Reid looks certain to play!
David Moyes is likely to leave his squad selection as late as possible as he and his backroom team digest all they have seen on the training pitch this week.
And although he has been glad of the international break to get a decent stint in on the training ground his selection is complicated by those players he hasn’t seen -notably Marko Arnautovic and Diafra Sakho, and the late rush home from Peru by Winston Reid.
However, it will be a big surprise if the central defender isn’t included alongside Angelo Ogbonna at the heart of the defence with Zaba right and Cressie left.
And given a determination to give the back line plenty of protection it’s reasonable to expect a midfield trio of Noble, Kouyate and Obiang.
With his various injury problems the starting 11 looks set to be completed by Ayew (right), Lanzini (left) and Carroll through the middle in a team which almost picks itself.
CandH Team: Hart; Zaba, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Noble, Kouyate, Obiang; Ayew, Lanzini, Carroll
Looks remarkably like the team Bilic would have picked. Same old same old then.
He should make a statement of intent when picking the team and not Billic’s past team.
If he picks that team he is not doing what he is saying. Andy Carroll has not scored and has not worked when he has played – if he is true to his word he should be no where near the first team.
It wasn’t so much the team with bilic it was application tactics fitness and so on …so I hope Moyes has goit them fired up..it was never about the squad really it was what bilic wads doing with it IMO
I completely agree, we have a bundle of talent, it’s just getting them to play a system that works with them. Obviously under Bilic, that system wasn’t working.
David Moyes is the type of bloke that will drop a player for a bad match, he will shout and scream and will be respected…
Bilic seemed like a walkover to be honest, and that did no one any favours.
I don’t think that will be the team at all, I think Rice will start instead of Reid or Ogbonna, I expect a 442 formation with Sakho and Carroll up top, I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Masuaku in defence or on the left wing in front of Cressie, Moyes may play a 4231 formation with Obiang and Noble in the deep positions in which case he could play any number of midfield combinations, the name not being mentioned by many is Fernandes if they can coach him to tackle he has the potential to be better than any of our current midfielders, he certainly has the creativity he is just lacking the bite but that can be trained, I have seen him fly in with a few tackles when he wants too. I can’t wait to see how we shape up, it would be ultra aggressive to go 442 especially as he has said they need to stop conceding but this Watford team is short on fit defenders, I say go for them get the crosses on for Sakho and Carroll and score a hatful COYI !!!
I hope you are right 32 , noble and cresswell offer nothing defensively and did sakho come back after chieck ? Rice you would think would start ? Were all guessing but I wouldn’t be surprised if the team above started ? Let’s see what happens Sunday , I’m not expecting miracles, so fingers crossed the new man in charge syndrome kicks in with a much needed 3 points , 😉