Fitting Everyone In...

[Vazzza 62]

So with a few 1st teamers coming back to fitness that would have been one of the first name's on the team sheet, Farke now has a real head-ache of fitting them back in as the dupties have stepped up tremendously.

When Mo got injured you never would have thought Vrancic would excel so well in the position. You can say the same about Tetty and Trybull, maybe to a slightly lesser degree. Klose and Godfrey, so many dilemma's.

For me the biggest one is fitting both Mo and Mario in, but no matter how I set up the team I just can't do it. Without tinkering with the formation to play both you have you can only really sacrifice Steipermann and play Vrancic further forward, losing our only height in the final 3rd (not to mention his great ball retention)... And I'm definitely not in favour of changing the very successful shape of the team.

I guess the other option is to lose the holding Trybull/Tetty and let Mario play that role, which off the last few games could be an option as he's been immense defensively, but that means leashing him slightly and not allowing him to get as far forwards, hindering his creativity.

Also, when Timm is fit do you drop Godfrey? Appreciate we aren't exactly solid at the back, but with Farke's determination to bring youth through and Klose's contract running so low, would he even want to? Maybe Zimmerman gets the drop, but seems unlikely with his new Captain status, and seriously raising his game too.

I guess I'm glad I'm not Farke, as I just can't figure it out.

 

COYY

[Surfer 1,547]

I think you stay with the shape you have now and just look at it as "I have two players here for this position" and make your choice around who's in the best form, and who's fit. For example I'd swap out Trybull for Tetty for Ipswich, keep the rest of the team as is. 

[sonyc 6,144]

I don't think DF will change the team after that performance. But I agree...just how do you fit in Timm, Mo or Grant Hanley?! Or Todd Cantwell & Alex Tettey for that matter. Agree about Zimmermann really coming forward. Captaincy seems to suit him.

[lake district canary 4,825]

You cannot realistically drop players after that result. Let the players coming back from injury take their chance from the bench, it's the only fair way.

 

[wcorkcanary 4,781]

Surely the sensible thing to do is play an unchanged side if we can. Once the Ippo game is done, for better or worse, we then move into a series of, not easy, but , shall shall we say( so as not to start an argument with any pedants) less hyped games where we should be able to play 'our game' a bit more. This, i think would be the time to make a change or two, perhaps earlier than usual subs if the games allow. If we incur no more serious injuries our squad will be in fine fettle to be managed in this way.

'Things' are very nicely poised for us at the moment.

Edited February 4, 2019 by wcorkcanary
missed a word

[ron obvious 1,711]

I do wonder if a Vrancic/Leitner combo might be the best one. Leitner was really upping his game defensively before injury. He tends to play deeper than Mario & dictate play from a DM position. Given that Mario's defensive game has also improved no end could well mean we don't need a Tettey style DM at all - though I'd play Alex against the binners to supply the raw physicality I think we'll need.

 

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 2,424]

Mario and Leitner would be too open. While they have both improved on their defensive work they both like to get forward and teams would find it pretty easy just to play one ball through the midfield and be straight at the defence. 

The formation and system is working very well, so fiddling to accommodate returning players would be a mistake. 

Leitner is better at controlling the tempo of a game and Norwich as much more comfortable in possession with him on the pitch (not that they aren’t comfortable with Vrancic). Vrancic is a greater attacking force and Norwich best shooter from outside the box - which adds a nice variation to the team’s game. 

When facing teams who will sit back and need to be broken down, you’d have to say that Vrancic is the better option. If Norwich get a lead and heading towards the end of the game bringing Leitner on will help close games out. Ultimately, Leitner may be fit, but he hasn’t really played since November now and will he ring rusty - the position is Vrancic’s to keep at the moment. 

That being said, I would bring Klose in for Godfrey as his experience at the back has been missed. I really like Godfrey and think he’ll be a cracking player - but right now Klose is the man Norwich need. 

The same could be said for Tettey over Trybull, and I’ve been a big critical of Tommy T recently, but his last couple of performances have been top notch. I’d lean to keeping Trybull in right now. 

[keelansgrandad 6,680]

The replacements have done their job admirably and I do believe it would be daft to drop any of them for Ipswich. It won't do them any harm to have another weeks training and then rest under their belts.

Leeds found it verry difficult to cause us too many problems. We are playing the team at the bottom of the table. They are poor and I fail to see how even the prospect of a "derby" is going to help them raise their game. If we were playing Rotherham instead, I don't believe there would be the same talk of changes.

[Making Plans 957]

Why does everyone worry about team selection when the man in charge is doing a perfectly adequate job all by himself.

Just look at the first few posts in Saturday's match thread and see how many people thought the team for Leeds was wrong.

Hope Godfrey and Trybull are up to this

....hope I'm wrong....but think we needed Hanley for this one

No Tettey, no party? I'd have liked to see him back.

would have preferred Tettey in midfield

I’d have been tempted to start Hanley and Tettey as well.

Would prefer Tettey over Trybull.

Seems frightened to change the team even though we keep conceding two goals a game. A mistake IMO.

So there you go, fans are fans and Managers are Managers for a reason and as for the original question, you can't fit everyone in because we can only start with 11.

 

[Bill 1,788]

2 hours ago, keelansgrandad said:

 I fail to see how even the prospect of a "derby" is going to help them raise their game.

A Derby for who

Many of our players have been with the club for a season or two and have boned into a very tight knit group. They took on Leeds in a very passionate and hostile Elland Road. No siege of the Alamo mentality either but a full blooded toe to toe battle where they were the better.

Whereas the binners have a ramshackle squad cobbled together from odds and ends picked up on the way. I don't see any 'team spirit' or even unity of purpose. Nearly 20 will be out of contract in June and that does not bode well for dogged resistance, or a determined mind set.

Not many want to shed blood for a lost cause, as we saw at Craven Cottage in 2005