When Gabby M is back.....

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

In some ways it would make sense to have one of Gabby or Leo on the bench so we have a decent attacking option to bring on.

But if we played Leo at CF, with Gabby and Ethan out wide, then we could play MnM at inside left and Dec at DM.

I don't think a MF of Dec/MnM is much weaker than Dec/Wigwam {TP} and MnM at inside left gives us someone very good at winning duals, who can help with the press and gives us the height for the aerial outlet. He can also arrive late in the box for heading in Ethan's crosses {hopefully better than Dec did in that CL game when he cored his first but missed the header for a 2nd.}

And hopefully, his time at CF has given him more confidence in front of goal.

And he can drop to cover Dec if Dec bursts forward to score or make goals.

Would like to see this tried. And if it works, when Bee comes back, then we have the option of playing Ethan at CF - again, MnM at inside left would give us the height and dual winning that Kai has more than Leo or Ethan. And we'd have a spare top notch forward to bring from the bench.

And if Ethan wasn't yet as good as Leo at CF, we have Leo on the bench for an attacking sub for Bee, Odin or perhaps even inside left.

In the meantime, if a game's won, would like to see Cala given a few more mins at CF, MnM at keft 8 and Dec at DM. 2 big lumps for the headers and aerial duals.

[Peter]

In some ways it would make sense to have one of Gabby or Leo on the bench so we have a decent attacking option to bring on.

But if we played Leo at CF, with Gabby and Ethan out wide, then we could play MnM at inside left and Dec at DM.

I don't think a MF of Dec/MnM is much weaker than Dec/Wigwam {TP} and MnM at inside left gives us someone very good at winning duals, who can help with the press and gives us the height for the aerial outlet. He can also arrive late in the box for heading in Ethan's crosses {hopefully better than Dec did in that CL game when he cored his first but missed the header for a 2nd.}

And hopefully, his time at CF has given him more confidence in front of goal.

And he can drop to cover Dec if Dec bursts forward to score or make goals.

Would like to see this tried. And if it works, when Bee comes back, then we have the option of playing Ethan at CF - again, MnM at inside left would give us the height and dual winning that Kai has more than Leo or Ethan. And we'd have a spare top notch forward to bring from the bench.

And if Ethan wasn't yet as good as Leo at CF, we have Leo on the bench for an attacking sub for Bee, Odin or perhaps even inside left.

In the meantime, if a game's won, would like to see Cala given a few more mins at CF, MnM at keft 8 and Dec at DM. 2 big lumps for the headers and aerial duals.

I would go with PSRB's Martinelli idea. Has to be worth a try.

[PSRB]

I would go with PSRB's Martinelli idea. Has to be worth a try.

[Luis Anaconda]

I would go with PSRB's Martinelli idea. Has to be worth a try.

Indeed- although I am not sure P is the best bunch of centre forwards. I remember having a conversation within him about Harry Kane when he first got in to the Spurs team. I said there was something about him that worries me. He said he was Championship at best

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Sorry. Must have missed that. Or is it the old one about playing Gabby through the middle? If so, while part of me thinks we're all up for it simply because of that bullet header he scored on his debut, I'd be up for it.

Leo's been looking back to his best at LW. Gabby can score headers and tap in crosses. Would be fine getting on the end of Ethan's inswingers. Also has pace and is good 1-vs-1.

And there have been times when he's cut in from the left and curled it into the far corner like Titi used to.

Just need Leo at LW and our LB and/or inside left to create overloads out there like Titi, Bobby and Cashley did.

But if we did play him there - Leo-Gabby-Ethan as front 3 - then do you reckon we should try MnM at inside left and Dec as DM?

MnM can not only arrive late in the box to head in Ethan's crosses, he wins loads of duels and is the aerial target man we need for the other attackers to play off. And I'd love to see MnM come good.

It's just if you start Dec; Odin/MnM; Ethan/Gabby/Leo then we have no-one to bring on to make things more attacking if we need a goal.

[Peter]

Indeed- although I am not sure P is the best bunch of centre forwards. I remember having a conversation within him about Harry Kane when he first got in to the Spurs team. I said there was something about him that worries me. He said he was Championship at best

Harry Kane looks ****ing useless. I still suspect the whole thing might be an elaborate con

[Peter]

Sorry. Must have missed that. Or is it the old one about playing Gabby through the middle? If so, while part of me thinks we're all up for it simply because of that bullet header he scored on his debut, I'd be up for it.

Leo's been looking back to his best at LW. Gabby can score headers and tap in crosses. Would be fine getting on the end of Ethan's inswingers. Also has pace and is good 1-vs-1.

And there have been times when he's cut in from the left and curled it into the far corner like Titi used to.

Just need Leo at LW and our LB and/or inside left to create overloads out there like Titi, Bobby and Cashley did.

But if we did play him there - Leo-Gabby-Ethan as front 3 - then do you reckon we should try MnM at inside left and Dec as DM?

MnM can not only arrive late in the box to head in Ethan's crosses, he wins loads of duels and is the aerial target man we need for the other attackers to play off. And I'd love to see MnM come good.

It's just if you start Dec; Odin/MnM; Ethan/Gabby/Leo then we have no-one to bring on to make things more attacking if we need a goal.

I think you are highlighting the problem. Playing plenty of different people up front might work, but each option requires a few things to shift about elsewhere in the side. Too complicated for us to work out from the outside.

Just hoping we get Saka and Martinelli back sooner rather than later. At least then we have options.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

I think you are highlighting the problem. Playing plenty of different people up front might work, but each option requires a few things to shift about elsewhere in the side. Too complicated for us to work out from the outside.

Just hoping we get Saka and Martinelli back sooner rather than later. At least then we have options.

Yup.

Yet we can have BW or JT at RB and MLS or Cala at LB without any problems. We could even have BW at RB and JT at LB with no worries.

How many decent LBs do we have if everyone's fit? MLS, Cala, JT, Tomi and Zinny. Even KT would be fine if the RB's doing the inversion and his job was simply to provide overlap when going forward and play left of a back 3 when defending if our RB has inverted to MF and got caught further forward - a bit like a right sided version of BW when Zinny or whoever was inverting at LB.

[redgunamo]

I would go with PSRB's Martinelli idea. Has to be worth a try.

Yes, but it does make you wonder why we haven't really tried it already. The boss knows him well enough.

All I've got is that today's Brazilian forwards prefer the fa?ao, machete-role; cutting in from wide. Gabriel Jesus talked about it.

Plus there's less pressure to score goals from there (a dozen or so a season will do). Basically a striker is a player who doesn't get into the team unless he scores lots of goals.

[Peter]

Yup.

Yet we can have BW or JT at RB and MLS or Cala at LB without any problems. We could even have BW at RB and JT at LB with no worries.

How many decent LBs do we have if everyone's fit? MLS, Cala, JT, Tomi and Zinny. Even KT would be fine if the RB's doing the inversion and his job was simply to provide overlap when going forward and play left of a back 3 when defending if our RB has inverted to MF and got caught further forward - a bit like a right sided version of BW when Zinny or whoever was inverting at LB.

It certainly seems as though any possible solution is going to involve an awful lot of left backs