WBA (H) - 16/1 Build up and Match thread

[YoungWolf]

Assuming Adama is available, and the other absentees still injured I would line up like this (for some reason I can't centre it, and it is annoying me)

Rui
Semedo Coady Saiss RAN
Neves Dendoncker
Traore Gibbs-White Neto
Cutrone

This would also be my team. And I don’t think it’s a terrible one either considering who is still missing should Traore be back in.

I am worried that Traore and Neto won’t be fit though.

 

[The Bear]

We don't need 3 CBs against this lot surely?

......................... Rui

Semedo - Coady - Saiss - Marcal

................ Neves - Donk

......... Traore - MGW - Neto

..................... Cutrone

 

[slink]

Don't think it matters too much whether we play 4 or 5 at the back it's more about our approach to the game. Do worry about how we deal with their set pieces, i don't know who stops Ajayi if the delivery is good enough and that's where they could beat us.

 

[jd1981]

Don't think it matters too much whether we play 4 or 5 at the back it's more about our approach to the game. Do worry about how we deal with their set pieces, i don't know who stops Ajayi if the delivery is good enough and that's where they could beat us.

Agree with this unfortunately, yes Albion are bad but we are very fragile at the moment especially from the set pieces.
If we were at full strength I’d be very confident going into this but our injuries have severely weakened our ability to ground out wins.
This isn’t a guaranteed win that some on here think it will be.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Assuming no Boly:

Rui
Coady - Saiss - Kilman
Semedo - Donk - Neves - RAN
Traore - Cutrone - Neto​

Arsenal - give up no chances, concede from a set piece.
Liverpool - solid until Coady gifts them a goal. Rest is just capitulation against a team way better than us.
Villa - give up no chances. Give away a late pen from nothing.
Chelsea - 5 at the back. Concede from a cross, should have conceded two from set pieces. Luckily didn’t
Burnley - 5 at the back and they could have scored 4!
Spurs - no chances, concede from set piece.
Utd - 5 at the back, Fernandes misses from 5 yards, but generally solid, concede late.
Brighton - concede one from a hopeful cross where Saiss is marking space and not a man, RAN and Rui don’t cover themselves in glory. Give away a penalty, switch to 5 and concede from a set piece.
Palace - Rui doesn’t have a save to make.
Everton - give up no chances, they score from the 2 they do have, one being a set piece, the other an untracked run from midfield.

There you go. Zero evidence for your preferred back 5. So if you’re going to just keep saying it, can you try and justify it.

 

[Tredman]

Arsenal - give up no chances, concede from a set piece.
Liverpool - solid until Coady gifts them a goal. Rest is just capitulation against a team way better than us.
Villa - give up no chances. Give away a late pen from nothing.
Chelsea - 5 at the back. Concede from a cross, should have conceded two from set pieces. Luckily didn’t
Burnley - 5 at the back and they could have scored 4!
Spurs - no chances, concede from set piece.
Utd - 5 at the back, Fernandes misses from 5 yards, but generally solid, concede late.
Brighton - concede one from a hopeful cross where Saiss is marking space and not a man, RAN and Rui don’t cover themselves in glory. Give away a penalty, switch to 5 and concede from a set piece.
Palace - Rui doesn’t have a save to make.
Everton - give up no chances, they score from the 2 they do have, one being a set piece, the other an untracked run from midfield.

There you go. Zero evidence for your preferred back 5. So if you’re going to just keep saying it, can you try and justify it.

We played it for 3 years, got promoted, got to an FA cup semi final, finished 7th in the PL twice, got into and progressed in Europe, bought players to suit and changed the playing style of all age groups to match.

 

[pacamac]

Don't think it matters too much whether we play 4 or 5 at the back it's more about our approach to the game. Do worry about how we deal with their set pieces, i don't know who stops Ajayi if the delivery is good enough and that's where they could beat us.

So try to stop giving away the set pieces to start with and that for me means protecting our full backs (who can't defend but are good going forward so plays to their strengths being more wing backs than full backs) and that for me is playing a back 3/5 as suggested.

Never want to see us play a back 4 with Semedo and RAN again need at least one full back that can defend so no back 4 till Marcal or Otto's return please!

More assured at the back midfielders not getting pulled in committing silly fouls etc.

Its not even specifically a more defensive move, would give Semedo and RAN more freedom going forward so play to their strengths.

 

[pacamac]

Patricio
Semedo Coady Saiss Kilman Ait Nouri
Dendoncker Neves
Traore Silva (unless Cutrone's shown something in training) Neto

Based on what we're told that Traore will be ok.....but Ihave my doubts.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Well after last night’s disappointing result this is almost a must win. It’s definitely a don’t lose.Silva has to be benched regardless. Bar one chance he was awful against Everton. For me it depends if we go three at the back or 4. If we play a flat four I would drop Rui. He looks nervous without sweeper cover and it roots him to his line. Ruddy has made errors but does command his box better and more loudly. Coady gave Rui pelters last night for not coming for a cross.

Tou also have to bench Samedo if you play a four. He has Matt Doherty syndrome in the he looks ok going forward as a wing back but is positionally awful as a right back. I would also bring Otasowie in for Moutinho if he is fit as Moutinho has looked laboured recently. So, assuming we go four at the back I would play
Ruddy
Hoever Coady Saiss RAN
Neves Otasowie( Dendonker if OO not fit)
Traore MGW Neto
Cutrone.

god help this place if we lose.

 

[PuntsWolf]

We played it for 3 years, got promoted, got to an FA cup semi final, finished 7th in the PL twice, got into and progressed in Europe, bought players to suit and changed the playing style of all age groups to match.

So ignoring the fact we were terrible in it all of this year?

So try to stop giving away the set pieces to start with and that for me means protecting our full backs (who can't defend but are good going forward so plays to their strengths being more wing backs than full backs) and that for me is playing a back 3/5 as suggested.

Never want to see us play a back 4 with Semedo and RAN again need at least one full back that can defend so no back 4 till Marcal or Otto's return please!

More assured at the back midfielders not getting pulled in committing silly fouls etc.

Its not even specifically a more defensive move, would give Semedo and RAN more freedom going forward so play to their strengths.

Semedo isn’t a WB. His best performances have come at FB. He was offering nothing in an attacking sense as a WB.

RAN is no more a WB than a FB. He’s a talented left sided player who we need to coach into being better at each position.

We played 5 at the back at Burnley and Ashley Barnes scores by getting in between Saiss and RAN. It isn’t the answer to us being shit...

 

[pacamac]

So ignoring the fact we were terrible in it all of this year?


Semedo isn’t a WB. His best performances have come at FB. He was offering nothing in an attacking sense as a WB.

RAN is no more a WB than a FB. He’s a talented left sided player who we need to coach into being better at each position.

We played 5 at the back at Burnley and Ashley Barnes scores by getting in between Saiss and RAN. It isn’t the answer to us being shit...

Semedo and RAN aren't wing backs but both look really good going forward but can't defend for toffee? Ok then.

They both played as wing backs last night (and the past few games) Just without having that 3rd central defender leaves us without the extra back up you really need when playing wing backs. Means the midfielders get dragged into defensive semi wide positions too often.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Semedo and RAN aren't wing backs but both look really good going forward but can't defend for toffee? Ok then.

They both played as wing backs last night (and the past few games) Just without having that 3rd central defender leaves us without the extra back up you really need when playing wing backs. Means the midfielders get dragged into defensive semi wide positions too often.

You clearly don’t understand.

When they are playing in a 4 they have more space to attack as the other players further forward are occupying defenders.

When we play a 5, the onus on them is to do it as individuals as our system doesn’t open them up any space. They then aren’t effective

 

[pacamac]

You clearly don’t understand.

When they are playing in a 4 they have more space to attack as the other players further forward are occupying defenders.

When we play a 5, the onus on them is to do it as individuals as our system doesn’t open them up any space. They then aren’t effective

Well thats not correct is it, if we're playing with a 5 but playing two wide forwards.

You may have a point if going to a back 5 automatically meant playing a front 2 but it doesn't we often play a back 5 (wingbacks) but still with players ahead of them wide.

 

[Jinky]

Going in to this game low on confidence and with one win in eight is far from ideal. To be honest, if Albion could handpick an opponent to play, they'd probably pick us as it stands. I'm not convinced any of the injured lads will be back in time for this, bar possibly Adama. We're now also sweating on Neto, because he was completely anonymous after the injury last night. That looked a sore one. Absolute worst case scenario, of course, is we go in to the game without any of Traore, Neto, Podence and obviously Raul. I want Fabio out of the side, but in the scenario that all of the wide options are out, we'd surely have to go two up top with Cutrone AND Silva? MGW in behind and then the same midfield three as last night (which again, isn't ideal).

Do we even know what's wrong with Otasowie?

Worst case scenario with all the current injuries + Neto:

Rui
Semedo - Coady - Saiss - RAN
Moutinho - Neves - Donk
MGW
Cutrone - Silva​

Best case scenario and Neto/Adama are both ok:

Rui
Semedo - Coady - Saiss - RAN
Moutinho/MGW - Neves - Donk
Traore - Cutrone - Neto

​

 

[pacamac]

Never even thought of Neto you're right he was.

If Neto and Traore (as well as the ones we know about) are injured...........I hope they suspend the league!!

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

I am fucking scared shitless we will now lose to this bunch of Cunts.

Hate them with a passion.

This game though has taken on a whole different level now after our defeat to Everton.

Cutrone is now getting to the stage of not playing makes you world class.

With Podence out we are really limited with resources.

Do we go with a 3 or 4.
If all players were fit I would ve screaming to play 4 and batter them.

Reading Twitter reports from Athletic and E&S it seems we were cautious with adama so he would be fit Saturday.

Silva does need a rest

Neves, MGW and Mout
With a front 3 of Cutrone, Adama and Neto to start

 

[Dire Wolf]

I've gone from thinking "Its Albion, we'll be fine", to "Oh fuck, I hope we can scratch out a lucky win". That's how little confidence I have in this team now. Injuries, tactical tinkering on a game by game basis and really, really poor transfer dealings have got me looking at the bottom 6 and hoping we don't get sucked into a dogfight. Because if we do I'm not sure we have the physical or mental toughness to win that fight.

 

[Paul]

I am fucking scared shitless we will now lose to this bunch of Cunts.

Hate them with a passion.

Why didn't you ever mention it before ?

 

[PuntsWolf]

Well thats not correct is it, if we're playing with a 5 but playing two wide forwards.

You may have a point if going to a back 5 automatically meant playing a front 2 but it doesn't we often play a back 5 (wingbacks) but still with players ahead of them wide.

But we weren’t. Traore was getting in Semedo’s way, not opening space up for him. If we played 3-4-3 properly it may open the space, but we don’t/weren’t.

Semedo did nothing of note in an attacking sense in 5. He’s actually looked effective in a 4?
It’s like TAA. Playing in a 4 he’s one of the best attacking outlets in the league. Put him in a 5 for England where we think his attacking qualities will shine and not expose his defensive Frailties - looks average.

 

[Loki]

Assuming no Boly:

Rui
Coady - Saiss - Kilman
Semedo - Donk - Neves - RAN
Traore - Cutrone - Neto​

I would go with this except Hoever for Semedo if Traore is fit.