Saturday 19 September 2020

Top competition in AFCB's midfield for Middlesbrough game

Jason Tindall has a few key areas in which to make decisions for this weekend's game but I am most interested to know what he will do in midfield. The team has played very well in pre-season and in the opening league and Carabao Cup games under Tindall, and now he really will start to show who he feels are the strongest candidates to lead AFCB's campaign to get back to the Premier League.

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Who plays with Lerma?

It is hard for any AFCB team not to pick Jefferson Lerma. He has the power and strength to get underneath opposition players and disrupt things, so I can't see JT not using him when he is fit. It is trying to work out who works best with Lerma which is a more difficult decision. Lewis Cook was preferred in the first match against Blackburn Rovers before being replaced by Dan Gosling in the second half. Eddie Howe always seemed to favour Philip Billing, but he only got five minutes against Blackburn. Billing and Lewis Cook then played most of the match against Crystal Palace, along with Harry Arter. 

With Lerma having been rested midweek, he should be okay to play. Tindall may put three players in central midfield and just play with Solakne as the main striker. That may make his decision for the middle a bit easier, perhaps with Lerma, Lewis Cook and Dan Gosling filling these positions. He could then include Danjuma and Brooks and the wide players and use Surridge to partner Solanke upfront. But I think this would be too offensive.

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If he just has two central midfielders he can play three at the back and have two wing-backs operating and set up as a 3-4-3. This option also allows AFCB to go defensive very easily with the wing-back slotting back into a back five. The good news is that JT has plenty of options and we haven't even mentioned Ofoborh who played against Palace who can play in midfield.

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In other news, Nottingham Forest has signalled interest in capturing Harry Arter.

Possible AFCB Line-up
AFCB Subs: Dennis, Simpson, Rico, Billing, Gosling, Stanislas, Surridge

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