Town play Luton this afternoon in their final game before the international break. Town’s defeat to Luton during lockdown was one of last season’s worst performances, seeing Town dominate possession but looking toothless in attack against a resolute Luton side (sound familiar?).
Town have struggled already this season against defensive teams so it’s likely to be a tough afternoon and a real test of how much the team have progressed under Corberán.
Here’s who I think should start the game today.
Goalkeeper: Hamer
It’s a game that could come down to fine margins, so it’s important we have a safe pair of hands between the sticks. Hamer is doing far better than I expected this season and I have no issues with him continuing as our number one.
Defence: Pipa, Stearman, Sarr, Toffolo
We’ve switched between four and five at the back regularly this season but I think today we need as much creativity as possible in the team so should only play two centrebacks. Stearman and Sarr have both been good at getting forward and starting off attacks, so I’d go with that pairing and give Schindler a rest.
Toffolo and Pipa have been stand out players this season for Town. In recent weeks Toffolo has been singled out by opposition defences and stifled but that has opened up space for other team members and if we move the ball quickly enough we can exploit these spaces.
If Luton are as defensive as I expect then the defence is going to have to do a lot of work with the ball to get us up the pitch. Rather than rolling it around at the back I’d like to see a bit more quality and intent going forward. This might mean Sarr pinging balls fifty yards to the opposite wing or Stearman overlapping Pipa some times. While it’s essential to keep things tight at the back, we also need to work hard going forward to create openings.
Midfield: Hogg, O’Brien, Eiting
Hogg must be aching after the crazy number of games he’s played but he isn’t the sort of player to complain, so I suspect he’ll play again today. Possibly more like a third centre back rather than an actual midfielder but we benefit from his positional knowledge and he helps organise the rest of the team when he’s on.
O’Brien’s return from injury hasn’t led to an immediate return to his best football but we’ve seen glimpses of what he can do. He still looks a bit rusty in possession and loses the ball more than is ideal. I think this may be an adjustment period to Corberán’s style of play, where the ball is moved quicker and the speed of thought required is increased. It should fall into place soon though, as he’s improving every game.
Eiting is another player that seems to be taking a while to adjust, this time to the physical demands of English football. I’d chuck him in today because of his cultured passing. He’s capable of playing defence splitting passes and we need that kind of quality today. He just needs to get himself more involved in games and show for the ball more often. He’s too often a passenger in games and play passes him by, if he gets involved more I can see him becoming a key player for Town.
Bacuna missed out on Tuesday night through sickness so could be well enough again today but I’m not sure this is a game that would suit him because he tends to slow the game down when he’s in possession and we need to move the ball quickly. Matty Daly had a late cameo against Bristol and may have a chance of getting in the starting eleven but I’m not sure he’d thrive in a game where there isn’t likely to be much space to exploit in the gap between Luton’s defence and midfield.
Forwards: Koroma, Campbell, Mbenza
This is our best front three that we have available, so I think we should play them all together if they’re fit enough. They’ll have two weeks to recover after the game so there’s no need to worry about conserving energy.
Mbenza and Koroma combined excellently for the goal against Bristol in midweek. The ball in from Mbenza was superbly executed and Koroma did well to get into the position to apply the finish. Neither of these players have been perfect so far this season but they have improved substantially under Corberán.
Koroma is showing a lot of potential but despite being our top scorer, I think he needs to improve his finishing. He’s taking on a lot of shots most games but sometimes lacks composure at the final moment. This will hopefully improve as he plays more games because he’s got the ability if he can keep his cool.
Mbenza looks to be getting better every game and looks happy to be in Huddersfield now. I’d like to see him being a bit more direct in games and cutting inside more to try and get shots away.
Fraizer Campbell continues to contribute a lot to the team even when he isn’t scoring, so justifies his selection for now. He’s already scored a couple but it’s his hold up play and defensive work rate that keeps him in the team.
Corberán hinted at using a bigger pool of players after the international break, which obviously means Danny Ward will be in contention for a starting spot but could also mean Kieran Phillips gets a look in too after impressing in the B Team.
For once I wouldn’t disagree too much with your selections. I’m pleased to see you’ve moved on from Tuesday and resting players when there’s an imminent 2 weeks off!
I do look at the team you’ve selected and wonder how we’re not yet in relegation trouble. It’s not a great Championship side by any stretch of the imagination; from a slightly twitchy goalkeeper through to an ageing central striker, players who show occasional flashes of ability but all too frequently go missing, not much creativity and nobody assured to stick the ball in the net when that elusive chance comes along. So I guess that’s a nod of appreciation to Corberon for getting more out of the whole than its component parts.
Cheers Simon. I listened to Carlos’ pre-Bristol press conference and got the impression he was planning to make wholesale changes, so my predictions were way off. I’m expecting he’ll try to pick his best available eleven today.
I think you’re right that our team looks like relegation fodder on paper but Carlos has got several of them playing well above their previous levels.
If you looked at the comments from almost any club in the Championship you would read the same, only the names are different. Every team has good and bad players in the supporters view and they are never satisfied. It boils down to who the coach has in the squad to work with and who is available subject to injuries etc. In this league, 2 wins and you are in the top 6, 2 loses and your in the bottom 3 and anybody can beat anybody.
I think you’re spot on about how tight the Championship is this season and it’s one of the reasons it’s such a good league to compete in. I’m genuinely not sure I’d want Town to go up this season as it would mean going back to losing most weeks in the Premier League. I’d rather us build slowly and push to go up when we’re good enough to establish ourselves at that level rather than having to build a new squad like we did under Wagner.
You’re not keen on Schindler are you? Towns best player for 50 years.
I don’t have a problem with him at all, I’d just rather Stearman play ahead of him based on recent form. I’d probably put Mooy ahead of Schindler but otherwise he’s close to the best player I’ve seen at Town even if he’s dipped a bit in the last season and a bit.
You’re obviously a young fella if you think Mooy or Schindler are the best Town players you’ve seen. Marcus Stewart, Trevor Cherry, Frank Worthington, Jordan Rhodes, Andy Booth to name but five. I’ll grant you that as an out-and-out midfield player, Mooy on his day was right up there. Same with Schindler, on his day he’s a classy player; shame we’ve not seen him at his very best for a while.
I’ve watched Stewart, Rhodes and Boothy (both spells) while I’ve been a Town fan and I’d say Mooy was better in a Town shirt than all of them. Maybe Stewart would have come close if he had stayed and taken us up.
Cherry and Worthington were before my time so I can’t really compare. My dad had talked to me about them and I expect they’d be better than our recent stars but the game is so different now it’s hard to make comparisons.
I’m 66. I’ve seen all the players you mention. And loved them all. Cherry was the main man in 69. Nobody better than him has ever come along – Until Schindler.
EVery bit as good a player as Cherry was, but wins because of his heroics at Wembley, his absolute reliability and his overwhelming loyalty to the club when all around him were spitting out dummies. He has even carried on regardless since relegation and the sacking of Cowleys under the new owners mystifying leadership
In my opinion.. We are all allowed one you know. Even terrier spirit who keeps wanting Schindler dropped!
Nicely put. No quarrel from me (another 66yr old). There are similarities between Cherry and Schindler. Both very reliable defenders and have that touch of class.
dave.
woudnt be surprised if we are not as open in our play as luton will be well organised and very patient.what ever team we put out I’m sure that will be in ther thinking. a hard game this but I’m sure whatever the result the break will be ost welcome. Then the season will settle down
It might be a bit like watching chess at times today but I’m hopeful we’ll have been working on a game plan to somehow break Luton down.
Stearman has made too many mistakes this season and cost us goals whereas Schindler is still consistently reliable.
Felt we ran out of steam on Tuesday after grinding down Bristol through determination to dominate. Really impressed and expect us to continue the improvement and take all the points today
Come on Terriers!
I picked Stearman because he’s been able to do a bit more with the ball and get forward more than Schindler lately (including an unlikely assist a few games ago). You’re right about Schindler being more consistent defensively, so I’m not too bothered which plays.
One of my favourite things about this season so far is that I feel like we can get something out of any game, so I’m feeling pretty positive too.
grant wanted premier league foot ball he will be in champion ship when west brom get relegated serves him right
He also wanted a massive pay rise so will still be on a decent wage after the relegation reduction. I doubt he’ll be too bothered. I hoe he does well but I don’t feel overly attached to him either, I think it was clear early in his Town career that we were a stepping stone for him. We did well out of him though, his goals kept us up and then we made a substantial profit.