Match Thread: World Cup Group F - Matchday 3 - Canada v Morocco - December 1, 2022 - 6pm local time / 10am ET / 7am PT

[dyslexic nam]

For me the biggest issue isn’t the personnel choices - it is the formation.  Croatia overran us in midfield - if that happens again while we continue to play  only 2 midfielders, that won’t look good on Herdman.  

[jonovision]

I knew exactly what nonsense I'd be reading on here as soon as I saw the info graphic with Kaye on it.

There is no way that a midfield that does NOT include Staq and Hutch was also not going to have Kaye in it. Haven't any of you watched Herdman over the last 3 years?

[InglewoodJack]

I guess I get benching David even though it's silly, but starting Kaye is one of Herdman's most insane roster choices. You're starting this guy at the World Cup???

[jonovision]

1 minute ago, dyslexic nam said:

For me the biggest issue isn’t the personnel choices - it is the formation.  Croatia overran us in midfield - if that happens again while we continue to play  only 2 midfielders, that won’t look good on Herdman.  

Seems Hoilett is pretty obviously a midfielder in this setup.

[Cicero]

Seems like he's setting up to push the game forward again, but what we really may need is to grind out a boring game where neither team does much and we hopefully finish on one of our few chances.

[canuckgbp]

1 minute ago, jonovision said:

I knew exactly what nonsense I'd be reading on here as soon as I saw the info graphic with Kaye on it.

There is no way that a midfield that does NOT include Staq and Hutch was also not going to have Kaye in it. Haven't any of you watched Herdman over the last 3 years?

Yet it was Kone who was trusted to come off the bench in the previous two games. And improved after both games. 

[jonovision]

Whatever one thinks about the lineup choices (and I'm surprised by the hysterics of most here) this game needs an early Canada goal to have an any entertainment value at all. Otherwise Morocco only cares about the clean sheet to advance and plays the same negative stuff as their Croatia game and 1st half vs Belgium.

[jonovision]

1 minute ago, canuckgbp said:

Yet it was Kone who was trusted to come off the bench in the previous two games. And improved after both games. 

And Kone will almost certainly come off the bench in this one too. He has a role under Herdman that he seems to be comfortable with. Let him keep it for now.

[canuckgbp]

1 minute ago, jonovision said:

Seems Hoilett is pretty obviously a midfielder in this setup.

I hope this is the case. He really is a Swiss Army knife. 

[dyslexic nam]

1 minute ago, jonovision said:

Seems Hoilett is pretty obviously a midfielder in this setup.

I am not watching the pregame (in a meeting…) but he could easily be an attacker in a front 3.  Davies plays on the left and Hoilett generally on the right so I am not sure I agree that he is obviously in the midfield.  But like I said, I am not watching the pregame so there could be info on TSN that contradicts what I am saying.  

[jonovision]

Just now, dyslexic nam said:

I am not watching the pregame (in a meeting…) but he could easily be an attacker in a front 3.  Davies plays on the left and Hoilett generally on the right so I am not sure I agree that he is obviously in the midfield.  But like I said, I am not watching the pregame so there could be info on TSN that contradicts what I am saying.  

I don't see where there is room for Hoilett to play wide in a lineup that already includes Adekugbe, Davies and Buchanan.

[RJB]

8 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

Those are certainly some lineup choices, that's for sure.

Are they?  I see very little surprises there.  Kaye starting over Kone is hardly a shock, as we've seen lots of Kaye in qualifying.  DAvid has been poor, and Hutch is 39.  Everything makes sense to me.

[YorkRegionFan]

We have to remember that we need to rotate the squad.  Kaye is probably the next best midfielder that we have. 

[Stryker911]

18 minutes ago, Gian-Luca said:

Let’s hope the performance is better than the TSN pre game show which just spent 5 minutes ripping apart CSB…sigh

If anyone has a link for this can they post it?

[canuckgbp]

1 minute ago, RJB said:

Are they?  I see very little surprises there.  Kaye starting over Kone is hardly a shock, as we've seen lots of Kaye in qualifying.  DAvid has been poor, and Hutch is 39.  Everything makes sense to me.

I’m not surprised, just disappointed lol. 
 

Then again I’ve questioned Herdmans lineups all through qualifying and yet he has gotten the results. And he set up correctly against Belgium. 

[Lansdude]

Maybe Kaye looked good in training lol.

[mpg_29]

It's the same thing as last game where people are complaining as if there some hidden DFM super talent on the roster that Herdman just doesn't see.

 

[Kadenge]

5 minutes ago, Lansdude said:

Maybe Kaye looked good in training lol.

He did play well v Japan 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

If if it is in fact Tajon and Adekugbe at wing back, it is probably to address the pace of Hakimi and Mazraoui.

Junior is certainly better than he has been defensively so maybe he plays central and helps clog that up, leaving Larin and Davies as our forwards. 

The players I know the least about are their midfields either side of Amrabat, Ounahi and Sabiri, see how Kaye does as the primary defensive-minded midfielder. 

 

[DeRo_Is_King]

20 minutes ago, jonovision said:

I knew exactly what nonsense I'd be reading on here as soon as I saw the info graphic with Kaye on it.

There is no way that a midfield that does NOT include Staq and Hutch was also not going to have Kaye in it. Haven't any of you watched Herdman over the last 3 years?

Doesn't make it the best choice. He could have gone with Kone, Wotherspoon or Piette, who are all in better form. 

 

[kingvikingstad]

I think it's shocking not starting David. If you can't effectively use your second best player, it's an indictment on you as a Manager, not the player.

Why make a point in a third game where there's not a lot to gain, and a lot to lose? Particularly for David who is looking to move to a potentially bigger club, which will only help the program overall. Unless this is some weird attempt at protecting his value.

[Shway]

27 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

For me the biggest issue isn’t the personnel choices - it is the formation.  Croatia overran us in midfield - if that happens again while we continue to play  only 2 midfielders, that won’t look good on Herdman.  

This! This! This!

What makes it even worse, is that the entire qualifying seeing 3 guys in the middle was a certainty. 
So why did that change on the bigger stage. 

[InglewoodJack]

22 minutes ago, RJB said:

Are they?  I see very little surprises there.  Kaye starting over Kone is hardly a shock, as we've seen lots of Kaye in qualifying.  DAvid has been poor, and Hutch is 39.  Everything makes sense to me.

I'm fine with Atiba sitting- I get the David benching even though I think that's silly- he's still our biggest goal threat and anything can change in one game. Kaye is the one that I think is crazy- yes, he's played during qualifiers, but he hasn't been in form for the last while, and Kone has played at the World Cup. Hell, I think I'd rather see Piette starting to be honest.

[Free kick]

You cant play both Larin and David at the same. We have seen (in WCQ and in the WC) that they dont compliment each other.  We saw it in the Honduras game at BMO and many other times.  Each of those players is succesfull when they are alone up front.   
 

Edited December 1, 2022 by Free kick

[jhoops__]

3 minutes ago, kingvikingstad said:

I think it's shocking not starting David. If you can't effectively use your second best player, it's an indictment on you as a Manager, not the player.

Why make a point in a third game where there's not a lot to gain, and a lot to lose? Particularly for David who is looking to move to a potentially bigger club, which will only help the program overall. Unless this is some weird attempt at protecting his value.

Larin has been pretty shit for a while now so starting him over JD is quite the move for Herdman…