Midfield Balance & Confidence the Key for Tough Period

Hamburg tonight and Man Utd away on Sunday. We can ill afford to lose both games otherwise our confidence will be shot and the optimism which still fills the N5 air will quickly disappear. A couple of wins and we will be right back in business. It's a fine balance!

4-4-2 or 4-5-1? That is the question.

Gilberto and Fabregas just hasn't been effective away from home. Might Gilberto, Fabregas and Rosicky in a midfield trio be more effective with Ljungberg and Hleb supporting Henry (or Walcott tonight). We could even play Baptista in the centre and Rosicky wide if we needed more of a physical presence.

There is no doubt that Clichy coming back into the side will improve the midfield balance and defensive stability, as some natural width will be restored. This shouldn't be understated.

Our lack of width in a 4-4-2 is worrying. Ljungberg has lost that injection of pace and Hleb's inability to play with any width is a concern. Rosicky playing wide allays my fears considerably however his best position is surely central. Perhaps if Reyes goes Ribery will come in which would be a welcome addition and Walcott will get a few game son the wing which would add some much needed balance to the midfield.

The important thing is not to lose these matches, we seem to be more effective on the counter attack using a 4-5-1 because of the defensive stability it gives us. If we decide that 0-0 is not a terrible result then anything else is a bonus. Teams might over commit and to some extent we can frustrate results out of the bigger teams.

Real Madrid, Juventus and Villareal away. 0 goals conceded = 0 defeats, 2 pretty good performances and increased confidence. Confidence is key.

It's time to consider the options very carefully and ensure we do not lose both of these matches and allow the squad to have some confidence and a chance to improve.

I have a equally optimistic / concerned opinion that we are still playing good football and could conceivably had got 9 points in the league after dominating the games. However I am concerned AW doesn't know his best XI and doesn't have an answer to the lack of midfield balance and width.

Can AW make a 4-4-2 work without any natural width? We will have to wait and see.