Gaston Ramirez's injury will be seen as a blow to many Saints fans who have already been endeared by the Uruguayans creativity and vision, however his injury will give some of Saints so far peripheral figures a chance to shine as well as possibly bolstering the teams defensive attributes. If Nigel Adkins wishes to persist with his 4-2-3-1 formation away from home (which turns into a 4-3-3 when in possession) it seems likely that the role in the hole behind Lambert will be up for grabs. This could mean that Guly do Prado could replace him in the centre giving Saints a target who can hold the ball up when his side is under pressure, or it could lead to Adam Lallana being moved inside and replaced on the wing by either Rodriguez or Mayuka (switching with Puncheon) receiving a rare start. Moving Lallana inside may seem folly, however this would give him the freedom to drift whilst giving more cover to Danny Fox with either Puncheon or Rodriguez tracking back instead of the creative number 20. Moreover against West Ham it is likely that Allardyce's men will try and hit the front-men from the byline, therefore it is essential that our full-backs are given the protection that they require. Personally, I think Adkins will chose to play Rodriguez with perhaps Lambert starting a bit deeper, however I do think Guly could do a great job for us and I am certain that he will feature. Any thoughts on the matter?
Lallana has been dreadful in the middle when he's played there recently. I would stick Guly in his Gaston's role, on the few occasions Guly has played as a cam he's been unplayable. Or I'd move JWP into that spot and partner either cork or davis with schneiderlin in the more defensive cm roles.
Yes, I am not too sure, even though he played centrally when he first emerged for Saints.I would like to see Guly play, however I do wonder if we need more cover for Fox?
I think we have two options for protecting the left flank a little more: 1) Play a less offensive, more boring formation with a flat four midfield. 2) Buy a better left back.
I think he'll go with Guly and Lallana, partly for the defending that Guly does so well, and partly to wind up Twitter.
Well we can't achieve number two very quickly and I think we have a lot of attacking players to fit into a 4-4-2 and I am not sure Adkins will go for that. Maybe our best best is to cause their defence problems as it looks fairly vulnerable to pace and they have quite a few injuries. Not sure what to expect tomorrow to be honest.
I hope so, I think Guly gave West Ham some problems last year too. His strength and control are real assets, however I do wonder if he will be a sub that is used instead, hope I am wrong though.
I'm pretty confident about it, mainly because of the way we played against them last season. I'm sure Adkins will go for more of the same.
I hope so, but I think we were a bit lucky at theirs last year, but a little more luck and who knows... At least Adkins knows Allardyce from last season, he managed to outdo Paul Lambert this and last season, so I will be hoping for some more but I do worry about Yoshida, I think Hooiveld may be more suitable for this game, however would you risk him after his dip in form - tough call.
I think West Ham have quality but they don't really have a plan B. Last season we were well-drilled and nullified their game plan. If we can do the same again, we should scrape a win because we have multiple attacking threats and their defense is pretty average. The only thing that worries me is that they may have a lot more confidence because they've had a decent start to the season.
Yoshida is absolute quality and if partnered with fonte will have Carroll in his pocket (assuming the midfield also provide adequate cover throughout the game). Ramirez will shore up the defence by keeping possession better than anyone in our squad, and the perceived pressure of if the opposition lose the ball Ramirez will be onto it. Too much importance has been placed on Adkins' tactics we have played brilliantly at times but have been let down by individual errors. That is not to say Adkins won't improve as the season goes on, as I expect him to improve as well.
Ramirez will shore up the defence by keeping possession better than anyone in our squad, and the perceived pressure of if the opposition lose the ball Ramirez will be onto it. ???????? Not today I'm afraid!
This is absolutely the right thing to do, I'm a massive Lallana fan but he offers one of our weekest players in Fox next to zero protection!
Bloody hell I must have watched a different lallana at the start of the season? He played centrally when we nearly turned over both Manchester clubs did he not? When I have seen him in the hole I think he is far more creative? Some people now calling for Guly....just what we need....yeah! Mayuka lambert and Punch up top with lallana playing gastons role for me today!
Ok Gents, a question for you. What makes you think Mayuka should play wide? I have seen him for 20 minutes down the middle and I believe he his primarily a striker. Do you know about his defensive, tracking back qualities? I wouldn't risk playing someone there unless I knew they had those qualities, especially away from home. Guly will track back and work to cover the full back.
