Sheffield Utd 1-0 West Ham Utd (10/01/20)

[Cellar-door]

Benching the most in-form player by a mile is an interesting choice.

[Crouchend_Hammer]

The official site is pushing it to say Cresswell played that CB role with 'aplomb' !

[NorthBank86]

I’m sorry but that is shocking team selection, for so many reasons. Zabaletta isn’t a wing back. Balbuena may struggle on the right of a back 3; he lacks pace and if exposed to a winger operating behind Zabaletta that’s not sensible. Masuaku is just toilet. And we’re overly defensive, weak in attack, but weaker still with Lanzini who has zero presence. At best we’ll get a turgid 0-0, at worst we’ll be well beaten. It’s all coming back why I hated Moyes team selections in his first time as manager...

[Graza]

Nappies and bottles of milk for the bench. Are the injury problems more serious than we thought? Or has Moyes been really impressed by them? Or is this a nudge to the board to open their wallets?

[jastons]

4-5-1. Great, if Haller gets support and isn't completely marked out of the game.

I don't understand why Fornals isn't starting or why Ajeti isn't on the bench.

[DannyboyDJL]

I'm a fan of 3 at the back, but baffled by Lanzini. Seems the type of game he'll get bullied and be on the floor half the time. Think we could have done with Diop in there as well.

We'll see.

[il_martello_di_genovesi]

Diop is going to end up sold...

[leer34]

Zabba up and down for 95 mins?
Cress over diop??

[fjthegrey]

Diop is going to end up sold...

Him being on the bench is the most baffling one. Cresswell at cb over him seems madness.

[Daytonahammer]

So we're parking the bus the first half then?

[bubbles1966]

Pleased to see that Sanchez and Roberto are not even on the bench.

[Burnley Hammer]

Sheff utd have apparently struggled this season against other teams who play 3 at the back. I can see why he's done that today. Masuaku is a more then capable wing back, and zab plays out of necessity. Who else would we put there with antonio and fredericks out? The line up and tactics are just fine. It's all down to the performance of the players now...

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

Making his first appearance in a first-team matchday squad is full-back Jeremy Ngakia.

Strong and speedy, composed but tenaciously hard-working, 19-year-old Ngakia's talent has been deployed in a number of positions throughout his Academy of Football career.

Typically an offensive-minded player blessed with pace, power and excellent technique, Ngakia’s time with the U18s saw him flit between right-back and the right wing, while he has also excelled in central defence for the U23 side on a number of occasions.

Hailing from Brockley in south London, Ngakia initially joined the academy at Chelsea, before switching to the Hammers aged 14. The full-back rose rapidly through the ranks, making 17 appearances for the Hammers’ U18s side during 2016/17 while still a schoolboy and signing his first scholarship papers that summer.

He has previously admitted to modelling his game on Hammers hero Michail Antonio, a comparison evident in the rampaging runs from the wing – or adventurous ganders from defence – which saw him break into the U23 setup in 2017/18, debuting against Tottenham in February 2018.

Ngakia has spent the first half of the 2018/19 campaign recovering from a foot injury sustained during an August friendly against Brentford ‘B’ but returned with typical tenacity in the 3-3 Premier League 2 Division 2 draw with Fulham, his pinpoint 40-yard ball over the top sending Dan Kemp free to score.

Davis Moyes likes this

[Hammer83]

Cresswell over Diop and Lanzini over Fornals both poor selections in my opinion.

[jastons]

That looks like a back four to me, with Arthur as a left winger, rather than a back three.

[Graza]

I’m sorry but that is shocking team selection, for so many reasons. Zabaletta isn’t a wing back. Balbuena may struggle on the right of a back 3; he lacks pace and if exposed to a winger operating behind Zabaletta that’s not sensible. Masuaku is just toilet. And we’re overly defensive, weak in attack, but weaker still with Lanzini who has zero presence. At best we’ll get a turgid 0-0, at worst we’ll be well beaten. It’s all coming back why I hated Moyes team selections in his first time as manager...

In fairness he could be using Masuaku as a winger. Why would he not be playing Diop if he was 3 at the back.

Lanzini is playing himself back and while Fornals has looked like he's getting the pace of the league he's had a lot of football recently.

If we are 4-4-1-1 it seems standard to me.

[Aceface]

Why does he think Cresswell is a CB? Thought it was weird when he did even when our options were thin.

[ironilunga]

Him being on the bench is the most baffling one. Cresswell at cb over him seems madness.

Think he will be on the left as usual, Masuaku ahead of him.

[irving boleyn]

Perhaps Lanzini has come on a bit this week training?

Good opportunity to see Masuaku further up.

Good chance of it working I think.

[bubbles1966]

More sense in sticking Cardozo, Ngakia and Rosa on the bench than the tried and tested duds.

Haller needs to turn up tonight.