what to do with bentley

[nycanary 1]

after the united match, it''s occuring to me that bents could be a real game-winner for us, but i''m not sure we will be able to use him in the way that makes most sense.

he''s a playmaker. a classy player. perfectly in the arsenal mould. like a bergkamp or even a reyes (who, by the way, could be one of the top 5 players in the prem this season judging by his early performances). but playing bents on the left does his skills a disservice.

his best position is behind the front two. arsenal supporters say so and after watching the united game, i agree. he had a couple of great moments yesterday -- two stand out. "The Shot" and his through ball to Huckerby early in the 2nd half. in both situations, he was playing in that role behind the front two. it''s tailor made for him.

but NW now has a problem situation. if he wants to try out bents in this role, how would he do it? there are a few options -- maybe only 3 viable ones....but each of them has significant drawbacks.

1. 4-3-1-2
Green; Helveg, Charlton, Flem, Drury; Safri, Holt, Francis; Bentley; Hux, Sven

Problem: No width. We would not have width going forward and not enough support to the fullback in defence. Hux could possibly swing wide as he tends to do and Bents can slot in a la Scholes but this formation may be perfect for Bents, if imperfect for Norwich.

2. 4-1-2-1-2 (diamond)
Green; Helveg, Charlton, Flem, Drury; Holt; Safri, Francis; Bentley; Hux, Sven
Problem: Same as the first one but it does cement Holt as the holding player and gives Francis and Safri license to mvoe forward

3. 4-4-2 (a la England in Euros)
Green; Helveg, Charlton, Flem, Drury; Jonson, Holt, Francis, McVeigh; Bentley; Hux
Problem: Having Hux be the lone out and out striker would be a problem. Bents could play right off him like Scholes for United when they have one striker or Rooney with England. But this one might actually be the best option on the whole....the lesser of all evils.

I would really like to see Bents in one of these roles. At least, let''s try it out. It would be very interesting to see what happens. He''s an exceptional talent and we need to put it to good use but every time he got possession of the ball out there on the left I kept thinking that it was like Scholes or Gerrard out on England''s left flank -- a top talent but looks out of place in that role.

Thoughts?

[silver fox 0]

Whatever position you put him in, and whatever formation you use, we will still have a problem if you include Sven in your side. Perhaps Sven has come back too quick after his last op and needs to get a few games in the reserves. Doherty or Mckenzie up alongside Huckerby and then you will have players who can take advantage of Bentley''s undoubted skills.