Leandro Bacuna - Sold

[bobdylan]

Westwood, Delph and Bacuna in the middle for me, Lowton right back.  Think Bacuna is a better bet than Sylla and we need one of Westy or KEA to screen the defence imo as Delph, Sylla and Bacuna are quite similar in that they all like charging around a lot/have great engines, but i don't see any of them as being disciplined enough to playing holding midfield, it would also not be playing to their strengths imo.

[fredm]

Personally I don't think Bacuna is ready yet for a midfield role.  I think he is better playing at the back where everything is happening in front of him and he can attack into the area in front of him.  I don't think he has developed the vision to be a decent midfielder and gets caught in possession too often.

[OCD]

He's doing a very good job at right back, why mess around with that right now? He's better defensively than Lowton so I wouldn't change that going into the Albion game. It's an option in home games like Sunderland though.

[Dante Lavelli]

He's doing a very good job at right back, why mess around with that right now? He's better defensively than Lowton so I wouldn't change that going into the Albion game. It's an option in home games like Sunderland though.

Primarily because the balance of our midfield and attack is not quite right at the moment.  Furthermore Lowton proved last year that he is a premiership quality player (we can't afford to have too many out of the side).  It's tough on Bacuna, as he's playing well, but its an experiment worth trying.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Personally I don't think Bacuna is ready yet for a midfield role.  I think he is better playing at the back where everything is happening in front of him and he can attack into the area in front of him.  I don't think he has developed the vision to be a decent midfielder and gets caught in possession too often.

Yes I agree with that. Against Liverpool he looked totally lost in MF. But he has gained confidence since and I think will get better all round as the season moves on .....

[not3bad]

Matt Lowton and Leandro Bacuna are the right men for Aston Villa's derby trip to West Bromwich Albion next week.

Paul Lambert has generally preferred to play either/or during the first quarter of the Premier League season with Lowton losing his right-back berth to Bacuna for the most part.

But the pair proved they can be effective together during a satisfying finish in the 2-0 victory over Cardiff and Lambert should be tempted to play them both from the start at The Hawthorns on Monday – Lowton at right-back and Bacuna at right midfield.

Lowton’s arrival from the bench for the final 16 minutes was a crucial moment in the win over Malky Mackay’s men and his presence on the field played a part in the long-awaited first and second goals.

His introduction freed Bacuna, who had been playing as a conventional full-back, to operate further up the field in a midfield role with Lowton coming on at right-back. Within two minutes of the change, Bacuna’s forward burst resulted in the 30-yard free-kick from which the Dutch star whipped in Villa’s first goal in more than seven-and-a-half hours.

Lowton was directly involved in the goal that sealed the victory, getting into the box to nod the ball back into the path of Libor Kozak, who made it two with a close-ranger header.

At a time when Villa are not overly blessed with in-form options down their right flank, it seems the Lowton-Bacuna axis could be the solution.

With Andi Weimann suffering a lull and a hamstring problem, Villa are deprived of the player who marauded down the right last season. Even if the Austrian is passed fit, so far he has not carried the same threat this term.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/feature-matt-lowton-leandro-bacuna-6318549?

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

Personally I don't think Bacuna is ready yet for a midfield role.  I think he is better playing at the back where everything is happening in front of him and he can attack into the area in front of him.  I don't think he has developed the vision to be a decent midfielder and gets caught in possession too often.

is the correct answer. Much better at right back (at the moment) - might possibly develop into a decent midfielder but is already a good full back

[Concrete John]

He is a really good FB, but then so is Lowton.  And when you factor in that we've been struggling further forward, it's worth seeing what a player of Bacuna's versatility can do there. 

I'd be trying him in Weimann's spot against Albion.

[paul_e]

We've seen Bacuna in central midfield for what 2 hours so far, Seems a bit soon to be suggesting he can't cut it there and we should keep him at full back.  He didn't have a great game against Liverpool, but their midfield has been one of the srongest in the league this year so it's a bit harsh to write him off because of it.

I'd like to see Bacuna tucked in on the right of a 3 in the middle with Delph the same on the left and Westwood holding, I think Bacuna can offer the same drive and aggression that Sylla did last year but also has a bit more about him going forward, add in that he's clearly going to be a goal threat from free-kicks (and hopefully in open play soon) and it's well worth him getting a run of 4-5 games in there, especially seeing as Lowton looked much better than he had earlier in the season when he came on.

[bobdylan]

If Gabby's out I'd play Weimann jus off Benteke with a 4 behind of Bacuna Delph Westie and Tonev.  Lowton right back.

[jeowje]

Seems strange to suggest that Bacuna lacks the vision to play in midfield, when we are essentially playing Gabby and Weiman there, both of whom are unquestionably weak in this department. Give him a go, looks very prmoising IMO.

[Concrete John]

If Gabby's out I'd play Weimann jus off Benteke with a 4 behind of Bacuna Delph Westie and Tonev.  Lowton right back.

If we went with that team, I'd tweak it slightly and play it as a midfield diamond.  Even if Gabby is fit, we could still try it with him in for Weimann.

[Matt Collins]

We could move between a flat 4 and a diamond with a midfield of Bacuna, Westwood, Delph and Tonev. It might be a bit static with Benteke and Kozak up front though.

[paul_e]

A diamond midfield would be a really bad idea.

We don't have anyone to play the forward role in there.  At least with a 433 we have Gabby and Weimann drifting into there sometimes.

[Matt Collins]

It's where Tonev started v Cardiff. Though I agree that's not an entirely convincing prospect and as a general rule I don't like the formation. But if we're going to play benteke and kozak then lambert would either play 352 or a diamond I'm sure (or maybe two wide players tucked in quite narrow). He'd never play a MON-style 442 with two wingers I don't think?