No way will the club risk injury and suspension when we are only 5 points above the drop zone. If we were all but safe (and Chris would need us to be at 38 points now to feel that way) then we 'might' see a much stronger line up. If Murray broke his bloody leg against a thundering/struggling/wound up Millwall side then we'd be ****ed in both the league and cup.
Absolutely right. No way CH will risk too many first teamers against the Millwall thugs, with the 6 pointer up next against Southampton, even if it is a few weels away.
If Izquierdo isn't match fit, the only way he'll get that is matches - therefore he needs to play a significant part in the match.
Considerations for each position below
Keeper - I can't see any justification for playing Button. Ryan is our best keeper. He plays.
Full backs - I've no strong opinions as I think the selection decisions are fairly marginal. I imagine it will be Bruno and Bong
Centre Backs - Burn has done well and knows the division. I would play Duffy an Dunk though. Time to make a statement we're going for this competition.
Centre Mid - I think he's start with a 3, but if he needs to sub a centre mid, then go to 4-4-1-1. Given it's three, then the 3 fit senior players, Kayal, Stephens and Propper all play,
Wingers - Marginal selection decisions here as well. Knocky must keep his place on current form if you ask me. I'd start Izquierdo to give him the minutes, but give March and Ali J half an hour each at the end.
Striker - The ballsy decision (or obvious one given there's an international break) is to play Murray. If Andone looks like he could miss some time though, then I could understand playing Locadia. Though I think its over cautious
So my team is ...
-------------Ryan
Bruno Dunk Duffy Bong
----------Stephens
------Kayal ----Propper
Knocky ------------Izquierdo
------------Murray
Button, Montoya, Burn, Sanders, March, Ali J, Locadia
It won't be that strong though
I would argue that Bernardo, Montoya, Bissouma and Ali Jak all need game time as preparation for Southampton. All of these players are only just settling in with minimal playing time this season apart from Montoya who has played a bit more, but still settling in.
Any first teamer who will not be going on international duty should play in my opinion
Just a thought. From our perspective I know that this is all bolllocks but being cynical from the clubs point of view isn't there a marketing issue here as well. If Albion reach the FA cup final this furthers our profile and prestige on the international TV stage, young kids in China and India buy our shirts and merchandise, people want to be associated with the 'brand', etc..In other words, each game is an advert, if we put out our best team we (the club) are more likely to reap financial rewards ( but only if we stay up). So will the team selection be partly a business decision?
The team selection will be a business decision - and the business decision is staying in the PL. The marketing exposure of being in the PL is huge compared to winning the FA Cup. Whether that's right or not has been debated endlessly since Sky invented football.