Strongest 11

What’s everyone’s thoughts on what our strongest 11 will be now until January? Considering Iheanacho might also sign, does he start or do we go with Shin or Kenny through the middle?

 

He’s doesn’t warrant a start for me, if we sign him he will take a while to get fit as well.

 

I’d probably go with Maeda - Shin - Balikwisha as a front 3

 

Possibly Balikwisha - Maeda - Tounekti

 

I don't know our strongest 11, because we've no idea what we actually have at all...

At a guess:

Schmeichel
Ralston, CCV, Scales, Tierney/Young Lad
McGregor, Hatate, Engels
Nygren/BollocksWasher, Shin/Kenny, Maeda

Literally don't know enough about the forwards to choose between them, but I'd guess Big Bollocks and Shin...

 

Our front 3 will be significantly better than a week ago but that's not really hard to do.

Maeda needs to wake up so id go Tounektli - Yamada - Balikwisha for a couple of games

 

a front 3 of:

Balance Sheet - Profit - Net Spend
​

should be enough to get us over the line...

 

Schmeichel

Ralston CCV Trusty Tierney

Nygren Calmac Hatate

Seb Daizen MAB​

 

Not a 4-3-3. It doesn’t work with the personnel we have.

A 4-2-3-1 with Maeda or Shin leading the line and Engels playing alongside McGregor instead of leaving him totally isolated.

 

Everyone can see it except the manager

 

Right now I'd go:

Schmeichel

Ralston* CCV Scales Tierney

Engels McGregor Hatate

Balikwisha Shin Tounekti

Obviously AJ and Jota are long term injuries. Maeda is obviously a key player for us but he just looks so down in himself at the minute he could probably do with a mental and physical rest. He has been asked to carry the attack this season and has been miles off, if we can get things going again I'd be phasing him back in there for Yamada and I think he'll be back to himself.

Midfield I could literally settle on any 3 of the 6, none of them are impressing. I'd be hoping Bernardo starts against Killie by virtue of him not having a chance yet while the others have fluffed their lines. Think we need to move McGregor away from the 6 position.

 

I think a good few of us have pointed out the same problem - we have a bunch of players who are easily strong enough to win the league, but we don't really have a TEAM of players that we need to manage a long campaign...

There's almost no-one amongst our players who wouldn't walk into most other teams starting 11's, but they're an untested commodity for what we need... Think we all agree that smashing the square peg of our squad into the round hole of a 433 formation is foolish.

 

What makes this window even more strange is that both Nygren and Balikwisha is CAM's.

 

If we have good enough players, and a formation that doesn't work then surely its the managers job to change it, and build the team and make it work.

A striker is only as good as the service provided.

I think we will win the league and do reasonably well in europe. Our defender is still the strongest part of our team. Opposites from years gone by, maybe we can finally defend our way to a decent European finish.

Now we may not have got what we needed, not even close. However this is where having a "world class" manager should come in. Especially against the teams in our league.

 

I'd probably be looking to start:

Schmeichel
Ralston CCV Scales Tierney
McGregor
Nygren Hatate
Tounekti Shin Maeda​

I like the look of Tounekti, and even though he's clearly a left winger he's comfortable on both feet. Maeda's finishing has been horrendous as a striker this year, and I think we need to give Yamada a run of games to see what he can offer.

 

We'll likely persevere with Maeda in the middle.. tbf he isn't linking with KT at all on the left.

 

Kasper
Ralston Ccv ScalesTierney
Engels McGregor hatate
Touneki maeda balikwisha


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Think we simply have to... We just spend 10mill on two l left wingers

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I would go 4-2-3-1 myself, but Brendan is as stubborn as Ange in that regards.
Even Martin for all his faults, adapted and went from his usual 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 on Sunday.

I'd drop Schemeichel, he's beginning to come apart at the seams, and give Sinisalo the gloves.

Sinisalo
Ralston CCV Scales Tierney
Engels McGregor
Balikwisha Nygren Tounekti
Shin

 

I haven't seen enough of Balikwisha or Tounekti but I assume they're going to be the choices by default, because we have nothing else.