Jorgensen

Gusto Acheampong Badiashile Hato

Santos Caicedo

Estevao Palmer Garnacho

Delap

Get some early goals then get Palmer, Caicedo and Estevao off at HT.

As ever, we're in a bind. This is a rare opportunity to rest players during our jam-packed winter schedule, yet we absolutely need to win this.

All of Sánchez, Cucurella, Neto, Fernández, Pedro and Chalobah have played two consecutive games before this one. Palmer played on Saturday but is apparently playing with a sports hernia. Gittens (alongside all the long-termers) is injured, Estêvão may still be ill, and Gusto may still be playing through discomfort. We have Palace on Sunday, Napoli next Wednesday, then West Ham the following Saturday, and need as close to a full-strength XI as possible for each of them. This limits us pretty severely.

None of the options were ideal, but I settled for this, with an almost certain requirement for emergency half-time subs:

Jörgensen

Acheampong
Fofana
Badiashile
Hato

Santos
Caicedo

George (Estêvão if at all possible)
Pedro
Garnacho

Delap

41 minutes ago, PloKoon13 said:

As ever, we're in a bind. This is a rare opportunity to rest players during our jam-packed winter schedule, yet we absolutely need to win this.

All of Sánchez, Cucurella, Neto, Fernández, Pedro and Chalobah have played two consecutive games before this one. Palmer played on Saturday but is apparently playing with a sports hernia. Gittens (alongside all the long-termers) is injured, Estêvão may still be ill, and Gusto may still be playing through discomfort. We have Palace on Sunday, Napoli next Wednesday, then West Ham the following Saturday, and need as close to a full-strength XI as possible for each of them. This limits us pretty severely.

None of the options were ideal, but I settled for this, with an almost certain requirement for emergency half-time subs:

Jörgensen

Acheampong
Fofana
Badiashile
Hato

Santos
Caicedo

George (Estêvão if at all possible)
Pedro
Garnacho

Delap

Oooooo get you Ploks with the Excel spread sheet and column headings in team colours ... reminds me of the league ladders in Shoot! magazine in the late 1970s LOL

50 minutes ago, PloKoon13 said:

As ever, we're in a bind. This is a rare opportunity to rest players during our jam-packed winter schedule, yet we absolutely need to win this.

All of Sánchez, Cucurella, Neto, Fernández, Pedro and Chalobah have played two consecutive games before this one. Palmer played on Saturday but is apparently playing with a sports hernia. Gittens (alongside all the long-termers) is injured, Estêvão may still be ill, and Gusto may still be playing through discomfort. We have Palace on Sunday, Napoli next Wednesday, then West Ham the following Saturday, and need as close to a full-strength XI as possible for each of them. This limits us pretty severely.

None of the options were ideal, but I settled for this, with an almost certain requirement for emergency half-time subs:

Jörgensen

Acheampong
Fofana
Badiashile
Hato

Santos
Caicedo

George (Estêvão if at all possible)
Pedro
Garnacho

Delap

Yes Neto and Enzo have certainly started too many games, we should be removing them from the squad for the foreseeable for their own safety.

Quite illustrative of the over-rotation we have in play under BlueCo :

In the space of 5 games we've used 3 different right backs, 3 different left backs, 3 different strikers, 3 different left centre backs, 4 different #10s and 4 different right wingers.

They haven't been able to similarly over-rotate the midfield, basically because they've built an imbalanced first team squad with only 5 midfielders (vs 10 defenders and 10 forwards) , and 2 of them are always injured LOL.

5 hours ago, Caps_Lock_King said:

LOOKING AT THE TABLE, IF RESULTS GO TO FORM THEN WE WILL BE 10TH (IF WE WIN) AFTER TONIGHT, ABOVE City and SPORTING ON G/D, ALTHOUGH BARCELONA COULD WIN BIG TONIGHT (A WIN OF 2 OR MORE, BIGGER THEN US MEANS THEY WILL BE ABOVE US)

WE WILL FINISH ABOVE EITHER PSG OR NEWCASTLE (AS THEY PLAY EACH OTHER IN LAST GAME), OR BOTH IF ITS A DRAW, IT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL COME DOWN TO G/D EVEN IF WE WIN BOTH GAMES (WHICH IS DOUBTFUL), MY GUESS IS WE WILL FAIL TO MAKE THE TOP 8

A win tonight would open up the possibility to finish top 8 at least. But we still need to take care of Pafos first. If we manage that then it will be interesting to see if we prioritize the league games or the away match against Napoli (in terms of lineups).

Was looking forward to going tonight before reading a page here! Few mid-week beers during ‘dry’ Jan, quite possibly a Chelsea win and a visit by our old mate David Luiz! What’s not to love?

Looks a sell out from the exchange so come on you blues!

2 hours ago, Sexyfootball said:

Oooooo get you Ploks with the Excel spread sheet and column headings in team colours ... reminds me of the league ladders in Shoot! magazine in the late 1970s LOL

Well typically I would say that presentation skills are for w**kers, but unfortunately Notepad was for once insufficient for the sheer complexity of my squad-planning brilliance.

Oh no Tosin is injured and can't play, gutted! 😭. Good job we are buying another older experienced defender...oh wait.

Jorgensen

Gusto Fofana Badiashile Hato

James Caicedo

Neto Enzo Garnacho

Delap

Confirmed Team :

Jorgensen; Gusto, Fofana, Badiashile, Hato, James (c), Caicedo, Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho, Delap

Substitutes: Sanchez, Acheampong, Cucurella, Chalobah, Emenalo, Andrey Santos, Walsh, Estevao Willian, George, Gittens, Guiu, Joao Pedro

1 minute ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Jorgensen

Gusto Fofana Badiashile Hato

James Caicedo

Neto Enzo Garnacho

Delap

Why does he keep switching the backline, and starting both RBs against Patos is unnecessary and ridiculous. James is not a midfielder, just a body in the middle of the park.

Not sure what to think about this line up. All a bit "meh" ...

Disappointing (again) that Acheampong, Andrey Santos and Estevao aren't starting ... plus no Palmer even on the bench ...

Edited January 21Jan 21 by Sexyfootball

He’s just picking who he I told too

8 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

Confirmed Team :

Jorgensen; Gusto, Fofana, Badiashile, Hato, James (c), Caicedo, Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho, Delap

Substitutes: Sanchez, Acheampong, Cucurella, Chalobah, Emenalo, Andrey Santos, Walsh, Estevao Willian, George, Gittens, Guiu, Joao Pedro

If I didn't know any better I'd say Maresca (Clearlake) picked that team.

I like how Estevao scored in each of his first three starts in the Champions League, and then gets benched for the next two games thereafter. That's Motivation 101 right there ...

7 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

Not sure what to think about this line up. All a bit "meh" ...

Disappointing (again) that Acheampong, Andrey Santos and Estevao aren't starting ... plus no Palmer even on the bench ...

Keeper and back line:

Deep midfield:

Attacking midfield:

Striker:

4 hours ago, PloKoon13 said:

As ever, we're in a bind. This is a rare opportunity to rest players during our jam-packed winter schedule, yet we absolutely need to win this.

All of Sánchez, Cucurella, Neto, Fernández, Pedro and Chalobah have played two consecutive games before this one. Palmer played on Saturday but is apparently playing with a sports hernia. Gittens (alongside all the long-termers) is injured, Estêvão may still be ill, and Gusto may still be playing through discomfort. We have Palace on Sunday, Napoli next Wednesday, then West Ham the following Saturday, and need as close to a full-strength XI as possible for each of them. This limits us pretty severely.

None of the options were ideal, but I settled for this, with an almost certain requirement for emergency half-time subs:

Jörgensen

Acheampong
Fofana
Badiashile
Hato

Santos
Caicedo

George (Estêvão if at all possible)
Pedro
Garnacho

Delap

So living together with your girlfriend has lost its shine, eh?

14 minutes ago, OTL said:

If thought we’d sacked Maresca?

One good thing ... at least if it all goes Pete Tong in the first half this time, he won't be able to scapegoat substitute Estevao or Andrey Santos !

Hmm which is the worse punishment?

Having to watch Garnacho and Neto in the same team or have Disasi return to partner Badiashile?

Is Palmer injured/sick? Or just not picked by the SD's?

21 minutes ago, markpitts said:

Why does he keep switching the backline, and starting both RBs against Patos is unnecessary and ridiculous. James is not a midfielder, just a body in the middle of the park.

I take it you’ve never watched James in midfield?