4 selection headaches for Carlos – Predicted lineup for Swansea at home

Huddersfield Town take on Swansea today at the John Smiths’ Stadium and everything is looking very rosey for the Terriers right now. The game promises a nearly full stadium thanks to a £5 ticket offer, the team are in the playoff positions, the ownership issues seem to be close to being concluded and there are surprisingly few injury issues to worry about. This doesn’t feel like Town at all.

It would be easy to say defeat is virtually guaranteed because things never go this well for long for Town fans but even a beating today wouldn’t take away from the fact Town are far exceeding expectations right now. And Town are unquestionably in with a chance in today’s game because there have been incredibly few games this season where they haven’t at least been competitive. Aside from a handful of games, Town have been consistent at staying in games and giving themselves an opportunity to take something from them. Town rarely produce the free-flowing attacking football we were promised under Carlos but they have become a team that are tricky to get the better of and that’s probably a better attribute to have at this level.

Anyway, after last weekend’s excellent showing against Burnley in the cup there are selection headaches all over the pitch. Here’s a run down of the difficult decisions facing Carlos today and my predicted lineup.

Central defence: Sarr or Colwill

Obviously Colwill would be the natural choice in this position if both players were 100% fit but it was confirmed in yesterday’s press conference that the Chelsea loanee hasn’t trained with the squad most of the week and his availability hinged on him getting through the final training session before the game without issue. 

It’s also worth saying that Naby Sarr can still offer something to Town despite falling down the pecking order since Colwill’s arrival. He’s obviously got his shortcomings but his ability to dominate in the air, particularly at set pieces, can be invaluable. This may be a kiss of death, but I think he’s also less of a liability this season. Perhaps it’s because he’s played fewer games but there don’t seem to be as many incidents of him getting caught in possession or giving the ball away in dangerous areas. It still happens but not a lot more than the rest of the defence.

Right wingback: Pipa, Thomas or Turton

Last season Pipa was pretty much the first name on the team sheet because he was such a key part of our attacking play, with his underlapping runs frequently sparking attacking moves. But this season Sorba Thomas is similarly undroppable, more so in fact given how many goals he’s set up, but both players are competing for the same starting position. Then there’s Turton lagging behind these two but also, inexplicably at times, one of Carlos’ favourites.

Pipa got some valuable minutes under his belt against Burnley and looked OK but a little bit rusty. He’s also learning a new position as a right wingback. While his natural attacking instinct means he should suit that position, there are differences to playing as an attacking fullback. It’s been talked about elsewhere how Toffolo’s dip this season has partly been due to having less support out on the flanks and this has restricted his ability to get into forward positions. Toffolo has recently overcome his dip in form but it’s reasonable to think that Pipa might have a similar adjustment period.

Sorba Thomas has to start today but it’s possible he could be shoved further up field to allow either Pipa or Turton to play behind him. Turton provides more defensive solidity but isn’t likely to set pulses racing. Pipa and Thomas sounds like it could be a mouthwatering combination but it could equally spell disaster if the pair fail to click and both attack too freely and forget that at least one needs to be thinking about defending their flank.

Defensive midfield: High, Hogg or Russell

Jonathan Hogg completed 60 minutes against Burnley and provided some solidity and organisation in front of the defence. With another week of recovery under his belt, he may be able to manage a full 90 against Swansea. Thankfully our captain isn’t the only option for that position. Scott High has increasingly grown into the role in Hogg’s absence and Jon Russell looked impressive at times against Burnley, particularly when he dropped into the slot vacated by Hogg for the final half hour.

Scott High isn’t a natural defensive midfielder and his lack of physical bulk counts against him in the hustle bustle of the Championship. Yet he has been able to play a few sensational forward passes here and there while also being good at keeping the ball moving when we play out from the back. I’d be more interested in seeing him playing in an attacking midfield role, to see what he can do with the insurance of a more defensive minded midfield player behind him.

I don’t want to get too carried away about Jon Russell after just one start but I was impressed by him last weekend. He misplaced a few passes but he showed real ambition when he tried to thread balls through to the forward players from deep. I can’t see him being a regular starter this season but I’d like to see more of him as he could be the long-term successor to Jonathan Hogg in defensive midfield. 

Right-sided forward: Koroma, Sinani or Thomas

I’m hesitant to call this position right wing, because in the 3-4-3 system we’ve tended to play this season it’s really not a right wing role. It’s more like an inside forward position, playing slightly further back and in the gap between the middle of the park and the wide areas. Koroma and Thomas are natural wide players that want to get themselves one on one with their fullback and make things happen. For Thomas that usually means taking them to the byline and getting a cross in, whereas Koroma wants to go  inside and shoot. 

Sinani is more naturally suited to this role but blows hot and cold. Sometimes he looks like an absolute wizard with his left foot being his magic wand. At other times he looks a bit Sunday League, struggling with simple passes and wanting too much time to think about things. Based on what he’s done so far for Town, I can see both why Norwich paid a lot of money for him and why it didn’t work out for him there. He’s been given more chances to prove himself at Town than he did at his parent club but now it’s down to him to show that he can consistently perform.

Predicted lineup 

Quite a lot of today’s team picks itself but here are the ways I think Carlos will fall on the selection headaches I listed above. I think he’ll err on the side of caution with Colwill and give Sarr the nod. Thomas had such a massive impact on the game against Burnley that he should be the first name on the team sheet and be played in his most effective position at wingback. Then everything else can be built around that, like playing Sinani in front of him to give him someone to play off that is comfortable playing in the half spaces.

I’ve predicted Hogg to start purely because he nearly always plays if he’s even 75% fit. And, being honest, would you want to be the one to tell him he’s on the bench if he thinks he should be starting the game? I’m not saying Carlos is scared of his captain but I know who my money would be on if it came down to a fist fight between the two. 

Koroma would be unlucky to not be selected today after playing well last weekend but it’s hard to see how he fits in the 3-4-3 system and he may have to settle for a role as an impact sub today. Similarly, Pipa may have to be happy with cameo appearances until he’s 100% match fit and can recreate his form from last season.

Goalkeeper: Nicholls

Defence: Pearson, Lees, Sarr

Midfield: Thomas, Hogg, O’Brien, Toffolo

Attack: Sinani, Ward, Holmes