The day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! Town’s second Premier League campaign starts today at home to Chelsea. David Wagner has a host of new players to pick from alongside some old favourites.
Here’s my guess at who he’ll pick to take on Chelsea.
Formation: 3-5-2
I think we’ll see David Wagner use a 3-5-2 formation against Chelsea, allowing him to choose three central defenders. This is less adventurous than the typical 4-2-3-1 shape, but will make us harder to break down and clog up the middle of the pitch when we don’t have the ball.
Goalkeeper: Jonas Lössl
I’m not convinced I’m right about this prediction. Lössl only played two 45 minutes spells in preseason because of his extended post-World Cup break, and looked a bit shaky at times. Ben Hamer, who came in this summer on a free transfer from Leicester, has looked very solid and played far more of our warm up games.
It’s hard to look past Lössl’s huge contribution to our survival last season, so I think Wagner will keep faith with him for now. However, Hamer is much stronger competition for the jersey than Rob Green or Joel Coleman provided last season. If Lössl isn’t in top form then his position will be under threat.
Defence: Zanka, Schindler, and Kongolo
The defenders pick themselves when there are three central defenders in the starting team. Jon Stankovic is backup to these three, but not close in terms of quality. When we revert to two central defenders it may mean Kongolo has to settle for playing left-back, which he’s proved he’s capable of doing, but he’s most effective in the middle.
Playing with three central defenders will mean Schindler occupies the middle slot and plays more like a sweeper, pushing forward to make tackles and interceptions. Kongolo and Zanka will carry the ball forward when we have possession and try to play in our wingbacks where they can.
Wingbacks: Hadergjonaj and Löwe
Erik Durm isn’t yet fit enough to start a game, as far as I can tell. He barely played in preseason and Wagner has said he’s going to manage his fitness carefully. This means Löwe is the natural choice on the left, and I’m sure he’ll be able to do a decent job. He played a beauty of a cross for Mounié to head in during one of our friendlies, which I hope he can replicate today.
Hadergjonaj should get the nod on the right wingback position ahead of Tommy Smith. Both are capable, but I think Flo’s pace makes him a bigger threat when we attack. It’s quite common for Wagner to sub his fullbacks in games like this, so it may be that Smith comes on in the second half.
Central midfield: Hogg, Billing, Mooy
Hogg will anchor the midfield, sit deep, and compress the space available to Chelsea’s attacking players. It’s dirty work, but Hogg thrives on it and will be happy to limit his forward runs so he can protect the defence.
With Hogg sitting deep, Mooy and Billing will roam forward and press Chelsea all over the pitch and try to force mistakes. They’ll also look to make forward runs to support the attacking players.
Billing and Mooy’s ability to balance defensive duties with attacking play will be a major factor in whether we get anything out of this game. If they do it well then they’ll be able to make counter-attacking runs and exploit any gaps that Chelsea leave at the back. If they get it wrong then either the defence will be exposed because they’re out of position or they’ll sit too deep and Chelsea will be able to commit players forward and build up pressure.
Attackers: Mounié and Diakhaby
The lead striker will be a straight choice between Mounié and Depoitre and I’d be happy with either. Mounié is more of a goal threat, so I’d go with him. However, Depoitre scored a beautiful goal against Chelsea last time we played them, so I’ll have no complaints if my prediction for the main striker position is wrong.
The support striker position is a lot harder to predict. It could be any one of the following players:
- Pritchard
- Sohbi
- VLP
- Mbenza
- Kachunga
- Diakhaby
- Sabiri
If I was in David Wagner’s position, I’d chose Diakhaby because his pace is a major weapon we can use on the break against teams that commit players forward when they attack.
Who do you think Wagner should pick for the season opener? Put your thoughts in the comments.
Think you may well have called this one. That said, if I was coach I’d make 2 adjustments:
-Hamer for Lossl (Ultimately is in better form with more game time)
-Depoitre for Mounie (Better hold-up play & stronger work ethic off the ball)
UP THE TOWN!
I’d go for Pritchard ahead of Diakhaby and Depoitre ahead Mounie for this game based upon his performance at Chelsea and against Man Utd last season. We have good options on the bench if we need to change the shape or personnel. I’m sure David Wagner will make the correct choice