After a very underwhelming performance from Conor Hourihane on Friday night against Leeds, Henri Lansbury was given his long-awaited chance from off the bench. He came on and made an instant impact, levelling the score after being on the field for only 6 minutes.
The goal was special, picking it up from Jack Grealish and driving at the Leeds defence. He finished the move with a sweet right-footed strike that bounced off the post before finding the inside of the net. After scoring, Lansbury sprinted to the travelling fans to celebrate, showing the immense passion that he has.
Lansbury had a great half an hour or so when he came on, which has led many people to think that he should replace Hourihane in the starting eleven. The former Barnsley midfielder started the season brightly, scoring a hat-trick against Norwich and a free kick against Forest but since then he has struggled to make much of an impact in a deeper role.
Lansbury, on the other hand, has been out through injury and has had to make do with under-21 action before subsequently making his way back on to the bench. I have always been a huge fan of Lansbury and I admire the passion he has for the game, I was gutted when he got injured and I thought this was a massive loss for the squad.
Now he is back, I think we are much stronger and he has given us the opportunity to switch up the midfield if needed. I think the former Nottingham Forest midfielder needs to be given a chance in the starting line up over Hourihane. Both players have the ability to score goals. One big problem is that Lansbury has failed to make a real impact since signing for Villa but Hourihane’s form is up and down so the added competition could prove a bonus for Steve Bruce.
Even if it is not a permanent change, Lansbury proved that he des
erves his shot by getting the goal on Friday and putting a great shift in. Saturday’s fixture against Millwall is a must-win game for me and could prove to be the perfect chance for Henri, as it will be a scrappy game and will give him the chance to get stuck in against a physical opposition.
On another note, Grealish came on for Josh Onomah on Friday and also played well – getting the assist for the goal. Although I have covered this in a previous article, I will say that I believe that Onomah should maintain his starting spot, however, if Grealish continues to impress then the place could be up for serious contention.
Do you think that Lansbury should get a chance in the starting 11? Let me know in the comments section down below.
I agree completely Sam, another excellent article Grandson.
We have a great CM/CM options if Bruce plays the right people in the right formation and position.
On Friday, Bruce started with 2 no. 4’s (Hourihane is a 4 – he played there for Barnsley and had a lot of success before we signed him) and a no. 8 playing at 10 (Onomah looks uncomfortable in such an advanced position and often with his back to goal. He is big and strong and looks much more comfortable coming from a deeper position and driving forward. I read that he has king of fallen out with Poch over this as he wants him to play 10 but Onomah sees himself as an 8). The combination of two 4’s looked flat and lack dynamism compared to the opposition – as it often has done this season.
We looked so much better when he made the changes and we had a 4, 8 and a 10 playing in tandem. This is the first time I think Bruce has done this in his 13 months or so in charge. If he had gone into the game with this set up, I think we would have been comfortable winners. Ditto the games against Wolves (a) and Sheff Wed (h), where, even worse, he went in with a silly 4-4-2. I think we would have competed much better.
We have good options in CM:
– 4: Hourihane (my favourite as he offers creativity as well), Whelan or Jedinak (would use him in the more physical games like Blues) with Lyden coming through; and
– 8: Onomah or Lansbury with Doyle Hayes coming through; and
– 10: Jack (who gets an incredible amount of stick but, when deployed properly – he doesn’t have the pace to be an out and out winger – he is a class above anyone else in this division) with O’Hare as his understudy/change.
Get it right Brucie!!
if players have an off day then its great to be able to give them a rest,, some players form can really fluctuate and a good manager will know when and where to make changes
and there are lots of considerations for manager to make his decisions on and its never straightforward
that said lansbury will be buzzing and hourihane needs a rest,,, both huri and onoma if dropped will be expected to make an impact from the bench,,, that said maby bruce will keep the same side and hope for a reaction from both players knowing he can bring on players to affect the game positively