The Manager Has To Get The Midfield Right.
Absolutely and without a shadow of a doubt, the most important decision the manager will face during the next 20 hours as we prepare for the game.
If he picks the right midfield this won’t even be close. If he gets this critical decision wrong it could be a long afternoon.
Most people think this comes down to just whether or not he starts Soro and Turnbull, and those are massive decision to make. But actually, there are other critical elements to this which may prove to be just as important, such as who he plays out wide and the precise way the midfield is constructed.
Does he go with a four? Does he go with a five?
Go with a four and you can’t play Soro, McGregor and Turnbull.
Go with a five and you play only with one striker, unless you play two up front and three at the back.
Do you play Frimpong on the right wing and Elyounoussi on the left?
Do you select the attacking fullbacks and thus restore Laxalt to the starting eleven?
Or do you play Christie on the right and Elyounoussi on the left?
That would seem to be more attack-minded and give the forwards (or forward) better support.
Clearly, the decision as to whether or not to start Scott Brown with McGregor will be the critical choice, but we shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking it is the only one. Neil Lennon has to get the midfield spot on. A strong midfield feeds the strikers and protects the defenders; it is quite simply where this match is going to be won … and lost.