One big thing to come out of last night was it threw up some answers and some questions about who should be playing and where.
Though the back 4 wasn't tested that much when it was it looked far more solid and settled and all without having a detrimental effect on our attacking capability down the flanks. Elhamed and Bitton's inclusion seemed to settle the back-line, they were better positioned, they were calmer and more assured and more importantly they were less exposed as Elhamed and Taylor got the balance between their defensive and attacking duties just right. Given the worries about our defence recently I think that back 4 last night is our strongest and best option from here on in.
Now to Ntcham......the guy is simply too good not to be in the starting 11! But how do you fit him in there?
Ntcham & Broony doesn't work, been there done that and it was a bust plus we cannae afford to drop a player like CalMac as he's too important to how we play.
Ntcham and CalMac does work and works really well but neither of them can do what Broony does. Without Broony we lose our bite and that player who battles, snaps at heels, gets in the faces of the opposition and offers that extra bit of protection to the back 4.
Ntcham instead of Christie? Just presents the same problem as before. Christie is too good not to be starting plus Ntcham and Christie are different players with different styles, each player offers a different type of threat and choosing one threat over the other means using completely different strategies. Having both those threats on the pitch at once would not only open up our attacking options but it could make us far more potent and clinical all over the pitch.
So given we want Ntcham in there but don't want to lose either Broony, CalMac or Christie from the starting 11 and we don't want to compromise what so far looks a more solid back-line could this
work?
View attachment 10683
Gives us a solid back 4, we don't lose the midfield bite and the protection to the back 4 Broony provides, we get the intelligent clever play and passing ability of both Ntcham and CalMac, we keep our width, we don't have to compromise by giving up the threat Christie provides and we have 4 dangerous players supplying Eddy who have the ability to link up well, have an eye for a pass that can carve a team open and provide a goal threat of their own.
Thoughts.....