Team vs Man City

[thinktank]

Look a the squad we have now - god bless 'Arry and Levy. When you're having to leave good players out of your pick of 18 you know we're in business.

 

[SpotSpur]

Gomes
Kaboul Dawson King/Seb Benny
Giovani Hudd Modric Bale
Crouch Keane/Pav

Carlo, Charlie, Seb/Walker, Wilson, Niko, Lennon, Keane/Pav.

Squad based on Defoe being injured. Very hard to drop Lennon for Gio, but i think it needs to be done based on current form, Gio should have lots of confidence and be wanting to prove himself more than ever. He also played very well with Kaboul.
Palacios hasn't seemed himself since the end of last season and Hudd just keeps getting better.

 

[DC_Boy]

while i've been advocating GDS for the RM spot, the city game is problematic for him to start as he plays in mexico on wednesday night

i assume he'll fly back on thursday and the eastward time lag of five hours is a possible killer here

i suspect he'll be knackered on sat morning

harry pointed out our players suffered from jet lag from their USA return then quickly playing villareal

a mid of jj hudd modric bale might be the safer option on sat - saving gds and wilson for the euro game

or rose/niko could maybe come in at RM

i'm well pleased we'll have (hopefully) hudd available for sat - he will be key for us

 

[Pringle]

while i've been advocating GDS for the RM spot

the city game is problematic for him to start as he plays in mexico on wednesday night

i assume he'll fly back on thursday and the eastward time lag of five hours is a possible killer here

i suspect he'll be knackered on sat morning

harrry pointed out our players suffered from jet lag from their USA return then quickly playing villareal

a mid of jj hudd modric bale might be the safer option on sat - saving gds and wilson for the euro game

or rose could maybe come in at RM

Lennon will start @ RM (played well today) and hopefully Bale @ LB though with Palacios not fully fit i wouldnt be suprised if he was @ LM. You are right about GDS being back on Thursday - i expect him to be on the bench.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

It's tough, Gio and Keane have been the in-form players in pre-season for me but who knows if Keane will be here. Anyway this is what i'd go with:

-------------Gomes---------------
Kaboul----Daws----King-----Bale
-------Thudd------Wilson--------
---Gio------Modric-----Lennon---
----------Pavlyuchenko-----------

Think Harry will go with:

-------------Gomes---------------
Charlie-----King-----Daws-----Bale
Lennon--Thudd------Wilson--Modric
----------Defoe---Crouch---------

 

[Legend10]

its a week away!

 

[spurs_viola]

Gomes
Kaboul....Dawson....King....Ekotto
Giovani....Hudd....Modric....Bale
Pav....Defoe​

Subs: Cudicini, Corluka, Bassong, Palacios, Lennon, Kranjcar, Crouch

I think Keane will be sold this week tbh.

This I agree with - probably our strongest and most effective line-up at the moment, provided Defoe's injury is not serious.
Bassong may come in for King if Ledley is not fit/sharp enough and Lennon may come in for Defoe or Pav if necessary.
For the games other than Man City, I would have Walker as RB cover, though.

In reality, Harry will probably start with Crouch and Lennon, meaning Bale may be a nominal LB and Giovani a withdrawn forward (where he is actually quite effective too, but not so much with Crouch ahead of him).

 

[KentuckyYid]

We should put our best team out and secure the three points. Losing or drawing in Switzerland and we can still recover in the home leg. Letting City steal a march on us at WHL could prove very costly at the business end of the season.

 

[DC_Boy]

We should put our best team out and secure the three points. Losing or drawing in Switzerland and we can still recover in the home leg. Letting City steal a march on us at WHL could prove very costly at the business end of the season.

definitely play our best team

deciding that will be difficult tho

king didn't look right today - gio may be jet lagged etc

gonna be a tough tough call for harry this one

city's biq squad may help them here as they can probably omit players knackered from travelling back from internationals

i hope tevez is going to argentina

must check that one - update - damn how lucky are they - argentina are in ireland according to FIFA site

 

[haxman]

Tevez is in Dublin with Argentina to play in the Aviva stadium on Wednesday night, so no luck there DC.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2010/0806/ireland_argentina.html

 

[DC_Boy]

Tevez is in Dublin with Argentina to play in the Aviva stadium on Wednesday night, so no luck there DC.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2010/0806/ireland_argentina.html

cheers haxman just saw that on FIFA and updated my post

that's a big blow for us

we'll have GDS and wilson knackered (not that i think wilson should start anyway) tevez and other argentinians city have is on a short trip to Dublin

 

[nightgoat]

..................Gomes

......Corluka* Dawson King Bale

Lennon Huddlestone Modric Giovani

....,.....Pavlyuchenko Keane


*At the moment there's arguments to be made for any of Corluka, Kaboul or Walker starting at right back, but also arguments for any of them to not start. It's tipped in Charlie's favour as he has the best understanding/partnership with Lennon...

Pav and Keane up front as they deserve to start ahead of Defoe and Crouch based on their individual performances in pre-season...

Huddlestone's introduction today indicated that he is perhaps the most important midfielder in terms of asserting control on the game, and based on the Huddlestone/Modric centre midfield pairing that was so good against Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City at the end of last season... Giovani deserves a start after his pre-season performances, although Bale/Giovani down the left could be defensively frail...

Dawson and King as they're our best central defensive partnership... This may well mean King can't play against Young Boys, but I'd rather use King for Man City... A win in this game will have a similar effect that beating Liverpool on the opening weekend had last season...

 

[stemark44]

For me the team would have to be this;-
..................Gomes

......Kaboul Dawson King Ekotto

Giovani Huddlestone Modric Bale

....,..... Crouch Keane

 

[spurs mental]

Tevez is in Dublin with Argentina to play in the Aviva stadium on Wednesday night, so no luck there DC.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2010/0806/ireland_argentina.html

Big Paul McShane might do us all a favour and get in some sort of collision with Tevez. :razz:

Anyway, for this game, I'd go with nearly the same team as we started with last season, only changing a couple of things;

Kaboul in for Charlie, Bale in for Palacios, and perhaps if Defoe is out, Pav in for him.

Gomes

Kaboul Dawson Bassong Assou-Ekotto

Lennon Huddlestone Modric Bale

Keane Defoe​

 

[Mornstar]

----------gomis----------

--kaboul--daws--king--bae---

--lennon--thud--modric--bale--

--------gio-----pav--------

If Dirty Arry plays this team against man city, the three points are ours.

 

[DogsOfWar]

Based purely on pre-season:

---------Gomes-------
Kaboul Dawson Bassong Bale
-----Palacios Huddlestone--
----Gio Modric Kranky------
--------Keane-------------

 

[Kendall]

Gomes

Corluka Dawson King Bale

Lennon Huddlestone Palacios Modric

Giovani
Pavlyuchenko​

 

[Pringle]

Quite shocked how many people havent got Lennon down in their starting line up. He was much better yesterday, and it appears those who have dropped him are basing this on pre season friendlies and 3 games where he was just coming back from a 6 month lay off having previously been our most creative player (10 assists before he got injured - higher than any other player we have). To drop him would be utter madness

 

[Kendall]

I'm shocked at how many people all of a sudden think Corluka is surplus. Kaboul may be good at getting forward, but he's not really a good right back.

 

[spurs mental]

I've changed my mind. I want Palacios and Huddlestone to start in the middle, with Bale going to left back and Modric in that role on the left.