[Albion] First XI

[Whitechapel]

Steele
Gross - Dunk - Igor - Pervis
Caicedo - Dahoud
March - Pedro - Mitoma
Ferguson​

Currently think that’s our strongest squad.

 

[Bob!]

Right now with fitness and familiarity issues think De Zerbi would go:

Steele Veltman Pervis Van Hecke Dunk Caicedo Gross Mitoma Lallana Buonanotte Ferguson

But there are some tight calls re Webster, Gilmour, Dahoud, Enciso, Welbeck, Adringra and Joao Pedro.

March ahead of Buananotte surely?

 

[Blue3]

Steele

Veltman
webster
Dunk
Pervis

March
Gross
Caicedo
Gilmour
Mitoma

Welbeck

cannot see any new players being given the initial opportunity over the original squad their time will come but for Luton the team that achieved our first European place should start

 

[Pavilionaire]

I'm surprised so many are putting Igor in our 1st XI when a large number have never seen him play and he has never played for us.

I also think that Lallana doesn't get enough goals and assists, and there are unlikely to be too many games when he and Welbeck both start with their injury records. I would have hoped with Ferguson and Enciso we'd be beyond that point now.

 

[Weststander]

Bart
Gross
Dunk
Igor
Perv
Moises
Dahoud
Mitoma
Welbeck
Lalana
March

Missing the brilliant RB Veltman.

When he doesn’t start, our right flank is seriously exposed eg Albion 1-5 Everton.

 

[studio150]

As we seem to have a different 11 with each post, it just shows the depth of squad we are starting to get.
Forget the end of last season, where our bench was filled with U23 players with next to no PL starts between them, this season our bench will probably be the strongest its even been, with all subs being able to impact the game when they come on.

 

[American Seagle]

Players will be rotated, but there will be a first xi in rdz's head. When the big games come along you must know your best side. And I think RdZ has a group who he trusts to perform over others. He effectively admitted that having frozen Gilmour out for much of the season and was almost forced to play him due to injuries.

Don't get me wrong, it is unlikely the first xi will play the majority of games ( injuries and the need for rotation) but it definitely exists.

I don't think De Zerbi is that limited a coach. I think he is better than that. His "best" XI will be determined by form, fitness and the opposition.

 

[The Fits]

Nailed on it will be mostly players who were here last season. Gross will play. Solly if fit. Lallana will, Welbeck almost certainly.
Steele
Veltman Webster/JPVH Dunk Pervis
Caicedo Dahoud
March Lallana Welbeck Mitoma.
After Luton it's anyone's guess.

 

[WhingForPresident]

Against weaker sides:

Steele/Bart

March
Veltman
Dunk
Estupiñan

Caicedo
Gross
Joao Pedro

Mitoma
Ferguson
Enciso

Against better sides:

Steele/Bart

Veltman
Dunk
Webster
Estupiñan

Caicedo
Gilmour
Gross

Joao Pedro
Welbeck
March

 

[The Fits]

Against weaker sides:

Steele/Bart

March
Veltman
Dunk
Estupiñan

Caicedo
Gross
Joao Pedro

Mitoma
Ferguson
Enciso

Against better sides:

Steele/Bart

Veltman
Dunk
Webster
Estupiñan

Caicedo
Gilmour
Gross

Joao Pedro
Welbeck
March

I really think after a few weeks Dahoud will have something to say about that. Be amazed if he doesn't become our first pick at 8.

 

[ElectricNaz]

First XI first game

Steele
Velts, Webster, Dunk, Estupinian
Caicedo, Gross
March, Lallana, Mitoma
Welbeck

Not saying that's what it should be, but that's the safe bet for game one at home.

 

[ShandyH]

I really don't understand this fascination with out dated thinking around the squad game.

Tell that to City fans when they

This. No top side has a first eleven.

Tell that to City fans when Guardiola wasn’t picking their best team and not winning the CL.

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

Controversially, I don’t think Lallana will be a definite starter now. I think we have a lot of competition for his position now, so I don’t think he should be guaranteed to start to be honest, nobody should be.

If he's fit and it's an important game, Lallana will always start. According to De Zerbi's, he's our most important player.

This is a quote from De Zerbi.

“I spoke with Andrea Maldera and Marcattilio Marcattilli and we were speaking about the importance of all players. We have a stat, which says the most important player for the team and the result, it is Adam Lallana.

When Adam Lallana plays, we have more opportunities to win the game. I didn’t need these stats to understand the importance of Lallana. It was a general stat, the number of passes completed, not losing balls, all of the stats that are useful for understanding the performance of a player.”

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Tell that to City fans when they

Tell that to City fans when Guardiola wasn’t picking their best team and not winning the CL.

Pep didn't pick a certain player that for that game, on that occasion, and in retrospect that seemed odd, and is cited as the reason they lost*. But this is not the exceptional circumstance that proves a rule. City (and Brighton) don't have a "first eleven".

*Which means it could be argued that City are a one-man team.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

First XI first game

Steele
Velts, Webster, Dunk, Estupinian
Caicedo, Gross
March, Lallana, Mitoma
Welbeck

Not saying that's what it should be, but that's the safe bet for game one at home.

I’m not convinced that Webster will be first choice at centre back. His distribution isn’t great, he loses the ball more than most and doesn’t look that comfortable with Zerbiball. Given time to fit into the system, I think the new guy will end up a regular with Dahoud playing with Cac and Gross dropping into right back. I love Lallana playing 10 but he won’t always be fit. If he can adapt his young brain to the job I see Enciso playing there.
I am currently worried that Dunk and March haven’t made the field in pre season - two of the best players we have.

 

[aolstudios]

Yes, I think he is a better defender than Webster. I don't know enough about Igor to know whether he will be a definite starter or not.
I think RdZ will always find a position for Gross, and at the moment right back is his most likely position.

He's a far better defender & footballer than Webster, I agree. I'd play him at RB though

 

[Hugo Rune]

First XI first game

Steele
Velts, Webster, Dunk, Estupinian
Caicedo, Gross
March, Lallana, Mitoma
Welbeck

Not saying that's what it should be, but that's the safe bet for game one at home.

I think you’ve got that pretty spot on for Luton. These promoted sides can produce massive shocks in their first game of the season, we should not underestimate. I think RDZ will go with experience.

The only changes I can see would be perhaps getting Gilmour in the team alongside Caicedo (if he is still here) and putting Groß in at right back. It also could be that Veltman plays alongside Dunk instead if Webster (I think RDZ sees Webster as a squad player).

 

[Oh_aye]

I don't think I'd want to pick one. It's going to be the mother of all tinker seasons.

 

[BBassic]

There's going to be two or three names that are on the team sheet every single time, unless fitness dictates they can't be.

Beyond that we're going to see so much rotation that naming a First XI will be almost impossible.

It'll be interesting at the end of the season to look at which players were preferred for which competitions etc.

 

[chaileyjem]

Depends on the opposition (and analysis of how they play), the previous game, the next game, training stats and any feeling RdeZ has in his water when deciding the team…..we won’t have a ‘first XI’.

We won’t have - squad game/rotation - but clearly a few players who always get picked more than others …
Last year - Steele (in the end), Dunk, Gross, Mitoma, Caicedo, Estupinan, Mac Allister , Welbeck - although even then there was some resting in the run in.
This year ?