Gardner’s question time must dig up the answers...
GARRY Monk has an important hole to fill in his Blues team this weekend. The suspension of Gary Gardner following the midfielder’s fifth booking of the season means Blues will be without one of their most important players for the visit of Hull on Saturday. Monk will also be mindful of the fact the Villa loan man is ineligible to play against his parent club in the following match, meaning he will miss the next two fixtures.
Gardner has been a key cog in the Blues machine – so how should Monk replace him? The 19-year-old passed his baptism of fire, making his first two Championship starts in five days away to Sheffield United and Leeds.
His emergence has been a pleasant – and necessary – development this term, though he hasn’t started for well over a month and looked ready to come out of the team after the Ipswich game.
He started alongside Gardner at Elland Road and Bramall Lane but would most likely be doing so alongside Maikel Kieftenbeld for the next couple of matches. It probably depends on whether you want to go to Villa with a relatively inexperienced man in the middle. If you don’t want to do that then the other like-for-like replacement is Gary’s brother, Craig.
Gardner Snr has not played at all since being sent off at Middlesbrough on August 11 – and Saturday’s inclusion in the match-day squad at Derby was his first in any since September 1.
If the 31-year-old is the man you want at Villa Park, then he’ll need an outing against Hull. It could be a case of ‘empty the tank’ then bring on Lakin whenever that happens. The Frenchman moved into the middle of the park in the closing stages at Sheffield – when Lakin went off to be replaced by Wes Harding.
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Colin certainly has the technical ability to manipulate the ball in that role but moving him is two changes to solve one. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Colin spends at least some time in that role in training this week. This would seem the least likely option and there are only so many set-ups Blues have the squad depth to try out. Three at the back would mean playing every one of their senior centre-backs, and would surely be too disruptive and wouldn’t actually solve the midfield conundrum.
Perhaps 4-3-3 could be an option with Jota, Jutkiewicz and Adams as the attacking three, Pedersen, Kieftenbeld and Mahoney as the middle triumvirate and Harding at left-back.
That feels like a huge change to accommodate one suspension. Brian Dick: Minimal disruption for me. Hand the role to Craig Gardner and introduce Lakin if he runs out of steam. Gardner would have the poise to deal with the white heat of the derby too – but needs game-time.
Shane Ireland: A straight swap with Lakin replacing Gardner seems to be the best solution.
The youngster’s run of games earlier in the season was encouraging and he’ll be desperate to get back in and show what he can do. There is the temptation to bring Craig in but I’m not sure he has the energy Blues require in the middle of the park.
Joseph Chapman: It might be a left-field call, but Colinwould adapt to the role alongside Kieftenbeld. It would also allow Harding back into the starting XI; a player who has performed admirably when called upon.