It’s getting close now! After a very long wait and a lot of fussing about tickets, the playoff final is almost here. After 46 league games and two playoff semi-final matches, everything boils down to tomorrow’s winner-takes-all encounter against Nottingham Forest.
Carlos said that he has a virtually fully fit squad to pick from for tomorrow’s game in his pre match press conference. If I’m honest, I’m not sure I believe him and he may just be keeping his cards close to his chest to avoid giving an advantage to Forest. But I’m going to take him at his word for the purposes of this predicted lineup and pick the players I think Carlos will pick if all the main players are fit.
Goalkeeper: Lee Nicholls
He’s been a hero for Town already this season and the stage is set for him to be the hero again at Wembley. Whether it comes in normal time, extra time or in a penalty shootout, I have a feeling any Town victory will depend on Nicholls turning in another brilliant performance.
Defence: Lees, Hogg, Colwill
Matty Pearson is fit again after his injury but is not match fit, so I suspect he’ll have to settle for a place on the bench if he gets in the squad at all. In his absence, Lees has moved over to the right side of central defence and done a good job. He’s not the most mobile but he does well to push up and support when the wingback progresses up the field and also gets over quickly when wingers break through in wide areas.
Jonathan Hogg isn’t a centre back but that’s the role he’s been playing lately. Redeploying him in this area has solved a few problems at once. Firstly, our central midfield is too slow and sits too deep with both Russell and Hogg in there; playing Hogg in the back line avoids this problem. Secondly, we needed someone to steady things at the back in Pearson’s absence and Hogg is great at organising those around him and making his experience count. Finally, Hogg looks better on the ball when he’s got a bit of thinking time and playing in the back line allows him a bit more opportunity to pick out passes and survey his options. He’s too short for this role really but otherwise it’s worked pretty well. Perhaps he could extend his playing career by making the move to central defence a long term change.
As bonkers as it sounds, I wouldn’t be completely disappointed if Naby Sarr was preferred to Levi Colwill. Sarr has been very good when he’s been involved in the last few months and has really helped the team. However, Levi Colwill could genuinely be a future England captain and has been absolutely class for us this season. So Colwill has to get the nod in my eyes.
Midfield: Pipa, Russell, O’Brien, Toffolo
If Town play three at the back then it’ll be wingbacks rather than fullbacks, which makes Pipa the natural choice over Turton. With a back four, Carlos likes to play Turton because he can be tucked in to make a back three if he wants to make a mid-game tinker to his team’s shape. Pipa isn’t as good a defender as Turton but he does have the ability to carry the ball up the field and has pace to get him out of trouble when he’s out of position.
Jonathan Russell has a little bit to prove in this game as he had a poor first half in both playoff semi-finals against Luton. In the second leg, Luton made Snodgrass stand next to Russell whenever Town had the ball at the back and marking him tightly cut him out of the game. If Forest do the same then he’s going to have to find a way to get some space and help us build our attacks as we need him to be the player that plays the ball forward from deep positions and starts off attacks.
While there are other players that could steal the show tomorrow, I think that Lewis O’Brien could be Town’s star player on the day. He’s had a superb season and has embodied the Terrier Spirit this blog is named after. He’s our top tackler, he’s the second most fouled player and he’s the player we look to when we’re struggling to push the team forward and get on the front foot. I’ve said that goals are the thing that’s missing from his game, today would be an excellent time to put that right.
Toffolo has had a strange season, he had a spell where his form dipped below the high standard he has set in his time at Town. Not that he was poor, but not as good as we knew he could be. But then he’s been sensational during the run in and has developed the knack for scoring goals too.
Attack: Thomas, Ward, Sinani
Sorba Thomas is finishing his first season at Town and he’s already one of my all-time favourite players that I’ve seen play for the club. While he’s a different kind of person, he has a similar charismatic personality to Michael Hefele and has a similar galvanising effect on both fans and players. Add to that the fact he’s a very good footballer and he has to play. He was only fit enough to come off the bench against Luton but he’s had nearly two weeks of recovery time since then and will surely be fit enough to start.
Danny Ward is another player that has come back from injury. He limped off in the first half of Town’s previous game looking like his season was over but Carlos hasn’t said he’s unavailable so I’m guessing it wasn’t all that bad. Jordan Rhodes may get the nod even if Ward is fit but I think Ward has proven himself enough over the course of the season to get the nod.
There are plenty of Town fans that are unconvinced about Danel Sinani, I’m one of them, but Carlos clearly rates him and I think he’ll start today. He’s good at linking things up between attack and midfield and helps us keep the ball in the opposition’s half. His first touch is occasionally dodgy but he has a lovely left foot and on his day he can be excellent.
The players that are unlucky not to start
Carlos said in his press conference that leaving players out is the hardest part of his job and there will be players capable of starting the game that won’t even make the bench. Here are a few of the players that are particularly unlucky.
Turton – He’s been superb this season, very steady after a shaky start.
Pearson – The rock at the back who’s injury recovery has most likely come too late.
Sarr – Seems to have put his error-prone performances behind him and has stepped up a level lately.
Holmes – An influential player both on and off the field but not quite as potent an attacking threat as Sinani.
Rhodes – Scored the goal that took us to Wembley but will most likely have to settle for a place in the bench.
Anjorin – Might be a future superstar but his injury has meant that we’ve not seen the best from him (yet?).
There are others I could name, such as Josh Ruffels, Scott High, Carel Eiting or Aaron Rowe that are all potential first teamers that haven’t had a chance to shine this season. The depth in our squad and the fitness of the fringe players when called upon has really been the difference for us and is a huge factor in why we’ve done so well.
The rules of tomorrow’s game allow a fourth sub to be used during extra time if it is needed so there are potentially four players that can come off the bench to try and make a name for themselves. So while we’ll all be desperately looking at the starting eleven at half three tomorrow, it may be one of the players named above that makes all the difference off the bench.
Can’t see Pipa starting. Nichols (obviously!) Back 3 Turton, Lees, Colwill. Midfield Thomas, Russell, Hogg, OBrien, Toffolo, Front Sinani and Ward. Alternatively, Pearson for Turton to start.
Having seen forest play a few times their is a huge attacking threat from their right side and the idea of playing Sarr on the left of our defence defence is not a bad idea . The point about Russel being marked making him ineffective if that is the case I would like to see him replaced by Eiting coming from the bench later in the game even though he hasn’t played much first team football this season For CC it’s the most important team selection of the season and I am confident he will get it right