by 3points »
10 Apr 2014 21:25
Yes, we've not had much fortune with injuries in centre midfield but we have also not had a consistent system this season also. Under previous regimes, if a player was injured, the incoming player knew where to slot in, the style of play, and what was expected of him. And, by and large, it wasn't a square peg in a round hole either. The late withdrawal of Guthrie really emphasized this point. Both Taylor and Tshibola should have been travelling with the squad. Yes they are young and inexperienced, but then so too are Obita and Hector, but they are central midfielders who are used to playing in that position. This is then compounded by putting Obita in midfield and seriously weakening the defence as Bridge is still not fit, and neither is Morrison. Gunter's confidence looks totally shot after the own goal at Brighton after having a decent run of games.
Despite all the plaudits for the U21s and U18s I am quite concerned that no-one has broken into the first team squad on a regular basis let alone play except Obita. As others have mentioned, many of these players like Samuel, Tanner, Tshibola are at least 19 years old - some are now 21, which probably means few, if any, will now break into the first team (though I think some of the U18s might do) . This is older than Luke Shaw is and he's been a first team regular for two seasons now. Very surprised after his full debut at Brighton that Hector hasn't held down a regular starting place given Gorkss' recent calamitous performances, and Jake Taylor seems to be persona non grata.
Hopefully Kuhl will get some 1st team experience before the end of the season.