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If we want to stay in the Europa Cup we will need to take a strong team to Romania. Can we afford to play our strongest 11 against Astra, do we save our strongest 11 for the Arsenal game... or do we try to mix and match and create 2 teams, with perhaps 3 of our most important players playing 60 minutes in each game, and perhaps a few (like Adrian) playing full games in both fixtures?
What do people think, especially as we didn't even get a single point against Arsenal over the last 5 or 6 years!
Said it before
Surely our players can play 2 games in 3 days,theyve had plenty of time off in the last couple of months....oh i forgot we are talking about modern day footballers.....;)
Here's my 2 teams:
Hello all....not posted for a while.....how about this for the 2 games?
TEAM FOR ARSENIL:
..................SAKHO...............
JARVIS......KOUYATE.....PAYET
.........NOBLE.......POYET.........
CRESS...REID...OGBON....JOB
..............ADRIAN..................
TEAM FOR ASTRA 2nd LEG:
......................LEE..................
AMALFI......ZARATE......SAMUELS
........NOLAN.......CULLEN.......
HENRY..BURKE..OXFORD...JENKS
.............RANDOLPH................
Nolan & Jarvis , your avin a
Nolan & Jarvis , your avin a larf fish
errr
Jarvis isn't good enough to face Billericay Town and Poyet will be massively exposed so I don't agree sorry......Jarvis is shite mate!
But until (a while yet) we
But until (a while yet) we can afford to have 2 good level PL players at every position, I'm afraid Jarvis etc. who aren't good enough, and players like Poyet who are inexperienced are gonna HAVE to play... we have no choice, unless we basically scrap Europe and the cups. I think those 2 sides aren't a million miles out, except I'd play Adrian and 1 or 2 others in both games, plus I'd have 2 or 3 more of our 'first pick' side playing 30-45 minutes in the Astra game.
Strong first 11 all for both
Strong first 11 all for both games, for me.
And in terms of scores I am going for a 2-0 win at Astra and and a 1-1 at Arsenal.
Recovery
I challenge any non athletes not to run but race a half marathon and then do it again three days later! And expect the same or lesser time. The body takes 4-5 days minimum to recover. However, if the plan is to switch some players at half time at the Arsenal game might work, but can only sub three!! It is a legitimate dilemma not just premier league princess's.
I challenge any footballers
to do a 60 hour week plastering with one 10 min break thrown in each day...and im 50!
NO NO NO NO Hammers, how
NO NO NO NO Hammers, how could you suggest that our pampered overpaid footballers be asked to do such a thing. Why.. why there would be Anarchy, Revolution, rioting. There would be panic attacks in every club up and down the country............ no no no no.
I reckon Andy Carroll could
I reckon Andy Carroll could get plastered for 60 hours a week mate
He spends most of his time in
He spends most of his time in plaster!!
if you want to be the best
The thing is though all this crap about resting so and so 'cus there's a prem match on 3 days later, this is the price you pay for being in Europe...I know our squad isn't the biggest in depth and were limited to which deadwood who under performed last season we play.
At the end of the day it's a fine balance and if we qualify we will be getting the same problems this season that the likes of Everton had last year... COYI's
im not to pushed about the
im not to pushed about the Europa cup , saying that it would be nice to get a decent run though , the prem is the most important comp , nothing in the world like it , whats more ive a funny feeling in my water that we're going to do well against the arse
Agreed!!
I'd like to see the better team against arsenal. Prem is where it's at.. Tell me what your drinking and I'll tell you if I have same feeling!
couple of half's of Guinness
couple of half's of Guinness mate , on a Sunday
Difficult one for me, I'd
Difficult one for me, I'd love to get up to Upton Park on a Thursday night and see a European game but I think that competition can come at a heavy cost unless we're very lucky with players staying fit. We don't have enough quality throughout the squad to do well in the Europa and compete in the Premiership IMO, add the League Cup and FA Cup into the equation and that's a very difficult season, it already feels like we're playing every couple of days and it's still only pre season, with all that in mind I think we need to prioritise, the Premiership is obviously the main event, then I think if we get through to the Europa then we ought to forget the League Cup and FA Cup and give the youngsters some experience, I don't think we can cope with it all
We are in theory in a
We are in theory in a stronger position than we have been for many a day me old mucker.
Some new blood on board (Ogbonna,Obiong,Lanzini,Payet etc) AND some youngsters being blooded (Burke,Lee,Oxford).
Add to that Zarate returning to the fold etc AND WE SHOULD BE IN THE BEST PERSONEL WISE POSITION we have been for a long time.
Certainly the recent injury to Valencia along with (the perenial) loss of Carroll is concerning re cover up front I have to admit.
But we have " a squad" that contains a great number of players (note the order of great and players lol).
WE SHOULD have enough to compete on a number of levels surely?!
OF COURSE like any team we will have what is undoubtedly our strongest 11 (although I couldnt hazard aguess at this stage what it is) but surely we are capable of putting out decent teams with SENSIBLE rotation.
NO PLAYER should be flogged relentlessly as they undoubtedly need some rest particularly if you are throwing in long haul European trips on Thursdays but again surely rotating say Hendrie (for Cresswell) and say Noble (for Obiong) and maybe Zarate for Payet shouldnt totally wreck team functioning particularly if the opposition isnt the strongest in Cup games etc?!
they are professional
They are professional players and they know perfectly well that they are two important matches. Thus take the field with 11 best give the best in both matches. If they want to move forward in Europe this is the price they have to pay, this situation will repeat itself again if you pass the turn
Looks like the 'first 11' has
Looks like the 'first 11' has stayed at home, and it's very much a second string team to play in Romania.