I would go with something like... -------------Davis Chambers-Fonte-Lovren-Targett (Keep blowing that trumpet, Mikey) ----------Davis-Cork Isgrove-----Gaston----Mayuka -----------Rodriguez Gazza/Clyne/Maya(Would play him if fit but that's a mystery at the moment)/Morgan/Rowe/Guly/Lambert Clyne, Rowe and Guly to be introduced if all is wonderful, Rickie if we need goals. Would like us to have a go at the cups but also not keen on throwing out a full strength team in between two games when we have players waiting in the wings who can do the job and need games or goals. The big guns come out in later rounds, for me.
I would like to see something like this - Gazzaniga Clyne Yoshida Hooiveld Fox Cork Davis Mayuka Ramirez Isgrove Osvaldo Gives Clyne, Yoshida and Ramirez a chance to get match fitness at a lower pace than a full on PL game, gives some players that haven't made the XI some game time and should be certainly strong enough to do the job.
Davis Clyne Yoshida Jos Fox Cork Davis Isgrove Guly Ramirez Mayuka Subs gazza, chambers, reed, Rowe, osvaldo, ward prowse Schneiderlin
Boruc Lovren Fonte Chambers Clyne Cork Rodriguez Wanyama Ward-Prowse Lallana Lambert Substitutes K Davis Fox Hooiveld S Davis Ramirez Guly Osvaldo Win the game, score a bunch of goals, and get goalscoring confidence back. Easy.
---------- Gazza ----------- (needs some game time) Chambers - Maya - Jos - Fox ------- Cork - Davis -------- -- Isgrove - Ramirez - jwp -- --------- Rodriguez --------- Then a nice strong bench. Would also be temped to play lallana and maybe Osvaldo?
-----------Davis -Clyne-Yoshida-Hoovield-Fox -------Cork-Davis -Isgrove--Ramirez--Guly--- -----------Mayuka
I haven't seen the lad play. How good is he? I saw that he got a call-up to the Scotland U19's side which is promising. Could he be pushing Shaw for his place soon or is Shaw a different class?
Would like to see isgrove and Rowe given a run out and matt targett but we don't want to throw too many youth players in to this match as Barnsley are still a pro outfit with some decent players ad they've just had bad start to the season. They've got a good manager could run us close if we underestimate them.
I'm not really an expert on him, only seen him about 5 times but he's impressed me every time. I won't write a little mini scout-report or anything but I will say that I don't think you can say he's as good as Shaw or will be breathing down his neck anytime soon, but he's bloody unlucky to have Shaw in front of him. Personally I think in an ideal world you'd give him another year or so, but I'm also a believer of baptisms of fire rather than nursing players in and never really testing them, particularly with the mentalities we install into these players and Targett looks no different from Shaw or JWP. The reason I'm plugging away for him to be given a go is that whilst I don't hate Fox or think he's absolutely terrible, we've seen enough of him to know that playing him isn't going to get us anywhere and we're already rapidly outgrowing him, so why stick with him when we've got a promising youngster behind him who given the chance might just be a cracking player for us? It's not exactly a critical problem for us, and with Chambers looking the part it gives us another option with swapping Clyne over there, but just something I'd like to see us try out. This time last year most were actually happy or okay with Fox starting the season, if we'd given Luke the chance 10 games earlier we might have had a much smoother start to the season (Not that Fox was the only reason we started so poorly, Cork was a big miss and Jos had his troubles, too).
Wasn't Shaw also injured or ill or unfit or something at the start of last season? Back on the cup team, as a couple of others have said, I'd been inclined to play Gazzaniga ahead of Davis. Davis already has a wealth of experience to call on while Gazzaniga needs game time. I'd play Fox as well and probably start Clyne with the intention of giving him something like 45-60 minutes. Not sure about Osvaldo, I can see both sides of that one but I think I'm edging towards benching him again. I doubt we'll play anything like a first choice XI and there's not a lot of point playing him alongside the kids but another run out if we need a goal wouldn't hurt him.
So, I've decided that in the event we play a reserve side (like almost everyone except me wants to) and **** up, I'm going to be a massively obnoxious douchebag about it. That said, I think we'll still win, whatever craptastic side we may put out.
