With Pardew looking ever increasingly likely to still be in charge on Saturday then I can almost guarantee that at least 3 out of Evans, Phillips, Livermore and Barry will still be in the starting 11. If Pardew has been stubborn enough to trust the same dross to get us out of this mess up until now despite the truly awful run of results, I just cant see him changing it too much for Saturday and therefore admitting he has been wrong.
If he has any sense whatsoever (wishful thinking) he will "rest" Barry. Trouble is, even if he does, he will bring Yacob or, god forbid, Livermore into a 4, which still won't work. Only Field could drop into a 4 but Pardew seems to have bombed him so the only, and correct, option is a 5 in midfield. He won't do it though, he's too stubborn.
Always baffles me how stupid some managers are. The last 2 we have had will have lost their jobs for simply refusing to change! They stubbornly, or arrogantly, stick to a system and players that don't work, as if changing it would be admitting they got it wrong in the 1st place!.
Pulis insisted on packing the centre of midfield with dm's and shackling the wide players to the fullbacks. The changes required would have been subtle but he just couldn't do it.
Now Pardew persists with 442, when it's clear to everyone that we need 5 in midfield.
The answer to both managers problem was basically the same. Play 451 with the central players further up the pitch, retaining more possession and allowing the wide players more freedom to get forward.
The top managers biggest strength is their flexibility and the vision to move with the times. Football is fluid, just because a system worked 10 years ago, doesn't mean it will work today, you have to adapt. Change is good!
