How do you think Smith will line us up against Swansea?

Smith played a 4-2-3-1 at Brentford, for which we have excess of attacking players while giving our defence a little more cover. I've absolutely no idea who he'd select though, how about:


I haven't a clue if Smith expects his full backs to go marauding off up the pitch to give width, in which case we have to hope Hutton works his arse off to impress:


That's cramming in Grealish when he's off form and McGinn is looking good and ignoring our wingers. a 4-4-1-1 looks interesting though:


Not really enough cover for the defence though.

Some points:

1. I have faith Nyeland will sort himself out with a) Terry coaching the defence and b) a settled defence and formation in front of him, where everyone knows what they're doing.

2. I'm a big fan of Hogan. If we're playing on the ground through Hourihane/McGinn/Grealish then Hogan's definitely my man. If we're going to play wingers then Abraham. I'm not sure I can see where Kodjia comes into it. I hope he does because I think he has the most in terms of individual brilliance, while Hogan runs rings round defenders and with the right balls into space he'll get on the end of them. I really think Hogan could bring Grealish to life, we haven't seen a decent attacking partnership for a long time. I'm not sure about Tammy but I can see him starting while Smith works with Hogan.

3. Yes, Lansbury. Everyone's presumably going to be given a go and I reckon he's good enough.

4. If it's a choice between Grealish and McGinn I wonder who Smith would go for. I'd prefer he didn't try to do a Bruce and compromise the team as a whole by squeezing in our better players when they can't play in their best positions. Grealish on left wing or Bolasie? I'm afraid for me it's the latter every time. I wonder if we'll see Grealish and McGinn rotated or if Smith will simply stick Grealish behind the striker and leave it at that.

5. Tuanzebe and Chester? We ended the summer with three right-sided CBs, and we'd already seen Elphick struggling when played on the left. Both (?) times Tuanzebe has played in the middle this season it's been on the right, with Chester moved to the left. As probably our best and most important player it's not good moving Chester to accommodate someone else but the only other option is someone who's naturally left-sided, and that's Bedeau. I'd love to see him start but don't think Smith has had enough time. I wonder though if we'll see him on the bench or creeping into the line-up? I'm all for stability and would like a back four of Bree - Chester - Bedeau - Taylor but I can't see it happening for a while, and especially not if Smith wants his full backs to go forward.

6. Jedi still has a place in the team. He's getting on a bit and has given up on playing for Australia but as DM he's good for a while as long as we don't overplay him. Stick him on for the more physical opposition, perhaps. I wonder though if we'll see him sidelined completely for someone younger and more mobile, and left on the bench to shore up a lead late on in a match?

Imagine if Smith changes the way we play during the match, or we come out fighting after half time, or we start seeing attractive football and what our players can really do.

Who and how do you think Smith will put out against Swansea?

FoxyAV wrote:Smith played a 4-2-3-1 at Brentford, for which we have excess of attacking players while giving our defence a little more cover. I've absolutely no idea who he'd select though, how about:

Nyeland
Bree - Tuanzebe - Chester - Taylor
Bjarnason - Jedi
Hourihane - McGinn - Grealish
Hogan

I haven't a clue if Smith expects his full backs to go marauding off up the pitch to give width, in which case we have to hope Hutton works his arse off to impress:

Nyeland
Elmo - Tuanzebe - Chester - Hutton
Bjarnason - Jedi
Hourihane - McGinn - Grealish
Hogan

That's cramming in Grealish when he's off form and McGinn is looking good and ignoring our wingers. a 4-4-1-1 looks interesting though:

Nyeland
Bree/Hutton/Elmo - Tuanzebe - Chester - Taylor
El Ghazi - Hourihane - Lansbury/Bjarnason - Bolasie
Grealish/McGinn
Hogan

Not really enough cover for the defence though.

Some points:

1. I have faith Nyeland will sort himself out with a) Terry coaching the defence and b) a settled defence and formation in front of him, where everyone knows what they're doing.

2. I'm a big fan of Hogan. If we're playing on the ground through Hourihane/McGinn/Grealish then Hogan's definitely my man. If we're going to play wingers then Abraham. I'm not sure I can see where Kodjia comes into it. I hope he does because I think he has the most in terms of individual brilliance, while Hogan runs rings round defenders and with the right balls into space he'll get on the end of them. I really think Hogan could bring Grealish to life, we haven't seen a decent attacking partnership for a long time. I'm not sure about Tammy but I can see him starting while Smith works with Hogan.

3. Yes, Lansbury. Everyone's presumably going to be given a go and I reckon he's good enough.

4. If it's a choice between Grealish and McGinn I wonder who Smith would go for. I'd prefer he didn't try to do a Bruce and compromise the team as a whole by squeezing in our better players when they can't play in their best positions. Grealish on left wing or Bolasie? I'm afraid for me it's the latter every time. I wonder if we'll see Grealish and McGinn rotated or if Smith will simply stick Grealish behind the striker and leave it at that.

5. Tuanzebe and Chester? We ended the summer with three right-sided CBs, and we'd already seen Elphick struggling when played on the left. Both (?) times Tuanzebe has played in the middle this season it's been on the right, with Chester moved to the left. As probably our best and most important player it's not good moving Chester to accommodate someone else but the only other option is someone who's naturally left-sided, and that's Bedeau. I'd love to see him start but don't think Smith has had enough time. I wonder though if we'll see him on the bench or creeping into the line-up? I'm all for stability and would like a back four of Bree - Chester - Bedeau - Taylor but I can't see it happening for a while, and especially not if Smith wants his full backs to go forward.

6. Jedi still has a place in the team. He's getting on a bit and has given up on playing for Australia but as DM he's good for a while as long as we don't overplay him. Stick him on for the more physical opposition, perhaps. I wonder though if we'll see him sidelined completely for someone younger and more mobile, and left on the bench to shore up a lead late on in a match?

Imagine if Smith changes the way we play during the match, or we come out fighting after half time, or we start seeing attractive football and what our players can really do.

Who and how do you think Smith will put out against Swansea?

If there’s a definite about Smith teams then it’s mobility & fluidity. I don’t see a future for either Jedinak or Whelan in the midfield, they’re both out of contract next summer anyway. We don’t have a LB capable of performing as you might see at Brentford. As things are I’d go with;

.........................................Nyland.....................................
Bree...............Tuanzebe................Chester.............Hutton
.......................Bjarnason.....:.......Hourihane......................
..........Adomah.................Grealish...............Bolasie...........
.........................................Abraham.....................................

It's so difficult as we just don't know what he's seen from who in training.
I would think definitely too early for Hogan but would love to see him on the bench just as a confidence booster.

Wonder If he'll go for Elmo at RB but agree Bree should be starting there.

Also wonder if he will play el- ghazi, although with him not starting games recently I dont think Smith will risk a start. Definitely should be on the bench though.

I really don't want Taylor in the side so McCafu it is at left back.
I think your team is close @Dazzle but unless he has a knock, no way can I see McGinniesta not starting. Possibly I think Thor might be sacrificed for him.
Other than that and maybe El Ghazi in for Adomah, I reckon you are there or thereabouts

Scott Hogan will be a different player without the ball sailing over his head from hoofball, but I cannot see him getting a start on Saturday. He may well be on the bench.

The other thing is that a lot of players have only returned from ID today, so whilst we've all been theorising madly, Smith hasn't even seen half the squad train.

I think he will go:-

Nyeland
Hutton Chester Tuanzebe Taylor
Bjarnesson McGinn
Grealish
El Ghazi Abraham Bolaise

I notice most of us have left kodjia out - wonder if deano would play him rather than albert?

What seems to have been missing from the last few years is coaching, a plan, a method of doing things and a general way of playing as a club (well, rather than coaching a new lineup every week, hoofball, setting up not to lose and motivating the players by blaming them when we don't succeed in not losing). From what I've heard of Smith he knows how to set up and play a squad of players to great effect, both on the pitch and for the general entertainment of us lot. If Dean and co can get Kodjia training well there has to be a place for him, all three of our main strikers ply their trade in different ways, and we have a seriously good midfield that could well allow us to put out two completely different looking squads depending on who we're up against. Exciting times, let's hope Johnny thinks a new and rejuvenated team and crowd is worth fighting for.

I'm genuinely interested to see if Smith will play Bedeau and has a plan to utilise the U23s where and when necessary. They should be playing the same style and formation as the first team and training with the first team too so if we need to use a CB or striker or whatever they're ready to slot in.

Saying that though if trained up by Smith and co could we see the likes of Audrey and Davis as rivals for Kodjia? The former didn't work with Bruce's, er, 'style', but with the ball on the ground might we see him starting to score goals for us?

Exciting times.

For me Kodjia is the most talented individual we have up top. If Dean Smith can get him to play as part of the team then he’s a near 1st on the team sheet. If anything I think Kodjia lost his mojo under Bruce, and with it his drive. Fingers crossed Smith gets the full potential out of Kodjia

Dazzle wrote:For me Kodjia is the most talented individual we have up top. If Dean Smith can get him to play as part of the team then he’s a near 1st on the team sheet. If anything I think Kodjia lost his mojo under Bruce, and with it his drive. Fingers crossed Smith gets the full potential out of Kodjia

Hell yes. Like I said earlier, he's the best striker for individual brilliance, one we used to be able to rely on to make something from nothing.

I keep thinking of the goal where Benteke backheeled for Weimann to plant it in the goal, we need a decent dose of that. The YouTube compilation of Hogan's goals at Brentford the season he came to us are almost all teamwork goals. The thought of Kodjia being coached into our attacking lineup, maybe him and Hogan...

I'm not sure where Tammy comes into it though, I'm looking forward to finding out.

And (presumably) Tuanzebe being coached by Terry to work with Chester is going to be interesting. Terry and Chester seemed to have a really good relationship last season.

I think Abraham will still be our first choice central striker under Smith, Kodjia will get plenty of game time as well, either in rotation with Abraham, or alongside him as a wide forward. Hogan despite performing well under Smith previously, has it all to prove, and I'm certainly not expecting him to walk straight back into the team, he will have to impress as much as possible in training and coming off the bench, if he's to work his way back into contention.

Totally agree DBA Tammy has done well and as I see it is our number 1 choice as he is more of a team player than Kodj? Saying that, we have 3 games in 6 days coming up, 2 of them away so if they implement the Smith high energy press then rotation will be needed as they will get knackered?

I see there being room for decent squad rotation without changing the system?

I think that Smith will go for some stability and try and get a system working, so I see a bit of experimenting to see which players’ best fit into his system.

Therefore I agree with FoxyAV and think he will go for a 4-2-3-1, much like the first selection except for Tammy instead of Hogan (at least for now) and switch McGinn and Grealish (so Grealish dominates the middle of the park).
I potentially see a problem in the fact that we have too many wingers that I can’t see fitting into a system that Dean Smith will want to play.

De Kuip wrote:I notice most of us have left kodjia out - wonder if deano would play him rather than albert?

I expect Kodija to be sold in January. Although he has flashes of genius, he is far to inconsistent and I think his attitude is poor. I think of all the occasions when he could have squared the ball for a tap-in and failed to, for example. I have said before, he is not a team player and above all, Dean Smith will want to build a team of eleven fit, hard-working players to permit his pressing game. Moods, sulks and "billy big bollocks types" will not be allowed. There are a couple of others who want to watch out for the same reasons.

With Nyland needing a boost to his confidence, do we have a keeper coach at the club now? I assume that Gary Walsh left with all of Bruces cronies

I haven’t been that impressed with Abraham, he looks bone idle , he moves less than my ex wife in bed

VillaBill wrote:I haven’t been that impressed with Abraham, he looks bone idle , he moves less than my ex wife in bed

Next to Kodjia, he looks athletic!

Not sure if there's another team in the Championship that wouldn't want either Kodjia or Abraham in their side. We've been unable to get anything out of enough Championship proven strikers in the likes of Gestede, Hogan,McCormack, and additionally players like Agbonlahor and Ayew, as it is, without us now deciding that the ones who are actally scoring goals for us aren't good enough either.

Smith often likes to play with three strikers, or one striker, and a couple of wide forwards, so with Kodjia, Abraham, Hogan, Adomah, Bolasie, El Ghazi, Davies, and Hepburn-Murphy all to choose from, he'll have plenty of options.

I think this team looks promising, with players playing in their 'proper' positions and fits in with the 4-2-3-1 system that Dean likes to play:

...................Nyland

Hutton.....Tuanzabee.....Chester....Taylor

..........McGinn.......Bjarnason

Adomah........Grealish...........Bolasie

.................Abraham

achilles wrote:I think this team looks promising, with players playing in their 'proper' positions and fits in with the 4-2-3-1 system that Dean likes to play:

...................Nyland

Hutton.....Tuanzabee.....Chester....Taylor

..........McGinn.......Bjarnason

Adomah........Grealish...........Bolasie

.................Abraham

That does look good. El Ghazi also an option on the left although I'd love to see Albert able to concentrate on attacking and having fun.

A stat from the BBC: Aston Villa striker Tammy Abraham has scored 31 league goals in his career - including five last season for Swansea - with all 31 scored from inside the box.

achilles wrote:I think this team looks promising, with players playing in their 'proper' positions and fits in with the 4-2-3-1 system that Dean likes to play:

...................Nyland

Hutton.....Tuanzabee.....Chester....Taylor

..........McGinn.......Bjarnason

Adomah........Grealish...........Bolasie

.................Abraham

Well that was a pretty good guess, as Adomah played on the left instead of Bolasie and Elmo came in on the right, which made sense really as Dean likes players who work hard.
When Bolasie came on he offers nothing defensively so I wouldn't expect him to start under Dean unless he improves his defensive duties and the same applies to Kodjia, the one instance when he just watched the ball in the penalty area was criminal although Grealish was watching as well as the Swansea player nipped in to get a shot away that Nyland saved with Taylors help.