Middle men vital for the Albion way, but which ones ...?
INJURIES HAVE PREVENTED JFH FROM FIELDING A CONSISTENT COMBINATION
ANYONE who has watched Burton Albion since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink arrived for his second spell in charge knows that, as much as a solid defence, the Brewers’ way of playing relies on two strong and energetic central midfielders starting their work from deep.
More often than not Hasselbaink favours a 4-2-3-1 set-up but when he has occasionally moved to 4-4-2, those two in the centre of midfield are still crucial.
Therefore, it is not difficult to conclude that if Albion have not quite hit the heights yet – especially in the last four games – one big reason is that the manager has not been able to settle on a consistent pairing in those positions.
Injuries, not lack of form, has been the biggest reason for that.
The Brewers have fielded eight different partnerships during the course of their eight League and Carabao Cup games and only three times have the pair who started a game together finished it still alongside each other.
Settling on the right pair and seeing them stay injury free for a good spell might just be key to whether or not Burton have a modest season or an outstanding one.
Last season, from January, once Sean Clare came through the door on loan and a partnership was established with Ryan Edwards, the pair were hard to budge and thrived.
Clare was notably combative, sometimes bordering on too much so, but a good ball winner who used it well. Edwards, for all that he is high on the “nicest bloke in football” list for anyone who has met him, was also inclined to get up opponents’ noses at times and his incessant energy must have made him infuriating to play against. You could not shake him off.
This season, the recruitment in the summer immediately did much to allay the concerns about the departure of both players.
Tom O’Connor, Deji Oshilaja and Bryn Morris were all bought with central midfield in mind, for all that the first two have also spent chunks of their careers in defence.
Conor Shaughnessy also came in with the known ability to play the position, although Hasselbaink saw him as a centre-half and, on the evidence so far, was right about that. The vastly experienced Michael Mancienne and the young and hugely-promising Terry Taylor were already at the club.
And then, on deadline day, Hasselbaink was notably excited to get the chance to bring in Charlie Lakin from Birmingham City, also a central midfielder.
It would have looked more like an embarrassment of riches than it already does had not Oshilaja, O’Connor, Morris and Mancienne already been injured, while Taylor and O’Connor have been sidelined by Covid-19 as well. Lord knows who Hasselbaink would be picking for those two positions if the lot of them were fit.
The manager’s first combination this season looked terrific.
Oshilaja is an imposing figure, an enforcer but with plenty of skill, while O’Connor instantly impressed, buzzing around tidying things up and getting forward.
It did not take long for them to be parted.
Having impressed in the opening day win against Shrewsbury Town, they looked just as good in the Carabao Cup tie against Oxford United until Oshilaja limped off after 51 minutes, giving Taylor his first appearance.
Next time out, Hasselbaink changed the O’Connor-Taylor pairing for tactical reasons after 40 minutes, with Taylor booked and being targeted shamelessly by Oxford’s midfielders in search of a second yellow.
On came Mancienne, who was far too experienced to have any of that nonsense and he clattered Ipswich Town captain Lee Evans in no uncertain terms in stoppage time to make his point.
O’Connor and Mancienne it was, undisturbed, in the next game, the thrilling 1-0 win over Sunderland.
Less than 10 minutes into the next game, away to Cambridge United, O’Connor stretched for a ball he had miscontrolled and pulled his hamstring.
No matter how many central midfielders there are on the books, now Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, a leftback, had to take on the position.
The jinx struck again against Cheltenham Town, this time Mancienne lasting fewer than 10 minutes.
Morris had largely recovered from his knock, so he came on and almost saw out the game alongside Borthwick-Jackson, although Danny Rowe replaced him with three minutes left.
Deadline day had come and gone by the time the Brewers travelled to play Bolton Wanderers, so Lakin was in the building and now he came in alongside Borthwick-Jackson.
There was not much chance for them to launch attacks in a game Bolton dominated but they saw out the 90 minutes, a welcome development in the positions by this stage.
They nearly did, too, against Gillingham on Saturday, the switch, at 81 minutes, this time tactical as Borthwick-Jackson went to left back to allow Morris to come back alongside Lakin.
It was a game in which we saw enough of Lakin’s obvious talent to wonder if he might be one of the central midfielders for a good while, even when all of the others are fit. Where does that leave the others? Oshilaja and O’Connor may have looked the part but, sadly, it is now six and a half games since Oshilaja has been on the pitch.
O’Connor has shaken off the hamstring problem and then had to isolate with the virus.
Hasselbaink rates Morris highly, having first had him on loan at Burton when he was 18, and thinks Taylor – who was not even in the matchday squad on Saturday – has a big career ahead of him.
Mancienne, when fit, still moves around midfield like a Rolls-Royce, calm and unflappable.
So, the question remains. Who would be the two to start if they were all fit? Sorry, don’t look to me for an answer. I could make a case for the lot of them.
All we can do is wait to see what Hasselbaink thinks the answer is tomorrow.