Early Team News v Crystal Palace

[Friendsoffulham]

Sasa Lukic still injured (knee)

Adama Traoré (Muscle, picked up in BCD friendly)

Tosin (Out for 6/7 weeks injury unknown)

The rest are fit.. Thoughts?

#ffc CRYFUL

[btffc]

Tosin's injury is reportedly a groin injury he is still suffering from last season.

https://twitter.com/MrDomSmith/status/1704871321178452176

[SerbianLad]

We missed Adama badly in the last game, as neither Bobby nor Iwobi can offer us what Adama can. I really hope he'll come back soon.

I feel bad for Lukic. Started the season really well, even won MOTM in one match on this forum and then got injured. I hope he'll be back soon too, as he offers us something different to Reed and will perhaps be better suited for certain matches.

[Milo]

Would be keen to see Willian-Iwobi-Adama attacking line up.

It's a shame we don't have a 15 goals a season striker to put in front of them.

Question is - where does Andreas fit? Where does BDR fit? BDR presumably off the bench.. but if Andreas isn't on the pitch we lose a great deal of threat from our set pieces. They were a big contributor to goals last year.

[Southcoastffc]

We missed Adama badly in the last game, as neither Bobby nor Iwobi can offer us what Adama can. I really hope he'll come back soon.

I feel bad for Lukic. Started the season really well, even won MOTM in one match on this forum and then got injured. I hope he'll be back soon too, as he offers us something different to Reed and will perhaps be better suited for certain matches.

While BDR is a very different player from Adama, he came on in the 81st minute against Luton and played superbly. (e.g. see his assist for the almost Vini 2nd goal) And I can't quite understand how we missed Adama 'badly'?

[SerbianLad]

We missed Adama badly in the last game, as neither Bobby nor Iwobi can offer us what Adama can. I really hope he'll come back soon.

I feel bad for Lukic. Started the season really well, even won MOTM in one match on this forum and then got injured. I hope he'll be back soon too, as he offers us something different to Reed and will perhaps be better suited for certain matches.

While BDR is a very different player from Adama, he came on in the 81st minute against Luton and played superbly. (e.g. see his assist for the almost Vini 2nd goal) And I can't quite understand how we missed Adama 'badly'?

I think we missed his directness. Wilson is a very good player, but Adama's pace and dribbling would have hugely helped. Or that's just my opinion at least.

[btffc]

Would be keen to see Willian-Iwobi-Adama attacking line up.

It's a shame we don't have a 15 goals a season striker to put in front of them.

Question is - where does Andreas fit? Where does BDR fit? BDR presumably off the bench.. but if Andreas isn't on the pitch we lose a great deal of threat from our set pieces. They were a big contributor to goals last year.

I would think the Andreas and Iwobi selections will depend on who we are playing. Against the promoted teams and teams that like to sit back like Brentford and Everton did, I think you put Iwobi at the 8 in place of Reed/Lukic to maximize our ability to breakdown a well organized defense. Against the rest I think you put Iwobi and Andreas at the LW and 10.

Willian has been rather poor so far this season and looks like he has lost a bit of quickness so I think he is probably best suited as a super sub against tired legs rather than starting right now.

Would also like to see an experiment with Andreas on the LW with Iwobi at the 10. That way you maintain Andreas' set piece ability and some of his pressing while allowing Iwobi to operate where he is most effective centrally.

Don't think BDR is really going to be more than a utility player who can come off the bench in multiple spots or fill in for injuries. He should be the first name on the subs bench due to his versatility but I don't believe he is starting quality.

[Benny]

Adama has hardly played so far and not done much when he did play, so not sure how we missed him

I agree if he finds his form like at Wolves then yes we'll miss him but until then it doesn't matter

[ianthailand]

We missed Adama badly in the last game, as neither Bobby nor Iwobi can offer us what Adama can. I really hope he'll come back soon.

I feel bad for Lukic. Started the season really well, even won MOTM in one match on this forum and then got injured. I hope he'll be back soon too, as he offers us something different to Reed and will perhaps be better suited for certain matches.

Not sure there was enough room for Adama to run at Luton. He tends to need open spaces to run into. Close control and beating players in tight areas ain't his forte.

[flyingfish]

Can someone please explain to me how Adama would have helped against Luton as everyone keeps saying? We had them pinned in the final 20 yards of their half : he had no where to run to! And he's hardly the player to dribble round 5 Luton players packed in the box. Surely he's the player when we are pinned in out box?

[Southcoastffc]

Adama has hardly played so far and not done much when he did play, so not sure how we missed him

I agree if he finds his form like at Wolves then yes we'll miss him but until then it doesn't matter

Whenever I've seen Adama for Wolves the impression I get (and verified by a Wolves supporting friend who goes to all their games  home and away) is that he's strong, fast but has no end product. I sincerely hope Marco/Boa can help him develop to good effect.

[SerbianLad]

We missed Adama badly in the last game, as neither Bobby nor Iwobi can offer us what Adama can. I really hope he'll come back soon.

I feel bad for Lukic. Started the season really well, even won MOTM in one match on this forum and then got injured. I hope he'll be back soon too, as he offers us something different to Reed and will perhaps be better suited for certain matches.

Not sure there was enough room for Adama to run at Luton. He tends to need open spaces to run into. Close control and beating players in tight areas ain't his forte.

Actually it is. He led the league in succesful take-ons in multiple seasons in the past. That's a really underrated aspect of his game. I personally think he would have managed to lose his marker more times than Wilson did.

[Carborundum]

Adama being marked by the Luton #45 who came on as sub (Doughty?), would have been  a spectacle.  Two of the more diverse body shapes in PL football.  One of whom suggested there might be hope for me yet.