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Holtby & Huddlestone is way too attacking an axis.
I'd like to see all three of Holtby + Huddlestone + Dembele in a more inverted midfield triangle three with Huddlegun (!) sitting deeper than the other two.
However that demands for Bale to stay wide in one side. And for Andre to leave out two from Lennon, Gylfi and Dempsey. From form I am pretty sure he'd start either of Dempsey and Gylfi before Holtby in the middle.
Still my team would probably be, assuming Lennon is not fit for 90 mins:
LlorisWalker - Dawson - Vertonghen - Ekotto- Holtby - Huddlestone - Dembele -- Bale - Adebayor - Sigurdsson -Friedel, Caulker, Carroll, Lennon, Dempsey, Defoe, Parker
This should be a right handful for Wigan, who are very attacking minded.
I think Holtby is far more versatile than most people peg. From German football fans, I hear he can do whatever job AVB asks of him. Sitting deep and breaking up play could allow for Hudd's lack of mobility and I'm aching to see Dembele further up the park providing the killer pass.
Probably would be hard to justify leaving Dempsey out of the starting line up. He seems to be a scorer of important goals, would stick him on the left and let Bale pull in from the Right should Lennon be unfit. Otherwise, Dempsey could play left and leave Bale through the middle. Then the entire middle would have to be re-jigged to accommodate that formation.
Either way, smash ten-bells out of Wigan and we're on the way to the promised land and the hope of attracting a 30+ goal per season striker #coys
May not be a popular view, but I think we need a player like Parker or Sandro alongside Huddlestone, to do the dirty work, break up play and protect the centre of midfield. Hudd did well yesterday but his lack of pace and mobility are still glaring weaknesses that a well-organised opponent will take advantage of.
Personally, I would go with Parker/Sandro and Hudd, with Dembele or Holtby ahead of them in the hole and looking to carry the ball forward or thread a pass through. If we add Bale and Lennon on the wings, that's plenty of outlets and options.
He's definitely one of the best passers of the ball we have, but doesn't offer much else. He needs to at least score a few goals to justify his inclusion on a regular basis. He needs to score at least one against Sunderland (if he's selected) otherwise his afro will make the Guinness Book of Records!