Keeping a close eye on Paul Lambert's team selection within those front four positions, because with the same desire and application there is no need to change it. We just don't need to see Dave Edwards shoehorned into the ten position because it would once again destroy our fluency and abilities to rotate.
Hopefully we'll see an end to the 5-6 changes per week now he's found a system that works.
Cavaleiro works best in the number 10 role, because he is creative, skillful and powerful. He works well with Costa (and when he's in the side it's difficult for teams to double up on Helder, which we saw happen a few times while Ivan was out injured). It also takes away his defensive responsibilities, which Lambert has alluded to a few times.
It also allows Edwards to play in a deeper role. We all know Edwards works tirelessly, so to have these attributes defensively when the opposition has the ball is invaluable. It also means he can arrive in the box when we're counter-attacking, and we've seen the benefits of this with the majority of his 10 goals this season coming from this position.
It's hard to disagree with Lambert when he says the major thing missing was the "finishing", during our run of 7 games without a win. We all know there was more to it than that, but he's given Weimann a chance up top and he's grabbed it. Fair play to both the player and the Manager.
A lot of people were critical of the Marshall signing at the time, but he's come in to the side and made a real difference.
There's still a lot of work to do over the summer, and I'm expecting wholesale changes. But a front 4 of Marshall, Cavaleiro, Helder & Weimann is more than good enough for this level. I still expect to see 1-2 changes per week to keep things fresh, but I think we've seen the last of the 6-7 changes each game.
