Line up and formation for 2021-22

[cdbearsfan]

Have there been any updates on the fitness of Watkins or any of our other 93 doubtful players?

[ADVILLAFAN]

All minor injuries, expected back for Boxing Day 2024

[Monty]

Well Dean has today basically dismissed the idea of playing Watkins wide. So it's two centre forwards and a flat midfield 4? In 2021?

[Risso]

Have there been any updates on the fitness of Watkins or any of our other 93 doubtful players?

Tony Daley looks fit enough to do a job but I'd have my reservations about McGrath now.

[Footy-Vill]

Dean Smith recently said  "We could play three up front with the players we have now, we could play two up front, or one up top with a short striker. So it's given us more adaptability this year, rather than an over-reliance."

[brontebilly]

Well Dean has today basically dismissed the idea of playing Watkins wide. So it's two centre forwards and a flat midfield 4? In 2021?

That's very worrying.....there will be a meltdown on here if three centre backs are picked at the weekend!

[SoccerHQ]

Well Dean has today basically dismissed the idea of playing Watkins wide. So it's two centre forwards and a flat midfield 4? In 2021?

Will have to be midfield diamond surely. Emi as number 10, McGinn veering out wide which he does anyway (and possibly Ward Prowse the other side given he's played wing back for Southampton) and I'd give Luiz another go at base of that as deep lying midfielder.

Only issue is that is no idea what Bailey fits in and he's the most exciting signing we've made this season imo so him just being a last 20 minute impact sub option dosen't really make sense.

[Monty]

Well Dean has today basically dismissed the idea of playing Watkins wide. So it's two centre forwards and a flat midfield 4? In 2021?

Will have to be midfield diamond surely. Emi as number 10, McGinn veering out wide which he does anyway (and possibly Ward Prowse the other side given he's played wing back for Southampton) and I'd give Luiz another go at base of that as deep lying midfielder.

Only issue is that is no idea what Bailey fits in and he's the most exciting signing we've made this season imo so him just being a last 20 minute impact sub option dosen't really make sense.

Well quite. The only way you fit all these players in - just the three apparently signed to replace Jack - you either have to play a flat 4-4-2 or you have to really play at least someone out of position. In the 4-4-2 diamond, that would possibly mean Emi as an 8 (which to be fair he could do with his workrate) and Bailey as a 10, which surely doesn't look like his natural position; or you play either Ings or Watkins wide in a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1; or you play either Bailey or Emi as a wingback, of all things, in a 3-4-1-2. And that's before you assume that McGinn is a deep midfielder in nearly all of these systems. None of these options look great, to be honest.

[sickbeggar]

I'm pretty sure bailey could play at the top of a diamond in a roving role. He certainly doesn't seem nailed to the wing in the clips I've seen

[Monty]

It's one thing to rove in from the wing, it's another to be the playmaking 10. That position requires the kind of tactical and tempo-setting skills that don't seem to me to be his strong points. I remember that period when Ash was played as a 10 by Houllier, which failed because Ash isn't a tempo-setter but a final-third kind of player, not a fashioner but a finisher of moves. Bailey looks similar to me, and in that 10 position I can envisage a lot of running into traffic and blind alleys.

[sickbeggar]

I'm not sure you have to have the playmaker at the head of the diamond looking at past examples

[Monty]

I think you don't need to if you have at least one striker who's a Berbatov type, happiest dropping off and creating in that pocket of space. Our forwards link well with midfields, but they're not that I think.

[chrisw1]

The more I've thought about this I feel we just need to be ruthless and start with 1 up top, either with Watkins moving wide or one of them starting on the bench. 

I just don't think we have a strong enough midfield two to play 4-4-2 unless Ings plays more as a 10.  He's certainly capable of dropping deep and switching it up, but it seems a bit of a waste and square peg in a round hole to me.

As things stand I think our strongest starting line up would be:

Cash      Konsa     Mings      Targett
     
         McGinn    Nakamba     
             
Traore        Buendia        Watkins

                  Ings

Once Bailey is fit then I'd be swapping him in for Watkins / Traore.

I'm worried for Saturday with potential injuries for Watkins & Buendia and Traore not having had many minutes.

[SoccerHQ]

I think as the season goes on we'll see Ollie playing a bit wider from the left despite what DS said yesterday.

I know we'll miss his pressing (I assume Ings can press given Southampton are actually pretty good at it when on form) but to me it seems the only logical way to fit everyone in a 4-2-3-1.

I'm sure when Son signed for Spurs he was out and out central but he's had no issue shifting out wide, same with Rashford at Man. United who had two seasons as CF before it was decided he was better drifting. Then likes of Salah and Mane at Liverpool who've been central but play out wide to great effect.

[Risso]

Well Dean has today basically dismissed the idea of playing Watkins wide. So it's two centre forwards and a flat midfield 4? In 2021?

I think there are two ways of reading his comments. He says Ollie hasn't played wide in ages, but then goes on to speak about playing a front three, so by 'wide' I took him to mean in an orthodox winger position in a 4-4-2, rather than as a wider part of the front 3.