It’s been said that Huddersfield Town’s ambition for their squad is to have a first choice, second choice and a youth player for each position on the pitch. This makes sense, as it means there’s proper competition for places and always a young player ready to step up if needed due to injuries or lack of form.
Now the transfer window is shut, I thought it would be a good time to go through each position on the field and see if Town really have three players ready to go for each area of the pitch. The reality doesn’t quite match the plan but it’s not too far away.
Goalkeeper – 1st: Hamer / 2nd: Pereira / B: Schofield & Chapman
This position was a huge worry before the start of the season but now Hamer is playing himself back into form it’s less of a concern. Pereira came to Town with a poor reputation from his previous loan but with a fresh start and a style of play that suits his willingness to play out from the back he may have a better chance of doing well at Town, if he gets a chance at all.
Schofield’s thumb injury is healing nicely by the sounds of it and he’s back in training. It doesn’t sound like it’s in the plan for him to take Hamer’s place between the sticks just yet but he’ll be breathing down his neck if errors start creeping back in.
In Schofield’s absence we’ve seen Jacob Chapman involved in the first team squad more, making the bench on two occasions so far. As we’ve not actually seen him play competitively yet I don’t have much to say about him but the big Australian is another youth product that could break through into the first team at some stage.
Rightback – 1st: Pipa / 2nd: Duhaney / B: Rowe
Pipa has settled in nicely at Town so far, which is impressive considering his age, experience and relocation to a new country. His willingness to bomb forward makes him ideal for this system and it’s exciting to watch him play. I just hope he can keep himself fit.
Duhaney and Rowe are at a similar stages of their careers and either could be considered the backup or the B Team option at rightback. Based on recent team selections, Duhaney’s place on the bench and cameos as a sub suggest he is just ahead in the pecking order. Both represent a considerable step down in quality from Pipa but could come in and surprise us all.
Right-sided centre back: 1st: Schindler / 2nd: Stearman / B: Rarmani Edmonds-Green
I think this could be the strongest position on the pitch for Town. Any of these three options could be the first choice centre back as was evidenced against Derby where Stearman was selected ahead of Schindler.
Edmonds-Green gained rave reviews on his loan at Swindon last season and I expected him to eventually become Schindler’s long-term defensive partner. Carlos’ preference for left footers on the left of central defence means Edmonds-Green is now behind two of the most experienced and capable members of the squad whereas previously he may have played alongside one of them.
Left-sided Centre back – 1st: Naby Sarr / 2nd: Romoney Crichlow
Naby Sarr is looking like another smart addition to the club with his height, strength and passing ability. It’s unusual to see such a big defender have his ability dribbling and passing so I think we did very well to pick him up for free. He can be a bit scary to watch at times as his fearless approach can verge upon being reckless. However, I like the look of him and if the odd mistake is the price you pay for a maverick-style of defending then I’m OK with that.
I wasn’t expecting Crichlow to get near the first team this season but his efforts in training and injuries to senior players gave him a chance and he proved he can perform at this level. Centre backs often hit their peak later in their careers than players in other positions, so I think there’s a lot more to come from him.
Leftback – 1st: Toffolo / 2nd: J. Brown
Since arriving in January, Toffolo has become Town’s beat player and has consistently created chances by overlapping down the left wing. Jaden Brown is somewhere between a 2nd choice and B Team player. While not as much of a threat as Toffolo, he’s proven himself to be capable when he played regularly in the first half of last season.
Ben Jackson and Carel Eiting are both left-footed midfielders that have previously played leftback, so either is capable of filling in if injury strikes. It seems mad that we played a game last season without a single left-footed player on the pitch but now have an abundance of options.
Defensive midfielder – 1st: Hogg / 2nd: Vallejo / B: Austerfield
It was suggested that Carel Eiting was brought in for this role but so far he’s played further forward and Hogg has been the preferred defensive midfielder. When Vallejo signed for Town last weekend, Corberán made it clear that he was brought in as cover for Hogg because we only had one player in his position. This tells us two things. Firstly, Hogg is unquestionably the first choice and Vallejo the understudy. Secondly, Eiting isn’t considered for this role despite playing as a “number 6” in most of his games for Ajax. There’s a logic to pushing Eiting forward as he’s not really made for the rough and tumble nature of the Championship and will be able to focus more on the creative aspects of his game further forward.
Josh Austerfield really impressed me in the preseason friendlies where he played as a ball-playing midfielder, protecting the backline and launching attacks from deep. He’s not got close to the first team yet, which has been a disappointment but I hope he’ll get a chance later in the season.
Box-to-box midfielder – 1st: Eiting / 2nd: O’Brien / B: Jackson
I’ve split the other two midfield positions into two categories for ease of reference but they are very similar positions. Typically the two players in front of Hogg have had a player more focussed on attacking and one that is more of a genuine box-to-box midfielder. Carel Eiting currently occupies the latter role with Lewis O’Brien waiting in the wings to get a chance following his injury absence.
I think Eiting is still going through a bedding in period with English football and he’s not getting on the ball as much as I’d like. On the other hand, when he does get possession he nearly always plays a clever pass that advances the play. There have been a few occasions where his passes forward have looked like wizardry, they’ve been so creative and intelligent. Soon his teammates will learn to make runs for him to aim for and we’ll see even more from him.
If Eiting blossoms then I can imagine Lewis O’Brien will be challenging for the other midfield berth as he’s flexible enough to play in any of the midfield roles. He’s not had much of a chance yet under Carlos but based on last season’s energetic performances he seems perfect for this system.
I’d say Ben Jackson is the second most natural passer of the ball in the squad behind Eiting. I’ve not seen a lot of Jackson playing but a few of the cross-field balls he played in friendly games were similar to David Beckham in his prime. Doing that in the heat of a competitive game is a different story though and he may have to wait for his chance to show off what he can do.
Attacking midfielder – 1st: Bacuna / 2nd: Pritchard / B: Daly
While the most common formation Town have played has been 4-3-3 there is usually a more attacking member of the midfield three that players somewhat like a number 10, providing the link between attack and midfield. Pritchard assumed that role early on and Bacuna has been doing it recently. Both have misfired at times and have a tendency to slow the game down by messing around in possession. However, Bacuna had one of his better games against Derby this week and I think he could kick on from here.
Matty Daly has been on the verge of breaking into the first team for a few seasons now but despite the enthusiastic endorsements he gains from managers and coaches, he’s still not had a regular run of games. The intensity of this season’s fixture lists suggests he’ll get his turn at some point this season but it will be down to him whether he takes it or not.
Right winger – 1st: Mbenza / 2nd: Diakhaby / B: ?
I’m as surprised as anyone that Mbenza and Diakhaby have been given another chance at Town but now they have I’m giving them my support. Both have shown big improvements in their attitude and application during games which has led to some progress with their playing ability too. Our lack of options in wide areas means that at least one of them needs to kick on this season and I suspect Mbenza may do exactly that. Diakhaby may be less likely to overhaul his reputation but he has shown glimmers of a more disciplined approach to football, using his pace to contain Norwich’s threat and playing more like a full back in the season’s opening game.
This is an area of the pitch that we could really do with hot prospects coming out of the academy to add some depth. Sadly it feels like there aren’t a host of first-team-ready options in the B Team that can make an impact. Obierro was the only realistic option for this position but he’s now out on loan at Carlisle United. Aaron Rowe or even Pipa could play this position if we were pushed but that could then leave us short at rightback.
Striker – 1st: Campbell / 2nd: Ward / B: Harratt / Phillips
Despite Phil Hodgkinson’s assurances that Town have five strikers, we really only have one that is fit and has any kind of experience at this level. That player is 33-year-old Frazier Campbell who has rarely played a full 90 minutes while he’s been at Town.
Danny Ward could well become the first choice when he recovers from injury but we’ll have to see how he fits into this system. It’s been an unusually long time out for him after what seemed like a minor issue but I’d rather they take their time and make sure he comes back firing on all cylinders.
Kian Harratt and Kieran Philps are both highly thought of in the academy setup but neither has featured for Town yet despite us being desperately short in this position right now. With neither even making the bench to my recollection, it suggests Carlos doesn’t think they’re quite ready for the pressure of playing in the first team. He sees them in training and youth games, so I trust him to make the call about when they’re ready. Hopefully we won’t have long to wait, particularly for Harratt as his scoring record in youth football is incredible.
Left winger: 1st Koroma / 2nd: ? / B: ?
We finish on the most worrying position of all, the left wing. Koroma is the only option that I can think of for this position if we accept that Diakhaby and Mbenza are both more likely to feature on the right side. As already covered, we don’t have any wingers in the academy pushing through and Karlan Grant’s exit left a gaping hole to fill which Aarons would have been tasked with if his transfer had not missed the deadline.
Jaden Brown has filled in on the left wing a couple of times and he may find this happens more and more if Harry Toffolo continues to keep him out of his first-choice position at leftback. Fullbacks playing as wingers never really look comfortable in front of goal though and now Grant has gone we need forwards on the pitch that are capable of finishing off attacks and scoring goals. Matty Daly or Juninho Bacuna could also be repurposed for this position but aren’t naturally suited to playing out wide. We know Ward can play this position because he did during his first spell but he considers himself an out-and-out striker these days and that’s the role we need him to play most.
TerrierSpirit.com opinion on the Huddersfield Town squad
When you look at the options in defence and midfield you could easily say that our squad is in good shape now. Most positions have two first teamers competing with each other for a starting place and a youngster that could step in and cover. Some of the youth players are closer to being ready for first-team football than others but I think Carlos has faith in these kids to do a job for us.
The issues with the squad become obvious when you look at the three attacking positions. We are short of first team players in all three roles and don’t even have quality options in the academy for the wide positions. Mbenza, Diakhaby and Koroma were all deemed to be surplus by Danny Cowley last season but are now our only options out wide. If Carlos can rehabilitate these three (and there are positive early signs) it will be one of his biggest achievements of his managerial career so far.