Following on from our victory Saturday, our next game sees Villa in League Cup duty and a home tie against League 2 basement boys Hereford represents no obstacle. Given the kind nature of the draw i am hoping that we see Villa’s young Lions get a game and the chance to play competitively in first team duty.

Against Man Utd last season we saw just how good our young players are and for 80mins we ripped the PL champions apart. That the game ended 2-2 was harsh in the extreme and with a little more know-know and experience we would have saw the game out. But it was Man Utd afterall and they have made a habit of coming back late on when the game looks up, i think its fair to say that against any other team we would have won that day.

So below i reason my starting XI for the Hereford tie, i know some will not agree and thats fine. This competition (and again given the opposition) is a great vehicle for blooding young players and experimenting – as we progress and the ties get tougher we can recall the senior players and i think Eck probably sees this cup as very winnable and our best chance of silverware.

I’ve gone for a slight variation in tactic also switching to 4-2-3-1 however we will likely see 4-3-3 and the team below can adapt with Ireland dropping into the three man midfield.

Goalkeeper

With Given being rested it by me, the GK shirt is up for grabs albeit for this game only. The obvious choice would be to get Guzan some gametime and he never let us down when called upon last season – remember his virtuoso performance at the Stadium of Light?. It will also benefit Guzan to get some game time as he will likely be called upon for league games over the course of the campaign.

In an ideal world young Benjamin Seigrist would get the nod for this tie however i’d keep him on the bench and let him soak up the atmosphere of being in the first team. The young keeper is very highly rated being awarded Player of the Tournament at the U-19 World Cup in 2009. Very much one for the future and possibly could be our immediate back-up next year if he continues to progress.

With only Andy Marshall left to consider, it has to be Guzan for me. I could probably do nets tomorrow night and have a quiet evening so i have no worries about selecting Brad at all and with an expected clean sheet his confidence will grow.

Defence

In defence we have a lot of young players who will be hoping for some game time having being given inital opportunity last season. At rightback assuming Eric Lichaj is fit and ready after his summer exploits in the Gold Cup with the USA (in which he looked one of their better players) then he will get the start. A think Lichaj can become a really good player, he has a lot of the attributes the modern fulback needs – he can rampage forward and is a strong powerful athlete. However, He also knows how to defend unlike most modern fullbacks.

On the other side i’d stick with Stephen Warnock as we want some experience in there to compliment our youthful exhuberence. It will also be valuable for Warnock to get some games under his belt after his stunning fall from grace last season – from WC 2010 squad member to the forgotten man in a matter of months. Giving him the game time will boost his confidence and i think we will see him respond well to the responsibility he will have to assume from being the senior only member of the backline.

In the centre i’d have Ciaran Clark and Nathan Baker. I know both are left-footed and i would prefer to have a right footed and left-footed combination however i think we won’t be troubled too much so it becomes a mute point. I would even give Clark the captain’s armband as i see him as a fixture of our squad for many years to come and i think it would be great for the young players to have a voice and to see faith being put in them.

Midfield

My defensive shield and the two sitting in front of the defence would be Chris Herd and Jonathan Hogg. Both looked very impressive last season in difficult circumstances and both are fiesty young things who like to tackle. They are defensive minded in nature yet can play a bit and initiate attacks with decent distribution.

Ahead of them i would have three attacking midfielders in Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan and Stephen Ireland. Albrighton would line-up on the right as you might expect, Bannan on the left and Ireland operating centrally and possibly just sitting a little deeper than the two wideman. Ireland gets the nod much like Warnock to give him game time following a stop/start few seasons. He will be the brains of the team who will dictate the tempo and i’m pretty certain against weak opposition this midfield trio will run amok.

Albrighton and Bannan will also fetaure heavily in the first team this season and a run-out here will help. Gary Gardner for me should start on the bench but would get at least half an hour if not the enitre second half if the result is in no doubt at this stage. If everything goes to plan he will replace Ireland. Daniel Jonhson is another close to getting selected following rave reviews.

Attack

Up front with only a single central attacking spot up for grabs i’d give it to Nathan Delfouneso although i’m half tempted to stick Gabby in there just to get him a goal or two to follow Saturday’s. Delfouneso is a curiousity – highly rated but there seems to be some concerns about his ability to step-up and also his attitude. I mentioned in a comment last week that unless he gets game time he will end up like Luke Moore and some others and flatter to deceive.

Gabby can be on the bench for this one and much like Gardner i would look to get him on for 30mins – again to get him a much needed goal and some confidence. I’d also have young Andreas Weimann in the squad and if we’re romping it then he too could come on with a change in formation possible mid-game. He has already proved when out on loan that he can score goals at this level.

The Squad

So my XI would be: Guzan – Lichaj, Warnock, Clark, Baker – Herd, Hogg – Albrighton, Bannan, Ireland – Delfouneso. On the bench it would be: Marshall, Beye, Lowry, Gardner, Delph, Gabby and Weimann.

The only possible change in personnel for me would be if Lichaj is not available. If not, then Herd can drop to right back with Makoun coming into the squad and indeed starting XI. There has been some recent talk of Makoun being suject of a loan move to Olympiakos of Greece. I hope this isn’t true as i feel he is a player with plenty of ability who has much to offer if he is right and settled. If the prospect is true then get young Daniel Johnson in and give him a shot.

Your thoughts are geatly appreciated – maybe you would like to see something completely different and maybe you have a different view of the game and the opposition? Maybe you would prefer Gabby to start or Gardner? Or maybe even you think i’ve completely under-estimated the opposition and would prefer to see a more familiar back line in particular.

Whatever the case i’d love to hear your thoughts on the League Cup in general. For me its actually been a better competetion than the FA Cup for at least 3 years now. I predicted we’d win it a few weeks back and i think we have a massive chance. We have a great record in the cup and our manager knows how to win it having done so with Blues last year. Yes the draw was kind in some ways but they beat us, beat West Ham and beat Arsenal so it wasn’t exactly a gimme.

Bozzy’s Banker: We don’t often hammer teams but many will think this is just such a game. The bookies have us as strong favourite and with our young lions eager to press claims we could run riot and so the only real value comes from correct score. 3-0 Villa is available 6/1 widely and it looks too good to pass, while i’ll also have a small interest on 4-0 at 9’s.

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