Man City U21 Post Match Thoughts

[Brin]

Yes I meant never be a Warney boy. Sadlier scored goals for Doncaster can't see why he can't for us.

He does but not in the first team for all the reasons Grumps posted on.

[millertop]

I trust Warne has the common sense not to get all gooey eyed over Sadlier' 3 goals and starts him Saturday because of it.

We have currently a very good balance in the side and Sadlier would only slow our game down and put it out of synch.

Let’s hope so, would mean Warney has learnt something which is a good positive

[millertop]

I am not a Sadlier fan, although delighted with his 3 goals. He looks good in this competition but hasn’t impressed in the league. Even playing at 10 I don’t think he’ll impress in the league either. Oggy, Miller and Ferguson are in front of him as wing backs, so expect him to be on the bench on Saturday.

Totally agree, just think Warney will consider him because he scored an hatrick

[sawmiller]

Great to see some of our younger players starting to get themselves close to reckoning for the first team - Wiles has set the standard for others to emulate or better

[Geetarman]

Unless of course your name is Warne

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

Unless of course your name is Warne

Well it's been used often enough

[MillersTime]

I assume you mean "won't" be a Warney boy?

On to the matter of a number 10, irrespective of who plays there. I think there's much more to it than you've considered. Presently we play with two up top: Grigg or Ladapo play alongside Smith. In reality they play "off him".

A number 10 as you allude would play behind Smith. "In the hole" to use old parlance. And therein, in my opinion, would be the problem. The magic in our team comes from the central triangle of Barlaser, Wiles and Rathbone (with Lindsay to come back into the reckoning soon I hope). Everything we do spawns out of that golden triangle. The pinged diagonal balls to our flying wing backs. The receiving of the ball from the back three. The running into gaps to support the front two. The space created by the constant moving of opposition teams as they try to cover Wiles and Rathbone's movement. Sticking a number 10 in has the potential to completely change that dynamic. It puts an extra body of ours into Wiles/Rathbone target space plus it's likely to bring an opposition defender into that area.

Because of the above, I would do absolutely everything possible to keep and to maximise the effect of our golden triangle.

I think Sadlier, as good as he possibly is, is just at the wrong club at the wrong time. He's not a winger or wing back. I think he probably is a good number 10. But I wouldn't risk our golden triangle. He's perhaps an option if ever opponents work out how to combat our current set up.

Well said.

[MillersTime]

Totally agree, just think Warney will consider him because he scored an hatrick

Be amazed if he doesn't go with Freddie. Don't go shoehorning in players when we have a formula that is working. I think PW will go with a formation that has us 10 unbeaten.

[Derbymiller]

Rotherham fans amaze me, we are a small club with a small squad and we think we can pick and choose which footballers are good enough to play for us, makes me laugh. sadlier is a talented player, and we should be glad that we have players like him at our club and be thankful that our recruitment team constantly pick up talent like Crooks, vaulks, Ajay that do well for us and make us money. Now the style of player Sadlier is, doesn't make him a natural fit into the team formation and tactics that our management like, but everytime he has played he tries and it was him on tuesday pushing the team forward, encourging the young lads to press, he scored 3 goals from 5 chances and got an assist and still fans moan about him. This season he has played right wing back, left wing back, central midfielder and second striker, he wants to play and he gives his best, be grateful we have players of his quality and desire that want to play for us and get off his back.

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

Rotherham fans amaze me, we are a small club with a small squad and we think we can pick and choose which footballers are good enough to play for us, makes me laugh. sadlier is a talented player, and we should be glad that we have players like him at our club and be thankful that our recruitment team constantly pick up talent like Crooks, vaulks, Ajay that do well for us and make us money. Now the style of player Sadlier is, doesn't make him a natural fit into the team formation and tactics that our management like, but everytime he has played he tries and it was him on tuesday pushing the team forward, encourging the young lads to press, he scored 3 goals from 5 chances and got an assist and still fans moan about him. This season he has played right wing back, left wing back, central midfielder and second striker, he wants to play and he gives his best, be grateful we have players of his quality and desire that want to play for us and get off his back.

Agree with a lot of that but is our squad size a factor? Is it smaller than others in this league? If it is then surely that's a " management" decision and not enforced on us