Last night Huddersfield Town issued a statement saying both Aaron Mooy and Philip Billing had to return early from international duty because they’ve picked up injuries. Added to the fact that Danny Williams is already out for the rest of the season, these injuries could seriously disrupt Town’s midfield for their upcoming games.
What options does David Wagner have in midfield for the Newcastle game? How will it affect the team and the tactics we play? Read on to find out my opinion about the possible options.
Florent Hadergjonaj
It took Flo a while to get his chance at Town but recently he’s been a regular starter in the first team and has forced Tommy Smith out of the right-back position. He’s also played in central midfield this season for Town, as part of a three-man defensive lineup against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Hadergjonaj was one of the few players to come out of the away defeat in Manchester with any credit. He also played in central midfield early in his career, so understands the role well enough. My only concern is that he played well in a very defensive system in his only midfield performance at Town, I’m not sure he’s able to play as a central playmaker.
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Dean Whitehead
It was a bit of a surprise when Whitehead received an extension on his contract last summer and he’s rarely been called upon so far this season. However, he’s got the experience and professionalism to come in and do a job.
He may be a bit rusty (he’s not even played games in the under 23s) and the pace of the Premier League may be a bit much for a player towards the end of his career. If he does play he’d add a bit of bite to our midfield and would be able to mix it up with Newcastle’s players. However, I worry that he’s at risk of getting a red card if the timing of his tackles is off. He put some iffy looking tackles in last season in the Championship and Premier League referees are a lot tougher on late tackles.
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Change the system
Town have played two or more deep-lying midfielders every game this season, but the lack of available players could prompt a tactical switch for the Newcastle game. This could mean playing Hogg as the lone defensive midfielder, then playing two strikers with Pritchard behind them as an attacking midfielder.
Alternatively, Kongolo could be played as a third centre-back and we’d then play 5-4-1, with a similar diamond-shaped midfield and a lone striker.
David Wagner tends not to change tactics often and our most of our better performances this season have come when we’ve stuck to the 4-2-3-1 system. Hogg is likely to have too much to do on his own without another central midfielder alongside him, so I hope we don’t go down this route.
Patch up Billing and Mooy and send them out
Aaron Mooy operating at 70% of his ability is still better than our alternative options playing at 100%, so it’s possible Mooy will play anyway. David Wagner is often very cautious about risking players that aren’t quite fit, but he seems to make an exception for Mooy because he’s so influential to Town.
If Mooy and Billing are both carrying knocks then neither may be capable of 90 minutes on their own but between them, it may be possible to get a combined full match. This could risk further injury to both players, which is a gamble given the importance of our run of games coming up. The Newcastle game itself is vital though, so it’s a risky to not play key players, even if they’re carrying knocks.
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TerrierSpirit.com opinion
Without knowing the full extent of the injuries, it’s hard to know who Wagner will select alongside Hogg in midfield. If Mooy’s capable of playing then I expect we’ll see him, but I think Hadergjonaj may be the sensible choice.
It’s likely Town will need to battle to get a foothold in the game at St. James’ Park, so having a more combative and defensive-minded midfielder alongside Hogg could be useful. Flo’s also got speed and skill on the ball, which could help us too.
Changing to a new tactical system or risking Whitehead, who’s barely played all season, feel like big risks. As does asking players that aren’t fit to play. So Hadergjonaj feels like the natural choice.