Wrexham coach Phil Parkinson’s insistence on putting midfielders in defence will give sleepless nights to fans before Swansea clash.
Wrexham’s Matchday 21 saw two midfielders by trade, Josh Windass and Ollie Rathbone producing the lion’s share of goals. Now, midfielders taking the offensive load on their shoulders is never a good look for a Championship side, let alone if that side is seeking to mount promotion challenges.
Hence for that reason, Wrexham needs Kieffer Moore and Nathan Broadhead to be back to their usual goalscoring business at Swansea.
For Windass and Rathbone, scoring again this week won’t cause any harm. Still one thing is for sure, setting up goals from midfield won’t come easy.
It’s quite natural to understand this way, as Swansea aren’t an easy nut to crack. Since their new gaffer came in, they have gathered quite a winning momentum on their side.
Indeed, that victory streak broke against Stoke City but they weren’t outright sloppy in that game. Then, Wrexham fans, let’s look at our coach Phil Parkinson whose verdict isn’t making things better for Friday’s clash.
Every Red Dragons fan sorely misses starting fullbacks Issa Kabore and Liberato Cacace while navigating this dreaded run of games. Had Wrexham emphasised on attaining a similar level of defensive depth as they have up front in attack, then those efforts would have come in handy.
Plus, no signings can be done until 2025 wraps up. Consequently, it’s all down to Parkinson and his coaching crew to find solutions on either side of the backline.
Did he came up with a good sounding idea? A big NO.
As quoted by the Leader Live, Parkinson echoed “one of the midfield players”. Frankly, this five word message has become quite repetitive for some time… Or we can say, quite pathetic too.
Who are Wrexham’s current fullback options?
James McClean and Ryan Longman make up a fullback duo that can put stronger shifts while attacking but are equally horrible when Wrexham are being chased on the counter. Both of Watford’s goals the other day were simply Wrexham’s shape being carved aside for fun, left, right, and centre.
Ryan Barnett is a sensible option to maintain solidity at the back but he takes away one offensive piece from Parkinson’s locker. Ideally, all of Nathan Broadhead, Kieffer Moore and Josh Windass should be spearheading the front three, thus leaving no room for guilt at the end of the day.
Unluckily, it’s a rare sight for the Wrexham eyes. With that, Barnett’s alternative no longer appears pleasing.
Lewis O’Brien risk can pay off well for Wrexham
In his place, one of Ben Sheaf, George Dobson or Lewis O’Brien must be floated on the extreme right hand side. All three of them are capable ball winners in the midfield and specifically, O’Brien can sneak into the box at will.
He managed to get in two scoring positions on the weekend but skied away his chances of bagging a brace, or at least a goal on both occasions. If deployed opposite to McClean, O’Brien can chuck in a few good crosses and who knows, it could be tall Kieffer Moore on the edge of it.
Let’s not forget, the Englishman is squaring up against his former club Swansea and will want to leave it his all on the pitch. Dobson and Sheaf are excellent conductors in the base of the midfield, meaning O’Brien’s positional shift won’t appear a silly move on the visitors’ part.
Will Parkinson trust O’Brien over Longman and Barnett, that will be clear once the team sheets come out. Both ways, let’s hope we don’t gift away two easy goals in the Championship for a third time in the row.
