You miss out O'Brien.
I'd play him and allow him to build rhythm and confidence.
I'm always wary of this keep your best players on the bench for the second half ploy. Great teams can do it sometimes because their squad is so good.
We have an atrocious squad and have gone behind every match this season. We have been chasing every match.
Our "good" players have not been good enough to get results when going behind.
Yeah I'd be playing him over Howson, in one of the two holding roles, but not seen enough of him to see if he could do the holding role on his own. He's a starter for me, and I would be looking for him to play the whole game.
We need to be making more of Hackney, O'Brien, Howson and even Barlaser, before we even think about putting Silvera or Rogers on the team sheet, as they've offered nothing so far. I know the latter two are very different players to the former two, but we need to find a way of not having to play them, to be brutally honest, as it's costing us. They either don't create or lose the ball in daft positions when we're over committed which is the absolute worst thing you can ever do, as it leaves you wide open. The rest of our players don't expect them to lose the ball, so get caught out, or they expect them to lose the ball so don't even bother trying to support the play, both are understandable for the other players, but it's not up to standard from Silvera/ Rogers etc.
At least we know Barlaser can play at this level (but hasn't for us yet, but he will) and Howson can do it for at least half a game, maybe even 2/3rds. I wouldn't be playing Jonny more than 60 minutes though, not that he can't do it at the time, but at that age it takes an effect into the next few days, and next game etc. Rather have 60 fresh minutes, than just rolling onto the next when he's never going to be fresh. Could even try Barlaser at 10, he's definitely technically good enough, and suits him as it's less tackling. Or just one holding and two higher, epseically second half, that would suit hackney and barlaser, being higher but not as a 10.
I know what you mean, about not starting with "the best", but I mean play with a different intent for those players, again horse for courses, the first lads go there with the intent to keep it tight and make the oppo tired, the latter lot is where the attacking and actual goal threat comes into play.
What we're doing at the minute is burning through our better players, going for gaps or exploits which don't yet exist, or the whole side is not good enough to create and convert, to make the most of that, so we need to kill some time out of the game. It's easier to kill time out of the game early in the game, than it is in the latter when players are getting tired, and the opposition notice the clock going down so are more likely to make changes/ adaptations themselves. The first 30 mins of most games is just sussing out opponents, let them suss us out doing something which is effectively a smoke screen.
The problem is because we're going behind, and we're going behind because we're playing too slack, trying to do too much, too quick, at a time which does not suit our squad. We're recovering most of the second halfs very well, but the problems all stem from us giving away soft goals or chances before that happens. Cut that out, and the task for the second half is easier. In fact it's not easier, it's just the same task, of scoring a goal, but that goal gets you 3 points instead of one or none.
Structure the game so that we're not going after strong or expected mid table or higher teams at all first half, it's quite easy to just kill a game by not over committing, or not being too progressive. Even if it means just lumping balls into channels to waste oppo energy (and that of our players we're going to sub), or moving play left and right and backwards if need be, just hold the ball and don't look to create unless it's obviously on.
