Andre Breitenreiter said the team needed fresh legs and a fresh mentality following the bruising 4-1 defeat to Preston in midweek, so expect a few changes ahead of today’s game with Bristol City. He’s not wrong either, as Town ran out of both steam and ideas as Preston ran riot in the closing stages on Tuesday night. Hopefully, a few new faces today might help to produce a more convincing performance from the Terriers, as they dangle precariously above the relegation zone with just four games left in the season.
It’s still early in Breitenreiter’s time at Town but his approach to selection is starting to become apparent and he seems to like tinkering with his lineup. Most of the time there’s common sense to the changes he makes so I suspect he’ll look to solve the most obvious problems that were apparent in the game against Preston with the options he has available. With that in mind, I expect a more reliable left back, generally more stability in defense, more maturity in midfield and a proper striker up front.
Here’s my prediction for how I think Town will shape up for today’s game:
Goalkeeper: Lee Nicholls
One part of the pitch that is very settled is between the sticks. Nicholls has perhaps not been as unimpeachable in goals this season as he has in the past but he’s still pretty solid. I’ll be curious to see how frequently Nicholls plays the ball short from the back today, as he’s tending to mix it up at the moment. While kicking long tends to lead to the ball being lost more often, playing short risks disaster if our opponents press aggressively. My preference would be to not take too many risks and not expect too much in terms of ball control or intricate passing from our defenders, so boot it long and give the forwards something to chase even if it means we have to work harder to get on the ball.
Defence: Pearson, Lees, Helik, Spencer
Left back is a problem position at the moment, as both Ben Jackson and Jaheim Headley look vulnerable when they play there, both have their moments going forward but can either over commit or just make daft mistakes at bad moments. Jackson in particular has struggled lately. While not naturally left footed, Brodie Spencer has shown he can do a decent job on the left this season, so I would be tempted to move him over to this side and shift Matty Pearson over to the right back position.
This makes space for Tom Lees to come back in and add more solidity and experience to the defensive line too. Pearson at right back isn’t glamorous or full of attacking possibilities but he does have a Ronseal, does-what-it-says-on-this-tin approach which is handy when we need to avoid costly errors and keep things tight.
Midfield: Kasumu, Rudoni, Wiles
In midfield I would drop Matos, not because of his mistake that led to the penalty on Tuesday but because of how little impression he made on the game more generally. Despite buzzing around, Kasumu was left to do most of the actual work in the middle of the pitch and Matos looked like he was overwhelmed.
I’d prefer that either Wiles or Rudoni played further back and asked to do the engine room work alongside Kasumu with the other playing as a number ten. They could even swap from time to time. But at this stage I think we’ve seen that Matos is too raw and inexperienced for a relegation dogfight and perhaps doesn’t know the defensive midfield role enough just yet. In time he may become a star in that position but he’s currently not imposing himself on games enough (however, I’d love for him to play and prove me wrong).
Forwards: Burgzorg, Ward, Thomas
Up front, it’s tricky to know the best combination of players to pick. We don’t have forwards who are both in good form and fully fit, so we have to rotate heavily and hope they can produce some magic between them. Sorba Thomas will obviously feature, because we rely so heavily on him for creativity both from open play and set pieces but the other two slots are trickier to predict.
Burgzorg and Koroma haven’t been great but they did combine for our goal against Preston on Tuesday. Despite Koroma being the scorer, I’d be tempted to drop him and keep Burgzorg, as he was the one that created that goal with his persistent running and cross/shot that Koroma latched onto. By dropping one of this pair you can then play a proper striker, which will have to be either Ward or Radulovic as Healey still isn’t fit enough to start games (despite seeming to be our most potent striking option) so I’d probably go for Ward given Radulovic seems a bit too lightweight to lead the line. Ward doesn’t set pulses racing when his name comes up but he has consistently produced at this level, let’s not forget the key goal he scored against Sheffield United in last season’s run in.
Not a lot to argue with in your picks TS. Breitenreiter must know the best 11 by now. Get them fit and play them 442 every game and just switch strikers having been told to run their socks off and they/ he will be subbed for the last 15 mins. Tinker if he must but only to waste time in the last few minutes as we are 3-0 up !
To be honest I’d rather you picked the team as I’m not sure tinkering is wise in the current situation.
I’m still bemused that Town are only ever available to play one half a game of football and fitness seems an issue. Maybe Mr Nagle could have a word with the pit owners to get them to let the lads off on a Friday afternoon so they are well rested for the match on Saturdays 😇
Difficult to see a win for Town and goal difference is something which could come in play come season end. Losing by three goals (or more) should not be happening with our current plight. Here’s hoping for a surprise.
Nagle too quick to get rid of Warnock and it’s coming back to bite his bum
Can’t keep referring back to Warnock that ship has sailed. Andre is a very experienced manager , and we have got some very easy come easy go players. If they want a decent career it’s time to roll them sleeves up !
Ship sailed or not it’s still true Warnock should not have gone you will realise this when relegation happens