Trabzonspor 1st leg build up

[Pablo]

Yeah I hope Pacheco starts. I would still be a little surprised if the starting XI is as inexperienced as some of you have posted though. I would expect the likes of Carragher and Gerrard to start mixed with a few of the less experienced lads. Hope I'm wrong though, maybe I'm just too used to how Rafa would have done things.

[the rev leeroy brown]

Fair call. I thought we'd rest a few of the gig guns with City in mind. Just enough class on the park to get the job done mixed with enough youth to keep them keen. Pacheco must figure IMO

i guess your right in regards to keeping big guns ready for city. just as ste and torres need the games to get sharp and back to full fitness and as we dont play till monday i figure give them the game time. fabio badly needs game time to get his fitness up so we can have dagger back in the centre where he belongs. pacheco should feature but as we normally play 1 up top and as i want to see what aqua can really do i suppose we could leave kelly out of the squad and put pacheco on bench then.

[Fernandinho]

Jones
Kelly-Soto-Wilson-Aurelio
---Lucas----Shelvey/Aquilani-----
Maxi---Cole----Babel
------torres and then Ngog later

[-V-]

Pacheco started the last home game in this competition and played the whole 90 so I don't see why he wouldn't start this game. He made it clear that he wants to play and he's not going to be content as a reserve and neither should he be. He has to start, he has to be given chances

I expect to see Poulsen, Aquilani, Babel and Pacheco all starting this match.
The other two spaces in attack should be filled from 2 of these 4- Torres, Lucas, Cole and Maxi

[Mostar]

Aqualani and Babel have to start surely

They + Pacheco surely will start. If Roy has no intentions of using them for Cityh game I'd like to see them play 90 minutes..

What about?

------------------reina---------------

Kelly---------Kyriakos----Wilson-------Aurelio

----------------Lucas-----Aqua-------

Maxi-----------------Cole---------------Pacheco

-------------------Babel----------------------

Looks just about right. Like to see them all start on Thursday.

Yeah we don't really care. If we lose we won't have to play on thursday and monday nights anymore (5-a-side nights) Plus its a **** compitition

I disagree. This would be more than decent competition (especially in later rounds) for the players trying to break into starting 11 (Aqua man, Pacheco, Babel, Poulsen etc), youngsters (Kelly, Shelvey etc) and players coming back from long term injuries.

[Fernandinho]

I think Chrono got it bang on right.

[Pablo]

Yeah after reading back through the thread I think Chrono's team is just about spot on. Roy OUT, Chrono IN

[Reece]

I want to win some silverware so I hope we put a strong team out.

[PTP]

Yeah we don't really care. If we lose we won't have to play on thursday and monday nights anymore (5-a-side nights) Plus its a **** compitition

ha - it's the same for me - play 5 a side on mons and thurs! - we used to play tues/weds starting years ago and changed it for champions league

[Exiled_red]

Yeah we don't really care. If we lose we won't have to play on thursday and monday nights anymore (5-a-side nights) Plus its a **** compitition

ha - it's the same for me - play 5 a side on mons and thurs! - we used to play tues/weds starting years ago and changed it for champions league

Me too

[PTP]

I want to win some silverware so I hope we put a strong team out.

im sure we all do but going back to the previous round against robotnicki, plus lookingat mine and chronos teams - imo, those players should be capable of doing well in the europa....if they aren't then they shouldn't be here, and we'd have no chance in the league if they are squad players/back up - use them to progress as fair as possible in europa - if and wehn a decision needs to be made later in the season address it then when we know what our circumstances are - ie, say we are in qtrs of the europa, but in with a title challenge, weigh up the options - if though we are out of everything though other than europa then yes bring in the big guns....

worst case scenario being - we get to play and use the squad players to give them game time for confidence/form/experience, and if ultimatley, they crash and burn out of europa, then at least we know they aren't up to it and we get rid. - In the meantime, we should have the first teamers reasonable fresh for the league games

[-V-]

Basically if Hodgson uses this competition to develop the fringe/youth players then it will be very much worthwhile.
But if he uses it to play senior players just because he wants to win a trophy (who cares about being the best of europe's 2nd tier anyway?) then it will be nothing but a hindrance in our quest to get back into the top 4

[Scratch]

With 4 days between this match and City, i can see Gerrard, Johnson and a few of the less match fit players getting some game time, along side the young ones such as Amoo, Pacheco and Kelly. Might see N'Gog rested and Torres given a start too, cos we'll need N'gog against City.

[Mostar]

Basically if Hodgson uses this competition to develop the fringe/youth players then it will be very much worthwhile.
But if he uses it to play senior players just because he wants to win a trophy (who cares about being the best of europe's 2nd tier anyway?) then it will be nothing but a hindrance in our quest to get back into the top 4

As much as I would agree I am not so sure that Roy will not opt to play his best squad down the line if we start progressing deep in the competition.

After all this may be his best (and probably only) chance to get some silverware this year..

[SK]

As much as I would agree I am not so sure that Roy will not opt to play his best squad down the line if we start progressing deep in the competition.

After all this may be his best (and probably only) chance to get some silverware this year..

nah we're gonna win the league..this is our year