The team selections in preseason have been hard to predict because the main priority has been to get minutes into the legs of as many players as possible. Now we’re facing the final game before the League One opener against Leyton Orient next weekend, I expect something closer to our best eleven against Burnley.
With eleven signings so far this summer and more expected before the transfer deadline, it’s going to feel like a brand new version of Huddersfield Town, which is much needed after previous failures. All this change will hopefully mean a new positive approach and a fresh sense of optimism around the club.
After winning promotion to the Premier League last season, Burnley are likely to present us with a tough challenge, even accounting for their squad being split between two friendlies this afternoon. Town stood up well to opposition from Europe while in Austria, so it’s possible they’ll step up against Burnley too. If nothing else, previous friendlies tell me that we’ll give Burnley a difficult afternoon even if we don’t win.
Anyways here’s my predicted lineup…
Goalkeeper: Goodman
While Lee Grant has said that he’s under no obligation to play Goodman over his other keepers, it seems likely that Goodman will be first choice at the start of the season. He’s had a few worrying moments in the few games he’s played for Town so far, looking a bit too eager to get involved and overly ambitious with short passing out from the back. While Nicholls is not great with his feet, he’s looked more dependable in the games he’s played this preseason.
Defence: Sorensen, Whatmough, Feeney, Roughan
I expect Lynden Gooch to be ahead of Sorensen in the pecking order this season, he missed the Greuther Furth friendly last weekend so hasn’t yet played any preseason minutes for Town, making Sorensen the obvious choice until Gooch is fully up to speed. Though the counterpoint would be that Gooch needs minutes, so should start but if he does I’d guess he’ll be subbed early on to manage his minutes.
Central defence is tricky to work, thankfully because we seem to have recruited really well in this area after having only Balker left in this position after the huge clear out at the end of last season. Joe Low and Radinion Balker may be our best pairing in the future but both have had limited minutes up to now, so are likely to feature from the bench rather than start. I’d guess Whatmough and Feeney are the pairing we will go for, as both looked decent last weekend. Murray Wallace could play here though and Roughan can play centrally too.
However, I think Wallace and Roughan are both in the squad to compete for the left back position. Though in Lee Grant’s wonky system, the left back tends to tuck in and make a three at the back while the right back pushes up, so it’s a hybrid sort of role. Wallace looks very steady in this position but moves like an IKEA wardrobe on casters when getting forward, he looks too big, slow and awkward to be a really effective threat down the left but he’s very solid defensively. Roughan seems to be a bit more mobile and has more quality on the ball, so I’m expecting him to be first choice in this area when he’s fit.
Midfield: Kane, Kasumu
Ledson and Evans were missing presumed injured last weekend, so I’m guessing neither will be fit enough for this match. Shame but I like all our options in this position for various different reasons. Latest arrival, Marcus McGuane may feature in this game but I doubt he’ll start when he only signed earlier this week and won’t have trained much with his new teammates. So by process of elimination, it’s probably Kasumu and Kane.
Kasumu and Kane have not got that sparkly sheen that new signings have but both were excellent in a trio with Ben Wiles on our unbeaten run last season. As a pairing, these two dovetail well, with Kasumu being physically able to cover a lot of ground and put in tackles while Kane’s ability on the ball gives us the creativity we need in deep areas.
Attackers: Harness, May, Roosken
Marcus Harness knows Lee Grant well from their time together at Ipswich and I suspect he’ll be a bit of a teacher’s pet in terms of getting Grant’s ideas quickly and following his instructions well. Harness isn’t a winger that skins defenders with speed or fancy tricks but he’s very effective at moving off the ball and his touch is good enough that he can take the ball in tight spaces and move it to someone else. He’s also very effective at pressing high up, which is a minimum expectation in this new system. Expect him to play more as an inside forward than chslk-on-his-boots type of winger.
Alfie May’s signing came as a surprise to me but a welcome one. The pragmatist in me wonders if we’ll regret giving a 32-year-old a three year deal and how close the wages we’re paying him are to the amount he was getting at Birmingham. But I’d rather cast aside these dull, practical questions and just enjoy having one of this league’s most prolific strikers on board for this season. Surely he’s been signed to play alongside Taylor rather than to compete with him, so I think he’ll take Ben Wiles place in the starting lineup, technically playing behind the striker but also pushing up to support attacks frequently.
Town have done a good job with their recruitment this summer but the wide midfield area has only seen Marcus Harness added with Miller and Roosken seemingly converted from wingbacks to wingers to bolster the numbers. Until we bring in better options, Miller or Roosken are the only options out wide. There’s not a lot to pick between either of them but I think Roosken looks a bit more dangerous going forward than Miller, so I suspect he’ll get the nod.
Striker: Taylor
If the cringey social media video the club put out with Taylor and May is anything to go on, Taylor is happy with May’s arrival and the club are building up the two as a partnership. Joe Taylor is best playing on the shoulder of the last defender, so will likely be our furthest forward player for this game.
We didn’t see the best of Joe Taylor last season but he’s looked sharp so far in preseason and seems fitter, happier and more productive. This season could be a big one for him, as we paid a lot of money for him and there are signs showing why we were willing to bring him in. Hopefully Alfie May’s arrival will get the best out of him and they can form a partnership.
Why do you see no role for Miller? Don’t you rate him? Or is he not available?
I think Miller is competing with Roosken for the left wing slot. I think I’d marginally prefer Roosken, as he has a bit more skill and control in the final third. Miller is a better defender and his blasted crosses can be quite effective but I’m not convinced he’s an out and out winger (though I think he played this position earlier in his career).
Roosken and Miller play really well together on the left they are two of our most creative players and ball crossers
Shame he doesnt want to use wingbacks
Find another way to use both players ?
So far Grant has mostly played with a reserved left back and a more adventurous right back. So Miller and Roosken don’t really fit in his system. It would not take a lot of tweaking to fit them in but I suspect he sees them both as predominantly wingers. The few times they’ve both playered together it’s looked good though, so I’d be interested in seeing it again.