Using the squad

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tadpole

Player Valuation: £15m
The last couple of games have seen Stones, Baines and Deulofeu shut out. Is this a sign of a change in thinking from a manager who up to now has been stubbornly loyal to certain players ? Or just responses to specific circumstances ?

The level of competition for places is tremendous.

At centre back how do you pick two from Stones, Jagielka and Funes Mori ?

What to do with all the talent that we've got at left back ?

Deulofeu or Lennon ?

Should we leave out McCarthy to make way for Besic when he's fit ?

Cleverley, Pienaar or Miralles in left midfield ?

Where will Niasse fit into the picture ?

With such a strong squad and lack of European commitments we ought to have a least a shout of nailing a European place. So how should Martinez be using his squad ? Should there be some kind of rotation policy ? Or is it more important to give players runs of games as long as they're doing ok, before thinking about benching them ?
 

When you don't know what your strongest first team is, you know you've got a good squad...This is the best squad we've had in donkeys. Even if/when we sell the odd prize asset we've still got strength...and money to improve.
Just got to make something of it as times change and it won't last forever
 
The last couple of games have seen Stones, Baines and Deulofeu shut out. Is this a sign of a change in thinking from a manager who up to now has been stubbornly loyal to certain players ? Or just responses to specific circumstances ?

The level of competition for places is tremendous.

At centre back how do you pick two from Stones, Jagielka and Funes Mori ? You select your best pair on form. Currently Funes Mori and Jags.

What to do with all the talent that we've got at left back ? You select your best left back on form. Currently Oviedo.

Deulofeu or Lennon ? You select your best RW on form. Currently Lennon.

Should we leave out McCarthy to make way for Besic when he's fit ? You select your best CM on form. Currently McCarthy (and Barry)

Cleverley, Pienaar or Miralles in left midfield ? Guess what? Form. Cleverley. And I say that as HUGE fan of Mirallas.

Where will Niasse fit into the picture ? Wherever his form dictates. I suspect that he will split time with Lukaku, depending on form.

With such a strong squad and lack of European commitments we ought to have a least a shout of nailing a European place. So how should Martinez be using his squad ? Should there be some kind of rotation policy ? Or is it more important to give players runs of games as long as they're doing ok, before thinking about benching them ?

I think he should be picking based on form, which usually translates into "Don't change a winning team - provided they aren't playing like tosh and winning through sheer luck." BUT I would be making earlier use of the subs. Yesterday Lukaku coming off when he did was a sensible change, but Kone was not, for me, the right person to come on. I would have put Mirallas up front as a better fit to the counter-attacking we were doing at the time. He could also have brought Lennon off (three full games in a week for a player whose game is based on pace) and given Del twenty minutes or so, and the final sub could have been used to give one more sub a good ten minutes.

Good use of the bench during games goes some way to keeping form players healthy and in form, while still giving bench players a chance. Martinez, in games when we are leading comfortably such as yesterday and against Carlisle, leaves his substitutions a bit too late for my liking.
 
Its long since been a squad game.

Id be happy if he kept things the same next week but also be happy if Stones, Baines, Deulo and Pienaar all came in.

Both teams should be good enough to win at home against Brom.

In fact thinking about it now, Pienaar and Baines might be a better option against a Pulis team sitting deep.

Its not as black and white as many make it out to be when they say dont change a winning team or a defense with 3 clean sheets. Each game brings different challenges and you hope to have a squad to meet them so you can make any changes necessary.

I trust the manager to more often than not make the right choices, although I understand that many do not.

Howard back in is the the exception. Please god no.
 
The last couple of games have seen Stones, Baines and Deulofeu shut out. Is this a sign of a change in thinking from a manager who up to now has been stubbornly loyal to certain players ? Or just responses to specific circumstances ?

The level of competition for places is tremendous.

At centre back how do you pick two from Stones, Jagielka and Funes Mori ?

What to do with all the talent that we've got at left back ?

Deulofeu or Lennon ?

Should we leave out McCarthy to make way for Besic when he's fit ?

Cleverley, Pienaar or Miralles in left midfield ?

Where will Niasse fit into the picture ?

With such a strong squad and lack of European commitments we ought to have a least a shout of nailing a European place. So how should Martinez be using his squad ? Should there be some kind of rotation policy ? Or is it more important to give players runs of games as long as they're doing ok, before thinking about benching them ?

You don't change a winning team on the whole, but you have to be pro-active in regards to specific circumstances.

Rotate when needed, stay the same when needed. We have options and that is great.
 

Hes rotated all season. Hes was right not to change it up recently though to keep a bit of consistency, and none of them deserved to be dropped in the last 2 games either
 
Simple really. Should be a case of earning your place on the field and on the bench regardless of your name by grafting and performing to the best of your ability. If you drop off expect to give the competition a chance. If they then step up and grasp that opportunity then you are in the same position they were in and have to earn your way back in and stay there with consistency in your own performance.
 
He has to change the starting 11, he need to keep things fresh and give enough football to the fringe players to ensure they can come in for a sustained period if injuries occur. At the moment it would be easy to pick the same 11 for the next few weeks but I think that policy might catch us out longer term.
We ars building a very good squad, we need to use them, with the exception of Tim Howard.
 
2 quality players for each position and the competition will be phenomenal.

Were just short in 3 positions now.
 
Simple really. Should be a case of earning your place on the field and on the bench regardless of your name by grafting and performing to the best of your ability. If you drop off expect to give the competition a chance. If they then step up and grasp that opportunity then you are in the same position they were in and have to earn your way back in and stay there with consistency in your own performance.

Except its not simple when it comes to the manager making the decision on the day. Its not as simple as picking the form players.

What about facing different opposition and using different tactics?

Facing an open and attacking Arsenal team or a Pulis busparking West Brom?

For example against West Brom he may have seen Baines and Pienaar showing their old form in training and decide that we need that cleverness to unlock a packed defence. Or that due to the lack of numbers West Brom will have in attack it is better to have the ball playing Stones instead of Funi Mori.

Its a squad game since many many years ago.
 

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