Midfield

[iBleedLeicesterColours]

With so many midfielders, it concerns me how we are going to keep them all happy. Do we play a 5 man midfield ? or just the 4 ? and who should be regulars ?

Out of : Oakley King Wellens Gally Dyer N'Guessan Verma Moreno Abe Moussa.

Personally: Gally King Wellens Dyer

Gally (I Think he can change games, also set peices)

Dyer (Pace)

Wellens (All rounder and tough tackler)

King (Good distributor and crucial goals)

The others :

Oakley is decent imo

Moussa is young, fast, tricky from what ive seen

Moreno could be decent

Abe has pedigree

Not a fan of N'Guessan or Verma - Would like to see them offloaded.

Your thoughts ?

[The Doctor]

With so many midfielders, it concerns me how we are going to keep them all happy. Do we play a 5 man midfield ? or just the 4 ? and who should be regulars ?

Out of : Oakley King Wellens Gally Dyer N'Guessan Verma Moreno Abe Moussa.

Personally: Gally King Wellens Dyer

Gally (I Think he can change games, also set peices)

Dyer (Pace)

Wellens (All rounder and tough tackler)

King (Good distributor and crucial goals)

The others :

Oakley is decent imo

Moussa is young, fast, tricky from what ive seen

Moreno could be decent

Abe has pedigree

Not a fan of N'Guessan or Verma - Would like to see them offloaded.

Your thoughts ?

verma's gone.

[Ozwin]

----------------- Abe ----------------

------ Wellens ---- King ---------

Dyer -------------------- Waghorn

[KFS]

With so many midfielders, it concerns me how we are going to keep them all happy. Do we play a 5 man midfield ? or just the 4 ? and who should be regulars ?

Out of : Oakley King Wellens Gally Dyer N'Guessan Verma Moreno Abe Moussa.

Personally: Gally King Wellens Dyer

Gally (I Think he can change games, also set peices)

Dyer (Pace)

Wellens (All rounder and tough tackler)

King (Good distributor and crucial goals)

The others :

Oakley is decent imo

Moussa is young, fast, tricky from what ive seen

Moreno could be decent

Abe has pedigree

Not a fan of N'Guessan or Verma - Would like to see them offloaded.

Your thoughts ?

Sorry mate, disagree with some points. You can't make these decisions yet after not seeing full performances from Abe and Moussa.

Let's offload N'Guessan though...

[caz05]

With so many midfielders, it concerns me how we are going to keep them all happy. Do we play a 5 man midfield ? or just the 4 ? and who should be regulars ?

Out of : Oakley King Wellens Gally Dyer N'Guessan Verma Moreno Abe Moussa.

Personally: Gally King Wellens Dyer

Gally (I Think he can change games, also set peices)

Dyer (Pace)

Wellens (All rounder and tough tackler)

King (Good distributor and crucial goals)

The others :

Oakley is decent imo

Moussa is young, fast, tricky from what ive seen

Moreno could be decent

Abe has pedigree

Not a fan of N'Guessan or Verma - Would like to see them offloaded.

Your thoughts ?

I wouldnt be surprised if a couple were to go on loan, my partner was talking to one of his customers today and apparentaly a few of the players do not like soussa and dont want to be there.

Im not going to say which player told him,but can assure you it was one of them

[Joe.]

With so many midfielders, it concerns me how we are going to keep them all happy. Do we play a 5 man midfield ? or just the 4 ? and who should be regulars ?

Out of : Oakley King Wellens Gally Dyer N'Guessan Verma Moreno Abe Moussa.

Let's be honest, we might have a lot of 'midfielders' on paper but they all perform various roles within the team either defensively or in an attacking sense.

Verma has already been shipped off on loan. N'Guessan and Dyer play more advanced roles as part of a front three given that we now play more of a 4-3-3 these days. The same could be said for Gallagher, which then leaves you with six others vying for places.

Personally I'd like to see an Abe-Wellens-King combination against Coventry, but Sousa has already said he may hold off on Abe until he's settled in so that may not happen just yet. Moussa is still young and Oakley would do well for himself to keep hold of a first team place all season long.

Competition there is yes, but in 'midfield' we're hardly over-loaded in my opinion.

[Cheese Me]

With so many midfielders, it concerns me how we are going to keep them all happy. Do we play a 5 man midfield ? or just the 4 ? and who should be regulars ?

Out of : Oakley King Wellens Gally Dyer N'Guessan Verma Moreno Abe Moussa.

Personally: Gally King Wellens Dyer

Gally (I Think he can change games, also set peices)

Dyer (Pace)

Wellens (All rounder and tough tackler)

King (Good distributor and crucial goals)

The others :

Oakley is decent imo

Moussa is young, fast, tricky from what ive seen

Moreno could be decent

Abe has pedigree

Not a fan of N'Guessan or Verma - Would like to see them offloaded.

Your thoughts ?

Pretty much agree with that. Three of them definitely, the only one I'd consider is whether Abe is a better bet than Wellens. Don't think 5 man midfield is working for us and I think long term we need to get to something like

Fryatt : Waghorn

Gally : King : Abe : Dyer

With Howard and Moussa as impact subs and Moreno and Wellens as back up. Not sure than any of Oakley or Verma are part of the long term future if we're going to move forward and DNG needs to prove himself at this level.

[sdb]

----------------- Abe ----------------

------ Wellens ---- King ---------

Dyer -------------------- Waghorn

yep. 4-5-1/4-3-3 is the way forward i reckon

[iBleedLeicesterColours]

verma's gone.

On loan .. That means he will return ...

[iBleedLeicesterColours]

Sorry mate, disagree with some points. You can't make these decisions yet after not seeing full performances from Abe and Moussa.

Let's offload N'Guessan though...

Moussa (see actual quote) its says 'from what i've seen'.

Abe does have pedigree - International ?

[Jackirius]

----------------- Abe ----------------

------ Wellens ---- King ---------

Dyer -------------------- Waghorn

This guy knows things

[Guest ttfn]

----------------- Abe ----------------

------ Wellens ---- King ---------

Dyer -------------------- Waghorn

I'd like to see Gallagher in for Wellens in this sort of formation (provided Abe is good, we can dream...)

-------Abe----------King------------

-----------Gallagher------------------

Dyer-----------------------Waghorn

------------Fryatt------------------

This is what Jonathan Wilson has referred to recently in the Guardian as 4-2-1-3 and is arguably the way football is headed. Gallagher would take on the role of playmaker here (a Xavi style figure). To continue the Spain theme, King would adopt the Xabi Alonso role - primarily defensive minded but with the ability to burst forward and break the lines when needed. Abe would sit religiously.

As Wilson argues, this would provide the playmaker (Gallagher) with a bit more space (as he will be further away from the midfield enforcer than if he was just off the front man) and the chance to look forwards when he is playing the ball - a role in which I imagine he would thrive.

Also, having these XI on the pitch also allows for an easy switch to 4-4-2 if needs be.

[FoxyPV]

----------------- Abe ----------------

------ Wellens ---- King ---------

Dyer -------------------- Waghorn

Can't really fault that.

[lildave3]

Ozwin has basically nailed it, but as long as King is in there I couldn't give a shit.

[Ozwin]

Be nice to see Waghorn and Dyer switching wings quite a bit, we never seem to see players do it. Maybe even have Fryatt switching to the wing in place of Waghorn on the odd occasion too, mix things up a bit. Seems like we're quite a rigid side, the players should be given abit more freedom to swap positons and whatnot.

[Joe.]

Be nice to see Waghorn and Dyer switching wings quite a bit, we never seem to see players do it. Maybe even have Fryatt switching to the wing in place of Waghorn on the odd occasion too, mix things up a bit. Seems like we're quite a rigid side, the players should be given abit more freedom to swap positons and whatnot.

I don't think Sousa's averse to that idea, I swear I've seen N'Guessan and Dyer switching wings on a few ocassions this season so far...

[eaststandtom]

for me king is first on the sheet.to partner him i think oakley should suit sousa style of play more.

dep if its 4-3-3 then wellens too if 4-4-2 then those two in the middle with gallagher maybe and dyer

[bigneville]

I'd like to see Gallagher in for Wellens in this sort of formation (provided Abe is good, we can dream...)

-------Abe----------King------------

-----------Gallagher------------------

Dyer-----------------------Waghorn

------------Fryatt------------------

This is what Jonathan Wilson has referred to recently in the Guardian as 4-2-1-3 and is arguably the way football is headed. Gallagher would take on the role of playmaker here (a Xavi style figure). To continue the Spain theme, King would adopt the Xabi Alonso role - primarily defensive minded but with the ability to burst forward and break the lines when needed. Abe would sit religiously.

As Wilson argues, this would provide the playmaker (Gallagher) with a bit more space (as he will be further away from the midfield enforcer than if he was just off the front man) and the chance to look forwards when he is playing the ball - a role in which I imagine he would thrive.

Also, having these XI on the pitch also allows for an easy switch to 4-4-2 if needs be.

Although I agree that 4-2-1-3 will be the way the game heads completely shortly.

Paul Gallacher is never going to make it in midfield unless you play him wide. He doesn't do enough of the dirty side of the game to play in the centre midfield. PG is a great luxury wide man or second striker, but that's the only role's he can be expected to perform for the team.

[Guest BlueBrett]

-------Abe----------King------------

-----------Gallagher------------------

Dyer-----------------------Waghorn

------------Fryatt------------------

I like this in principle but I'd really like to see king in a more advanced position. Perhaps swap him with gallagher and have wellens slot in alongside abe.

alternatively against weaker teams at home i'd like to see us occasionally go all out attack...something like this -

Morrison--Hobbs--Bruno

--Abe------Wellens--

Dyer-------King---------Gallagher

--Fryatt--------Waghorn--

Hopefully beat a few teams 5-2 or something!

[lcfc81]

I wouldnt be surprised if a couple were to go on loan, my partner was talking to one of his customers today and apparentaly a few of the players do not like soussa and dont want to be there.

Im not going to say which player told him,but can assure you it was one of them

Have heard this a few times on here, did they elobarate and say why the players are not getting on with Sousa?

[marbelladave]

I'd like to see Gallagher in for Wellens in this sort of formation (provided Abe is good, we can dream...)

-------Abe----------King------------

-----------Gallagher------------------

Dyer-----------------------Waghorn

------------Fryatt------------------

This is what Jonathan Wilson has referred to recently in the Guardian as 4-2-1-3 and is arguably the way football is headed. Gallagher would take on the role of playmaker here (a Xavi style figure). To continue the Spain theme, King would adopt the Xabi Alonso role - primarily defensive minded but with the ability to burst forward and break the lines when needed. Abe would sit religiously.

As Wilson argues, this would provide the playmaker (Gallagher) with a bit more space (as he will be further away from the midfield enforcer than if he was just off the front man) and the chance to look forwards when he is playing the ball - a role in which I imagine he would thrive.

Also, having these XI on the pitch also allows for an easy switch to 4-4-2 if needs be.

Your team selection is spot on... though your suggestion that we should or could play anything like the world cup winners is nonsense of the highest order.

It also shows a total misunderstanding of what Sousa is trying to achieve, you would do well to swap the largely self indulgent 'tiki-taka' of the hugely (over) talented Spain for the pace and swift counter attacking play of Germany as your model for how we should play.

Although I agree that 4-2-1-3 will be the way the game heads completely shortly.

Paul Gallacher is never going to make it in midfield unless you play him wide. He doesn't do enough of the dirty side of the game to play in the centre midfield. PG is a great luxury wide man or second striker, but that's the only role's he can be expected to perform for the team.

4-2-1-3, 4-2-3-1... blah, blah, blah...

You need to take your best players and get the best out of them, the numbers are simply a way of describing the resulting set up.

Gallagher is perfectly capable of playing in midfield, as he showed last season against Newcastle and Blackpool. He is never going to be hugely effective defensively which is why you need 2 players to back him up with among other things, decent defensive skills.

So Gallagher as the playmaker, King doing his usual box to box and Oakley as the defensive player, I appreciate that Oakley is 'holding the fort' until Moreno or Abe are ready but unless Sousa has a change of heart Moreno will play at the back and Abe needs to get aclimatised.

Gallagher is not blessed with pace, so he needs wide men who are, Dyer on the right and, if he can pay there, Waghorn on the left. Leading the line is a difficult choice, Crncic is unkown, Fryatt a bit lightweight and more importantly still not in the best form and Howard is just ponderous. Howard remains the best bet at the moment providing we cut out the long balls and play into his feet, Dyer and Waghorn need to be getting beyond him on a regular basis though.

One somewhat 'off the wall thought', I would like to see DN'G tried at center forward, all his best play is in the final third, he is not good recieving the ball deep so play to his strengths and get the ball too him in forward positions and see what he can do. Might even work...

[caz05]

Have heard this a few times on here, did they elobarate and say why the players are not getting on with Sousa?

No just said certain players dont like his ways,whatever that means and this includes the player who told him .

Just hope it doesnt cause any upsets in the team

[lcfc81]

No just said certain players dont like his ways,whatever that means and this includes the player who told him .

Just hope it doesnt cause any upsets in the team

Cheers.

It doesn't sound good does it! Just hope its not too many of them.

[caz05]

Cheers.

It doesn't sound good does it! Just hope its not too many of them.

No not good at all,but fingers crossed it will all work out.

Just have to see when the loans opens

[Shane]

isn't gallagher ment to be a striker anyway? I think we've become too used to "pearsons strategy" and have been brainwashed into thinking that Gallagher must play in midfield. But do we get the best out of him in midfield? Hmm.. Under Pearson - Just about. Under Sousa? Who knows.

I think Gally should be returned back to his original position of upfront. I don't think he should get ahead of fryatt or waghorn but could be an impact sub or just behind the front two or just behind the lone striker. Only problem with this is... what formation to play, who to play on the wing, etc. Wing/Attacking midfield is probably gallagher's best position in the team right now, but he has originated as a striker.. And that's my view on things.

[Don't get me wrong, gallagher is a very gifted player and probably our most technical player in our squad so to leave him out could backfire. O.o]