After an impressive display in midfield against QPR, Josh Kilmister asks "what is the best midfield trio for Swansea City?"
Watching our game against QPR had me thinking one thing; is this our best midfield? With the timely reintroduction of Leon Britton into the starting eleven adding even more strength in depth to our already solid midfield, I’m probably not the only person worried for Jonjo’s starting position.
One player who’s received praise this season is Ki. After being sent out on loan to Sunderland by Michael Laudrup last season, the Korean superstar has certainly made his impact felt in Monk’s starting eleven and has started every Premier League game so far this season. With Leon making his first start of the year against QPR, Ki was allowed to take up the role in which he thrived in at Sunderland last season.
Next to Shelvey, Ki is forced to play almost as a third centre-back, where in all fairness, he does a brilliant job - but as it has been for many years, there’s only one man fitted for our role of a defensive midfielder. Creating a link between the defence and the midfield, Leon’s sublime positioning lets Ki push further up the field, creating chances for both himself and for others. His goal against the R’s is enough evidence in itself of this.
Leon was taken off after Ki’s goal for Shelvey which saw Ki drop back further again. Shelvey had just over ten minutes to stake his claim; and in all fairness, he certainly made an impact. Some would argue that he should have scored after taking the ball around an in-form Rob Green, but failing to get a shot away. He played a few of his pin-point long balls, but he also played a few of his trademark ‘straight out of play’ balls.
Gylfi was replaced by Tom Carroll with just a few minutes of the ninety remaining. This allowed Shelvey to push up even further into what I would argue is his most natural position. As an attacking midfielder, Jonjo’s attributes all of a sudden become all the more valuable. His vision and ability to ping the ball forty yards perhaps benefit us more when he’s further back, but his attacking positioning and shooting ability shine through when he plays the ‘Gylfi role’.
Of course, that’s not to say that Jonjo should, or will replace Sigurdsson in that position. Sigurdsson’s ability beats Jonjo’s in most departments, and unless injured, will not be dropped this season. But that’s where the worry about Jonjo comes in. If used properly Britton is still fit enough to start every week, and if for some reason he’s not, Carroll is the ideal understudy. Like Sigurdsson, Ki is unlikely to be dropped unless injured, leaving Shelvey very much out in the cold.
This is where I see our ‘positive problem’. All five of the players I’ve spoken about will want game time, and we only have three places up for grabs. Of course the Christmas period is a busy one in football, and players will need to be rested; as Angel Rangel was against QPR, but in your average week a player will generally recover in time for the following weekend.
Of course Sigurdsson is without a doubt in my preferred starting eleven, as is Ki. Monk’s main selection headache will come from the remaining central midfield role. Tom Carroll, Jonjo Shelvey and of course Leon Britton all bring different qualities to the game, and that’s what I think Monk will base his selection on.
In a game where we may be up against it in midfield, Leon will more than likely be called upon to run the gap between defence and attack; whereas Jonjo offers us a more optimistic approach. Tom Carroll’s comparison to Joe Allen has become clear to me, and I believe he’s the perfect mix of both Shelvey and Leon. He can thread through passes as well as sit back and defend, and like Leon he compliments Ki’s preferred style of play excellently.
By altering our midfield in such a manner depending on the opposition we become unpredictable to defend against, and it also helps keep our midfielders fresh and hungry for game time. It's far from a bad problem to have, and with a busy Christmas schedule coming up let's hope it's one we've still got in a few months time.
Thanks to Josh as always - follow him on Twitter @JoshKilmister. With that in mind, who would you start in the middle of the field? Do you think the selection will depend on our opposition, or will Monk stick to a preferred three? If so, who?