my mind where that all works I see armstrong just floating around making space for himself - just need the others to work out how to get a through ball that he can get on to.

One issue we do have is once you swap any of the front 6 for someone off the bench we lose something so we really need to have games shut down in the first hour