Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Luton tonight

The hectic fixture schedule of the Championship is even more exaggerated this season with the addition of the World Cup break in November so Town have a very tight turnaround between two away games. In fact, it must have hardly been worth heading back up north on Saturday night to only travel back down again, presumably on Monday afternoon. 

The good thing about the quick turnaround is that Huddersfield Town’s players have an opportunity to redeem themselves after one of their worst showings in a season that is already full of poor performances despite us only being at the start of October. Luton Town away has been a notoriously tough hunting ground for us in recent seasons, possibly divine justice for the hubris of THAT chant but Mark Fotheringham will want to see an improved performance tonight regardless of the opponent.

Here’s how I think Town will line up…

Goalkeeper: Lee Nicholls

There were a few moments he won’t want to watch again in the Reading match but the bigger issues came from those in front of him rather than from our keeper. While Nicholls has unquestionably not been as brilliant this season as he was last, he doesn’t have anything like as solid a defence in front of him and so obviously he won’t look as good if he’s facing more shots and his defenders allow wingers free entry into the penalty area and time to pick out their man. 

Defence: Turton, Lees, Helik, Jackson

Kesler-Heyden and Turton are different types of players and offer different qualities down the right side of the defence. While Town are in the doldrums I think I’d rather see the more dependable and steady Turton and then Kesler-Heyden can be held back for when we need to inject some speed and dynamism down that side, particularly if Sorba Thomas is in front of the right back.

Luke Mbete’s tendency to make costly mistakes whenever he is on the pitch means he may find his opportunities limited despite being an England Under 21 International and Manchester City prospect. I doubt Pep Guardiola would have taught him to cough the ball up to the opposition as he did in the build-up to Reading’s third on Saturday. But he’s a young player and that’s part of the price you pay for bringing in young loan players, they make those types of mistakes.

Helik and Lee’s may not be sensational on the ball but they will provide a steady presence at the back. Not to forget their threat from set pieces, as we saw when Lees scored a late headed consolation goal against Reading.

At left back there is a tricky decision to make as Yuta Nakayama is a decent option but Ben Jackson impressed when he came off the bench at halftime on Saturday. While Nakayama is a Japanese international and clearly has class, I’d be tempted to go with the youthful exuberance of Jackson. If nothing else it sends a message to the rest of the squad that the new head coach will give everybody a fair chance and won’t select players purely on reputation. 

Midfield: Thomas, Hogg, Kasumu, Rudoni

I can see why you would look at the attributes Sorba Thomas has and think he could be played as a second striker where his pace could be more likely to get him in behind and through on goal but for whatever reason, it’s never worked in practice despite three different head coaches trying him in that role. He’s best suited to playing as a proper right winger, getting some chalk on his boots and supplying crosses for the strikers to work with. I hope that’s the role he has tonight.

David Kasumu, provided he is fit, has quickly become a key part of Town’s midfield. He’s the player that comes closest to providing the hustle bustle that Lewis O’Brien provided. He doesn’t have the same quality on the ball but at least he can put in a tackle (and he quite clearly loves to put in a tackle) and that’s been sorely lacking in the time while he’s been out injured. 

It’s tricky to pick a partner for Kasumu. Anyone that read my notes on the Reading game will know that I’m not keen on Jon Russell being selected again after another poor showing. I still think there’s a bright future for Russell at Town but right now he’s out of sorts and needs time away from the limelight of the first team to rebuild his confidence. That leaves a straight choice between Hogg and Camara – two players at opposite ends of their careers and able to bring different qualities to the team. I think Luton will be a physical and mental challenge for Town and Hogg’s leadership on the pitch as well as his physical abilities to dominate the midfield battle make him the right choice for this game. However, I’d like to see more of Camara in upcoming games.

On the wing, I think we’ll see Rudoni starting but it wouldn’t stun me to see Connor Mahoney getting in ahead of him, as he seems to be one of those players that have benefitted from the change in leadership at Town. He’d previously been restricted to mostly B Team games but he came off the bench at the weekend and may have done enough to be considered for a starting spot. Though, in my opinion, Rudoni is the better option.

Forwards: Rhodes, Ward

I thought Town looked a lot better when we had two strikers on the pitch on Saturday. I’ve written in the past about how it’s not a particularly trendy idea in the football world to play with two old-fashioned forwards together up front anymore but I’d like to see it tried anyway. It may be a disaster but I remember how effective Rhodes was in his heyday when he had a grafting forward alongside him like Lee Novak or Alan Lee. If Danny Ward plays that role then we could see Rhodes back to his best, ghosting into the box to finish chances like he used to.

One thing that Mark Fotheringham has made clear in his press conferences is that he wants his teams to play with plenty of width, which means balls into the box from wide areas, so playing two strikers might not be such a bad idea.