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Confirmed Signing Stephen Mfuni - LCB + LB (1 Viewer)

He only managed 70 minutes before gassing for us before he left.

This season would be less tracking and more sitting as we are going to be on the backdoor, a lot.

Hamer has that vision to break the lines from deep that we lack.
yeah him not tracking his runner in the PL won't be a big issue at all
 
A lad I manage watches the Citeh age groups regularly, he says that Mfuni was head and shoulders (metaphorically & literally) above everyone coming through the ranks.

Way better ter than Hardwood-Bellis apparently.

I don't think that's much of a secret.

He's one out of the academy that the coaching staff there has tipped to break into the first team for some time. Pep also thought the same.

He's been training with the first team for the last couple of years on and off and was named on their bench numerous times last season.
 
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Thought he did alright on Wednesday. Needs to work on his positioning as he got caught out a fair few times though could be the tactics. Needs to also release the ball earlier, tried to showboat a few times instead of passing it at the first opportunity.

Definitely a good player in there. Look forward to seeing him develop this season.
 
Thought he did alright on Wednesday. Needs to work on his positioning as he got caught out a fair few times though could be the tactics. Needs to also release the ball earlier, tried to showboat a few times instead of passing it at the first opportunity.

Definitely a good player in there. Look forward to seeing him develop this season.
If we had Amenda fit I'd have been inclined to start him LB
 
I’d 100% start him tomorrow, whether that’s in for Pinnock, DaSilva or if one of him and DaSilva have to cover if MVE is injured.

He’s raw and will make mistakes, but there is one hell of a player in there and it’s not as though the others are mistake free either.
 
I’d 100% start him tomorrow, whether that’s in for Pinnock, DaSilva or if one of him and DaSilva have to cover if MVE is injured.

He’s raw and will make mistakes, but there is one hell of a player in there and it’s not as though the others are mistake free either.
Why woud JDS cover MVE?
 
Why woud JDS cover MVE?
If MVE is injured as has been suggested, the options for his replacement are limited. I think I'd rather use Mfuni and JDS either side of Thomas and Pinnock than look at using Torp, Tats, Yirenkyi or some of the other suggestions I've seen at RB. Lati is 100% not an option for me, he was dreadful on Wed!
 
If MVE is injured as has been suggested, the options for his replacement are limited. I think I'd rather use Mfuni and JDS either side of Thomas and Pinnock than look at using Torp, Tats, Yirenkyi or some of the other suggestions I've seen at RB. Lati is 100% not an option for me, he was dreadful on Wed!
Yirenkyi has played there for club and country.
 
If MVE is injured as has been suggested, the options for his replacement are limited. I think I'd rather use Mfuni and JDS either side of Thomas and Pinnock than look at using Torp, Tats, Yirenkyi or some of the other suggestions I've seen at RB. Lati is 100% not an option for me, he was dreadful on Wed!
If we didnt have an out and out RB I'd imagine Yirenkyi or Tchaouna would be used as a RWB.
 
We need him more in the middle of the pitch though.

Onyeka in CM is a better option than Lats at RB though.

If no MVE maybe something like

Rushworth
Thomas Pinnock Mfuni
Yirenkyi Onyeka Torp Dasilva
Rudi Gboho
Cherif

TBH I’d even play Lats over Pinnock and move Thomas to the middle maybe. Then your back like can drop to

Yirkenkyi Lats Thomas Mfuni
or
Lats Thomas Mfuni Dasilva
If a WB is caught up the pitch.

I’d only play Grimes if he can do a Hamer circa 2022 impression and get the ball, turn quickly and release the front three. That’s the part I feel we’re missing. Get the ball, pass to a long range passer with vision, set the front three off running. I’d be tempted to play Tchaouna over Rudi for his pace and I even think Simms would do better chasing balls over the top than being asked to hold it. With no Awoniyi I think we need to be a lot quicker on the break and just try and get it to the likes of Gboho and Rudoni when there’s not many in front of them.
 
Onyeka in CM is a better option than Lats at RB though.

If no MVE maybe something like

Rushworth
Thomas Pinnock Mfuni
Yirenkyi Onyeka Torp Dasilva
Rudi Gboho
Cherif

TBH I’d even play Lats over Pinnock and move Thomas to the middle maybe. Then your back like can drop to

Yirkenkyi Lats Thomas Mfuni
or
Lats Thomas Mfuni Dasilva
If a WB is caught up the pitch.

I’d only play Grimes if he can do a Hamer circa 2022 impression and get the ball, turn quickly and release the front three. That’s the part I feel we’re missing. Get the ball, pass to a long range passer with vision, set the front three off running. I’d be tempted to play Tchaouna over Rudi for his pace and I even think Simms would do better chasing balls over the top than being asked to hold it. With no Awoniyi I think we need to be a lot quicker on the break and just try and get it to the likes of Gboho and Rudoni when there’s not many in front of them.
I’d certainly like to see both Yirenkyi and Onyeka in midfield to add more cover. And not with Onyeka pressing up top where easily bypassed, as we saw against Arsenal.
 
Yirenkyi was outstanding on his Ghana debut at right back. Full of energy and maybe it could be an option tomorrow if MVE isn’t available.
 
I’d certainly like to see both Yirenkyi and Onyeka in midfield to add more cover. And not with Onyeka pressing up top where easily bypassed, as we saw against Arsenal.

I think you defend in a 442 so if you’ve got a back 3 one wingback tucks in or plays wide right.

Those two CM spots need to be ball winners so either you’ve got to play Onyeka and Yirenkyi in the midfield two but I worry about lack of vision/long pass execution there. I think you play one DM and have the RWB tuck in. At risk of going full “Dabo in CM if everyone’s fit I think for 3ATb id go:

Rushworth
CB CB CB Dasilva
RW MvE Yirenkyi LW
Torp ST

4231 I think you can get away with Onyeka and Yirenkyi and whoever is in the 10 pushes up. But can Rudoni take the ball and quickly release those in front of him like a Hamer or Torp or Grimes can.
 
I think you defend in a 442 so if you’ve got a back 3 one wingback tucks in or plays wide right.

Those two CM spots need to be ball winners so either you’ve got to play Onyeka and Yirenkyi in the midfield two but I worry about lack of vision/long pass execution there. I think you play one DM and have the RWB tuck in. At risk of going full “Dabo in CM if everyone’s fit I think for 3ATb id go:

Rushworth
CB CB CB Dasilva
RW MvE Yirenkyi LW
Torp ST

4231 I think you can get away with Onyeka and Yirenkyi and whoever is in the 10 pushes up. But can Rudoni take the ball and quickly release those in front of him like a Hamer or Torp or Grimes can.
The conundrum for me is JDS has done OK and way better than MVE, I’m not going to get carried away like others and say he’s been great, but he has a genuine claim for saying others have done worse.

Mfuni is raw and has a mistake in him but he’s so comfortable on the ball and clearly likes to get forward. Absent seeing him at CB, I think that left hand axis with Gboho can be really exciting, let him get forward and reduce the risk of a raw mistake being fatal.

If we get the axis of MVE and Tchaouna firing, Yirenyki can pick up the ball deep centrally, but you also have two flanks working with the cover of Onyeka and yirenkyi centrally in a 4-4-2 with Rudi

If you want to be more defensive, you have to bench Rudi and bring in Torp or Hamer with Mfuni and Tchaouna tucking in as needed to support the striker. The team hadn’t truly managed to get Rudi involved so far and he’s not effective dropping deeper and defending.

We’ve all seen how hard it’s been to transition forwards from the back. Thomas is like a rabbit in headlights at the thought of receiving the ball and moving / passing forwards, Pinnock tends to go for the longer pass. Mfuni and Yirenkyi are two of the few that seem happy to pick the ball up deeper and do something with it at this level.

Who knows what Lamps will do but I just hope we can be a bit braver going forwards and would much prefer Mfuni and Gboho as a pairing than EMC and jDS. So I’m hoping for either 4-4-2 or 4-5-1
 

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