That would be the preferred starting line-up but it will probably be Fer on the left with Barton in the middle...
I agree about Traore at LB, Yun was one (of many) whose passing was abysmal Tuesday, and Traore never really deserved to be dropped IMO. But he can't play in midfield. I like the idea of speed on the flanks but Hoilett is so rarely effective I doubt he's worth starting, Phillips maybe a better bet if they could get his self belief up. Like Yun, Barton, Henry, Vargas, Ned and Fer all repeatedly gave the ball away needlessly and dangerously Tuesday and all deserve to be dropped, but with Sandro and Adel out who do we play? Vargas was about the worse, but on form he is a threat especially when Isla plays seemingly, so I'd go with Green Isla, Caulker Dunne Traore Henry Barton Fer Krancjar Vargas Austin I'd want to see Isla and Traore getting down the flanks with speed but only when one of them is covering back when the other goes forward. Henry sitting in front of the 4 only.
I'm going with my 5-4-1 Isla-Onuoha-Dunne-Caulker-Yun Vargas-Fer-Henry-Hoilett Austin Isla and Yun must run run run down the sides, as fast as they can, hold the ball for a second, and CROSS! CROSS! CROSS! CROSS! while expecting everybody to pile forward into the box, and that should be the pattern all match. The only time we should use the middle is to switch wings. Don't even try to go down the middle with the ball, let Charlie literally stripe a line down the middle and go up and down it, everybody else circle around him and keep throwing the ball in. Of course, in defensive posture, we stuff the box and throw everything out. Don't even try to do anything cute but throw it up and wide. If we have Niko, Traore, OBZ, Joey, Mutch to come in for any of them, the back line should be able to hold their own, hopefully
Exactly! But it's what we used to do in the 80's with Wayne Fereday! It's an idea to swap the away set up with the home set up as we need to do somethin'! And sometimes going berserk actually works. And we need the berserker right about now, so why not? What's old could be new again
I couldn't quite understand the constant calling for Onuoha to be played ahead of Dunne last season and this year folk are still shouting for Ned to always be included as if he's our best defender. He's not a bad player alright but I just don't see what everyone else sees in him. He's a very likeable bloke though and good cover
I thought he was our best defender towards the end of last season - throwing himself in the way of shots, winning everything in the air. Bit like an on form Dunne but with pace and years on his side.
Ned has to be the way forward, what ever league we end up in.... Ned and Caulker must be the long term plan...IMO
