I can't see how Becchio is going to get a look in this season though, with Hooper and RVW I think he's going to get very few games.
Tis a long old season though, and no doubt we will pick up injuries/suspensions along the way which will be his opportunity to come in and prove what he can do. I actually thought he looked useful in his limited appearances last season, I understand he might have a bit of trouble settling in and performing to his best on the training ground, but hopefully he's knuckled down over the summer and is desperate to get his chance and make a point
Personally I'd go Redmond over EB but otherwise that would suit me. I don't know if CH will go with Turner - I guess he'll assess him after Saturday for fitness and form.
Maybe for 20 minutes or so towards the end. Re: JK's proposed team, I'd start with Redmond ahead of E Bennett, especially as the hole left by Pilks absence is on the left hand side. Redmond was thrilling to watch on Tuesday, he just needs to look up and distribute the ball better / earlier, rather than run into cul-de-sacs, but hell, there's plenty of time, he's only a young 'un
Quite possibly. Although if Hughton is still thinking that he'll play with one striker up top against Everton, he may put out a team to reflect that against Panathinaikos.
Seems to be the general assessment of Redmond and can't wait to see him in action - hopefully he'll get some time on the pich on Sat!!!!
I'm with JK on starting Bennett. He's the safer option and can tire the defence, then bring on Redmond for the last 30 mins to attack a tiring defence and give him the confidence. The only problem with this is that it is my plan, whereas Hughton doesn't favour substitutions prior to c. the 78th minute...
I think Turner will start with Martin at RB, Howson and Johnson in CM, Wes in the hole and Redmond rather than Bennett on the left. Hooper to come on for the last 20-30 minutes.
I totally understand why people would prefer to start Redmond over Bennett. I just think that if Olsson is playing at left-back, pairing him with Redmond (although potentially spectacular going forward) could be detrimental defensively. It's interesting to see that people seem to be agreeing on Howson in an advanced midfield role, as opposed to Wes.
i completely agree with JKs team selection for everton (depending on injuries of course) and the rationale behind it
Personally have no issue with Wes or Howson playing as AM. We may in fact have neither start if CH goes two up top but given CH's usual cautious approach, particularly without Fer I doubt we'll be seeing Hooper for at least the first hour. I'd love to see us go for an aggressive line up with Hooper/RvW and Redmond all playing. I have no problem with Redmond and Olssen combining on the left - with that much pace to burn you can afford to be a bit more adventurous and you could have VanPersie and Suarez up front but if they don't get the ball then they won't score. This was a problem for us last season and I hope that now that we have some better players we will be albe to play in a more adventurous manner, particularly against some of the lesser sides as turning draws to wins against the weaker teams will make a huge difference to how our season goes.
i think we will, but everton are not a weak team. lets not forget they finished 6th last season, were close to qualifying for the champions league and have hired a manager who just won the fa cup. i think being a bit cautious is a good idea, especially first game of the season when you aren't 100% sure where you sit in terms of quality and fitness
I imagine we will play defensively against Everton, I can't see CH going for it when we don't have Fer for that game.
Supers - My initial paragraph refers to the Everton game - likely one up top with a cautious approach as a decent opposition and no Fer available. The para higlighted does refer only to the weaker teams - I would hope to see us play two strikers against the likes of Stoke/Hull/Palace/Cardiff/Sunderland/Newcastle/WBA and give Redmond the chance to rip their defences apart. Generally I do hope that Hooper and RvW get the chance to play together frequently as neither will score whilst on the bench and shuld they click (and I think they are both good enough to do so pretty quickly) then it will tie up a lot of our opponents resources in keeping them quiet and reduce the pressure on our defence. I believe that Hooper took a while to click with Stokes at Celtic but once they sorted themselves out they were a pretty useful partnership and with no disrespect to Stokes RvW is a significantly better player.
I really hope that CH does think like that - especially against the teams outside the 'top 6'. It would be a great way to ease the amount of time we have to spend defending wave after wave of attacks!!!!
This is where the old adage "attack is the best form of defence" kicks in. If the opponents are being pinned deep in their own half, they're not causing problems at Ruddy's end of the pitch. Unlike last season, we now look like we have the personnel to enforce this tactic more - though only if Wes and/or Howson step up to the plate. Or if we bring in one more player in that attacking-midfield role. <still hoping>
Last season opposition defences were able to hold a high line against us due to our lack of pace. This meant our midfield was cramped for creative space. With a significantly speedier outfit this is less likely to happen, at least not to such a great detriment to our midfield build up play. This could mean the likes of Wes and Jonny having that bit more operating room. For this reason I would like to see Redmond given a significant role. Plus he if rather good.
