Who would you start?
On Wednesday we head to White Heart Lane to take on Spurs in the quater final of the League Cup. Depending on who you ask, this is either a very, very important game(fans) or it is not that important and we would rather concentrate our efforts on premier league games and survival (club). To me the game on Wednesday is a great chance to push for some silverware and we must go in with the strongest team possible. However one eye must be firmly fixed on this weekend fixture against our most bitter rivals Sunderland.
As much as I would like to progress in the league cup, I want to see a good showing on the weekend and three points put in the bank after a win.
So with this in mind, there really are a few selection issues that need to be taken into account so that we don't head into Sundays game with a bunch of tired players. From what I can gather at this early stage, we should have all of our regulars (apart from Janmaat - card trouble) available to play but I do not think we should be loading up the team too much for Wednesdays clash.
I think we should rest Sissoko and start Abied. If required we can bring Sissoko on late to add some fresh legs and drive. I would also look to rest Perez and Cisse and give Riviere a run out so he can get some game time under his belt. I would also leave Taylor out and play Williamson so that come Sunday, Taylor will be fit and firing.
It really is a hard one to juggle, how strong of a side will Pardew be prepared to send out? It really is a doubled edged sword, play a weaker team on Wednesday and lose and there will be derision amongst the fans. Play a stronger team and then lose on the weekend due player fatigue and things will get very gloomy indeed.
I hope Pardew can strike a good balance over the two games and we can come away with two victories!
It would be a very good week of football if Pardew and the lads could pull it off!
What are your thoughts?
