We’re just under 48 hours away from seeing the Imps in action for only the second time this year.
January is always uncertain, with players coming and going from teams regularly. We’re going to see a significant change to the side that played at Blackpool – Shodipo and Vale have gone, and there will be three new faces, all of whom we’re going to expect to see. There might even be an outing for Reeco Hackett, a player who showed massive potential before his injury. It’s not quite exciting times as we’re still short of bodies in some areas, but it is an improvement on the squad that limped over the line in 2023.
The big question is how Michael Skubala goes about fitting the players into a formation. Formations are overrated, if I’m honest, as we can play one formation in possession and one out of possession. Burton showed this when they came to our place, playing a 6-3-1 out of possession but looking to be on the front foot with the ball. However, the profile of the player does dictate formation to a degree – for instance, we’re unlikely to play wide attackers, as we don’t have all that many, so up top, we’re going to be either a tight three or (maybe) a two.
Anyway, in the absence of any news on this Thursday, I thought I’d put together two lineups – the 11 I think we could field, and the 11 I’d like to see us field this weekend in Buckinghamshire.
Accepted Conditions
Before I start, I’m going to work on the following accepted conditions. Obviously, Walker and House are injured, with Mandroiu and O’Connor suspended. I’m also working on the premise Reeco Hackett is fit to start, which is a bit of a stretch, considering he hasn’t been seen since the aborted encounter with Leyton Orient. Other than that, I’m including everyone: Ethan Erhahon, who looked to be fit this week, and both Lasse and Ted, who went off against Blackpool.
I’m also working on the assumption Freddie Draper is fit as he had a knock for Walsall and that both Jack Moylan and Joe Taylor are also fit and ready to play.
Expected Starting Line-Up
I expect that we will play 3-4-3, which we’ve been playing for most of the season. The team more or less picks itself across the back; the only question is Roughan or Mitchell, I think. I’ve gone for Alex Mitchell, your Player of the Month for three months in a row (shared in December). I assume Lasse is fit, and he’s an obvious shout on the right, with Jack Burroughs on the left.
The caveat here would be Lasse being injured – in that instance, Sean Roughan would play left back, with Jack Burroughs slotting in on the right-hand side. It’s an area I think we might look to cover in the transfer window – Skubala doesn’t seemingly fancy Jaden Brown, and if he is to go out on loan, I expect an incomer as cover.
I’m hoping it is the two Ethans in the middle of the park. Hamilton is perhaps our most consistent performer outside the defensive line, and Erhahon’s work was sorely missed against Blackpool. He trained this week, and if they’re fit, they both play. I cannot envisage a situation where either of those two ever start on the bench if they’re fit.
That leaves up top. Assuming we’re playing the tight two behind a central striker, I can see Ted starting (again, if he is fit) with Reeco partnering him. Reeco has a spark, a bit of je ne sais quoi that we have needed. However, he isn’t the ‘luxury’ player, which I think both Ted and Danny Mandroiu are. That’s not to suggest they’re bad options, but I feel you can only properly accommodate one of Ted and Mandroiu.
That leaves one up top, with three vying for the chance to start. I’m going out on a limb and suggesting Jack Moylan is third of the three. There’s been a lot said about Jack, but to my mind, he is a stage behind Freddie Draper, as he’s scored in Ireland but not, as yet, in England. We’ve seen players take a little time to settle, and whilst I can see Moylan playing a bigger role than Dylan Duffy did last season, I also think we’ll take our time with him.
That means a toss-up between Freddie and Joe Taylor. I’ve gone for Joe Taylor in my expected lineup, but my preference in a 3-4-3 would be Freddie. I really fancy Freddie to be a big hit coming back to the club, and I feel infinitely better about him leading the line than I did two years ago when he last did it. I think he’s coming back as a man, robust and ready to impress. That said, I have a feeling we’ll go with Joe Taylor, especially given Freddie’s knock last weekend.
My Suggested Formation
If this were Football Manager, and I had the squad available to me that Michael Skubala does, I think I’d be looking at going 3-5-2. I’ve always liked 3-5-2; I remember it being something Danny Cowley’s Lincoln struggled to play against. With high-energy wing-backs, you can take control of the wide areas and still have an overload in terms of numbers through the middle. Potentially, there are issues with my choice, but hear me out.
The three across the back and the wing-backs are the same as before. If Lasse doesn’t make it, then it would be Dylan Duffy in at left wing-back and Jack Burroughs on the right. I prefer Dylan to Sean Roughan in a 3-5-2 as there’s a big attacking emphasis from the wide players, and we need a high-octane start, I feel. If we needed to, we could bring Sean on later to make things a bit tighter.
In this formation, Erhahon and Hamilton do play a bit deeper, and that’s perhaps taking away from Hamilton a bit, as he’s good in advanced roles, but I’d rather him than Ali Smith, purely based on recent form. The big changes are the front line.
I think Freddie and Joe Taylor could be a great partnership, and this formation is really about getting them in the same team. Again, it depends on fitness, but there’s also scope for Jack Moylan to start here. Moylan has played deeper, but he’s got goals as a centre forward for Shelbourne. In a single-striker situation, I see Jack possibly being a bit like Charley Kendall – he could get lost. That’s perhaps unfair when we haven’t seen him play; I’m only going on reports from Shelbourne. However, in a two, there’s scope for him to come in immediately, should we require it.
The big question would be who plays ten. I’ve gone for Reeco because I think he’s great and picking the ball up and driving forward, and he can find runs and channels if the midfield pairing wants to play forward. If he isn’t fit, then we can play Ted there, or Ali Smith deeper, and Ethan Hamilton further forward. The key for me is getting a couple of those strikers on the pitch, working together.
The formation would also allow a double change on 70 minutes, Draper and Taylor for Makama and Moylan, giving Wycombe a new issue. Some of our supporters might not rate Makama, but Blackpool commentators saw the game through neutral eyes, and they saw him as a handful who asked all sorts of questions. Fit and full of running with 20 minutes to go, I think he could be a weapon, especially if Taylor and Draper have already given us a lead to defend.
Of course, the actual starting lineup is bound to differ from both of these!
You must be logged in to post a comment.