I agree, Labadie and Earing play the wrong way round in my opinion. With regards to Osadebe, these two sentences may be the answer. In this formation the No 10 position is critical to linking play. The fact that Miller has been isolated in what feels like a different postcode comes down to failure in this position. That position is currently occupied by Osadebe and whether we win, lose or draw has been an issue all season.
Agree, others can also shoulder some blame for this situation. What I would say is Wilkinson and Kieran have both missed games whilst Shade and Phillips have been in and out of the starting 11. Osadebe has the most minutes of that front 4, so he is the consistent.
Holden wasn’t fit and this position is rather important in this formation, so the answer was pretty clear why him. I get, it’s a problem where he should play to look reasonably well, but so far attacking central midfielder, who simply controls the flow of the game around him, is probably not for him. Regular central midfielder, or rather box to box midfielder, who just passes the ball (not tackle opponents too often, if any) could be better. I see he becomes another scapegoat, which is a little bit unfair. He is not responsible, for example, for tactical setup or defensive marking. Kind of a bigger problems now.
No midfielder, and definitely not in League 2, doesn’t have to tackle that often, and more to the point it shouldn’t be an issue for a professional footballer.
I just don’t see him as a midfielder with some serious defensive duties. Ball playing midfielder should be OK, but on this level that’s very close to a luxury player. But it is the manager’s duty to find the best position for a player. In the end, much depends if you do it right. One detail in the bigger picture called good decisions in good places.
Wilkinson is certainly a better option. I would also swop Labadie and Earing around .These changes should enable us to play more through the midfield and create better chances.
