Hello! Its the first match, and also my first blog of 2015- so lets make it a good one on both fronts. We're coming into the FA Cup, and as usual- in fact more so than usual the questions are being asked with regard to whether a cup run would benefit us or hurt us. I (to an extent) have a foot in both camps, however for the game tomorrow I think we need to try to win the game at all costs.
Before I start, there was of course the news yesterday that we'd recalled Ryan Tunnicliffe from his loan at Blackburn. With the addition of Tunnicliffe, and of course Kacaniklic we've added two really good options to use at our discretion from the Cardiff game onwards. It will be really interesting to see the team- and subs we make when we square off with Cardiff in just over a week, as we now have a variety of options to choose from.
Now onto more immediate matters. The game tomorrow is potentially the first step on a path to Wembley. I personally don't think we should prioritise a Cup Run- and judging by how Kit treated the Derby game in October I don't think he does either. However, we're coming into this game off the back of two consecutive losses for the first time under Kit- and the sooner we can get back to winning ways and instill some confidence back in the team the better.
The Goalkeeper debate is a bit more open than usual because of the Cup, however I don't think Bettinelli needs to be "rested" and I think the more games Bettinelli plays in at this stage of his career the better so I would continue with Bettinelli in goal.
The defence is a very interesting debate to be had now. As I said in my Brighton, and Bournemouth reviews I don't think the defence was inherently bad in either game- and when it comes to Cardiff (injury and new signings not permitting) I would stick with the same back 4. However coming into this Cup game I think we can afford to make a few changes. Unless I'm mistaken Bodurov has played the most number of minutes out of anyone in our current squad, and is deserving of a rest in my opinion. This of course opens up a spot at Centre-Back and in my opinion Dan Burn should be coming in to replace him, using Wolves' game against Brentford as a basis- they generally play 1 up front. This means despite Burn being burnt for pace in comparison to Nouha Dicko- a combination of him and Hutchinson should be enough to deal with Dicko as an individual, while also dealing with the physical threat Wolves undoubtedly have. The full-backs are also an interesting debate to be had, especially when you consider who they are potentially going up against with regard to Sako and van la Parra. Despite that, I would rotate both Grimmer and Stafylidis in favour of The Montenigrin Messi and Sean Kavanagh in the interests of fitness.
The Midfield is another interesting debate to be had, both in regard to formation and who will play in it. If we're using the Brighton game as a basis- and as I've been saying over the last few blogs it looks like we're going to be playing a traditional 4-4-2 with the current options available. While that could- and as you'll see in my Cardiff Preview should change once we get to the Welsh capital and beyond for the game tomorrow I think we should stick with it. According to Kits Press Conference Christensen could be fit for tomorrows game, however with a player as important as Christensen has become I'd rather leave him out if it was a 50-50 on whether he should play or not, especially considering the fact there is no points available. Considering how congested the fixture list has been over the last week (and a bit) I'd rest Scott Parker for tomorrows game, and this conveniently makes the Central-Midfield selection really simple with Fofana and Hyndman taking up those spots. The wingers are an interesting debate for this game, I think we should have Chris David take up the Right-Mid spot that he can fulfill (and Fofana can't) with George Williams taking up the spot on the other wing to see how he'll play in a team that will be a lot faster on the break.
The Strikers are relatively straight-forward in my opinion, I would rest Hugo without a doubt leaving the obvious selection being McCormack- who in my opinion we need above anyone else in the team and Cauley Woodrow, and it'll be interesting to see how this combination works.
Team for Wolves
Bettinelli
Zverotic, Hutchinson, Burn, Kavanagh
David, Fofana, Hyndman, G. Williams
Woodrow McCormack
I know Kit was quoted as saying there would be minimal changes, however I think 5 Changes is required both in the interests of shaking the team up after the woeful Brighton game- and in the interests of keeping everyone fit.
Thanks for reading as always, this game will definitely be an interesting one after we were completely bullied by Wolves in late August. So thanks again, and lets hope we're in the hat for the 4th Round when the Draw comes around.
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