FosseSpark

Recipe is not good. Fast wide men, runners from midfield, returning/rejected striker. If we win today then Enzo really has changed Leicester.

Hermansen Choudhury Vestergaard Faes Ricardo Winks Ndidi KDH Fatawu Daka Mavididi I think we will need to use the bench well for this game. Justin, Iheanacho, Praet, maybe Doyle or Coady used at the right times. I think the best we can do is establish work ethic from the off, particularly Fatawu and Mavididi to nullify their wide men. KDH and Ndidi will be key. If they fire then Broadheaad, Morsi and Chaplin will be nullified as much as possible. I'm sure Enzo will have a thought about how we best set up to stop them playing effectively.l and then rely on us picking them off.

Have you heard his comments about celtics two defeats. 'I saw these defeats coming based on our recent performances'. What a cock. If they lose to rangers it'll be th first time they lose three running for 29 years. We'll done BR. You are no Ange and you are no Enzo

Rotherham under strength massively so.

Strong strong bench aswell. 8 outfield players walk into most champo first teams.

I could understand the principle of play strong v rotherham to compound whatever happens at Leeds, and then potentially bring players back who have been held off making their return back for a tired Ipswich.

If onyedinma, clucas etc are out aswell as ayala this could be a bloodbath.

I like the fact our forwards' confidence is starting to border on arrogance, even away from home. When they first came, the arrogance wasn't so evident. Mavididi's best quality, aside from his touch, pace and goalscoring knack is that he's a hard bastard. he doesn't get done in 50/50's and he gets riled if pressurised, similar in someways to Saka, who doesn't often get pushed off the ball. You can't teach that, it's in him and it will mean he's useful even when we are getting dominated. Perhaps it will be even more useful when we are in the prem and he's providing cover for his fullback before having to burst forward. Fair ****s to him. he's making the most of his chance back in the english leagues.

I'd go the following Choudhury Coady Souttar Justin Winks Akgun KDH McAteer Daka Cannon Slight tweak on the usual formation but basically Daka and Cannon dropping and going in rotation to fill the second number 8/10 role. Enzo obviously likes to push back wingers on and wide to keep full backs pinned, but there's no way Rotherham full backs will be venturing forward anyway so we are better of setting up to pass through them. This would consitute 6 changes to the Brum game and so gives Faes, Ricardo, Vestergaard, Mavididi, Ndidi, Fatawu a rest before the Ipswich game which they can hit like a train.

Both are prem squad class

I don't think Enzo should be sending a message to the board on signings by putting two goalies on the bench. He was supported to the hilt in close season with Winks, Coady, Hermansen, Doyle, Mavididi, Fatawu, Akgun, Casadei and Cannon, mostly signed in plenty of time for him to mould them in pre-season. At least 5 of those have made massive contributions so far, and we can't rule out Akgun, Coady or Cannon being really important before the seasons ends. Casadei looks like he will be a bit part player unless things change fundamentally. He can be making a point that we don't have a good left back alternative in the absence of Doyle and so Ward may as well sit on the bench rather than another striker or midfielder option But it's a bit petulant to do that when it's not really the boards fault that he doesn't like Justin at LB, a guy that was selected by england to play, at left back. It's also not their fault that he has loaned out two left backs that he didn't like the look of in Thomas and Kristiansen.

JJ, lets have it straight, was shite last night and has been in a couple of games recently. Slow off the mark when defending, for obvious reasons and also not natural in his passing down the left,, again for obvious reasons of being entirely right footed. He's a great pro but both wingers had him on toast and he was weak for the second goal. When Doyle returns or this Man City fella comes in on loan then we will see him rotated on the right i believe. I also don't think it would be the worst thing for Vest to be booked in the next game. Would force us to give Coady a run of 2 or 3 games which could see him bed in as the passing CB, with slightly more pace than your man Jannick.

the two goalies on the bench thing is indefensible unless it's to avoid a massive payment to Ward for not being in matchday squads or something. Even putting Wormleighton, Briggs or Popov on the bench would be preferable to an unneeded 3rd goalie. if you imagine 2 strikers going down with injury early in the game then a striker, even a 19yo rookie would be preferable to no option on the bench.

KDH is one of a number of players who we should have in the match squad if we go up to prem: Hermansen, Ricardo, Winks, Mavididi , KDH, Fatawu are bolted on Ndidi, Iheanacho, Daka, Vardy i can see retiring / moving on. Centre backs all need changing for prem quality equivalents as theyve been found wanting before. At least though we have a platform from which to build back, only two of which were tainted by relegation.

Defence is where we haven't made any squad changes and it shows. They are just as fragile as they were in 2022/23 to quick passing and movement. Winks, KDH, Fatawu, Mavididi were immense, Hermansen strong. Everyone else was pretty average. Worth noting we are playing without either of our first choice strikers, our first choice left back and a guy who has scored 5 goals this season in McAteer. We've managed that quite well over past few games but need to get back to full strength for the 3 or 4 games before afcon kicks in. We are going to need Doyle, McAteer, Yunus, Vardy etc to step when our african players are absent. Fatawu could become a superstar at the afcon if given a chance. A bit of 'they have such a deep squad' creeping in to commentary. They are forgetting how difficult it is to ship 15 players and create a new team in close season. Saints and Leeds certainly haven't managed it and they didn't lose players as good as maddison and barnes

They are playing like 2 3 5 formation

If we tough this out then it will be something Ipswich and Leeds couldn't manage at the weekend.

Justin has been non existent defensively. Everyone's had him on toast.

Fatawu is the bollocks. Work ethic, pace, good passer, tackler, great left foot. Need to keep him for 2 or 3 years and he will do us well... Best on the right since mahrez

Daka has been clinical. In the way that depression is clinical.

Begrudgingly I'd take Mavi off at half time. They'll get him sent off else.

Expect McAteer, Yunus, Doyle, Vardy to be near for Rotherham which will help us give a few a rest before Ipswich.

Fatawu is now key to us. Has terrorised five or six full backs of late and has developed three or four really difficult to defend moves. Cut in and cross, cut in and shoot, play the early channel ball to ndidi on the run and also gets to the by line for a cross with his right. Has clearly been coached like crazy as he was nowhere near as productive when he arrived . A real prospect for if and when weake the prem.

I don't think Souttar and Coady would be a bad shout today.

Hermansen Coady Vestergaard Doyle Ricardo Winks Fatawu Ndidi KDH McAteer Daka