Tomorrow we face a Mansfield team that are the only team (apart from Southend) without a win in the league. They have sacked manager Graham Coughlan, along with a lot of his coaching team, and will be hoping that the sacking will be enough to turn the corner.
Mansfield
It has not been the best of starts for Mansfield. They are sat in 22nd place, with 4 points on the board, from 4 draws. It is not a surprise that Coughlan has been relieved of his duties, with only 4 wins in his 27 games as manager. They are a wounded animal, but there are players in the team that can pack a punch, and they are not to be written off.
We all know about what Andy Cook can do. We also know how much he enjoys getting one over previous clubs, and he will be out to be the main man tomorrow. He has a couple of goals to his name, but will be disappointed that he hasn’t bagged more. We are fully aware of the determination he will have tomorrow, and you always get the feeling that he can score against us.
Mansfield have been hit by a Covid outbreak in the team. They will be without Ryan Sweeney, Corey O’Keeffe and Mal Benning. Benning returned to training today (Friday), but will need time to regain fitness, and will have to begin a phased programme before he can play. Ollie Clarke is also out with injury. O’Driscoll is suspended after being sent off in the 4-2 defeat to Barrow.
Mansfield are a depleted team, without a leader, and low on confidence. There is often a resurgence after a manager has left, as players fight for their places, here’s hoping that happens after tomorrows game.
Walsall
Darrell Clarke will be after a response following our first defeat of the season, and in theory, Mansfield offer that opportunity. But this is Walsall, we never seem to do things that seem easier. A big criticism last season, was that we did not beat the teams that were lower down the table. As it stands we have a good record against teams in the bottom half, as we look at the table today. We have played 4 teams, winning 2, drawing 2, so I for one, am hoping this team has learnt from last season, and will continue to pick up points from those that are struggling.
We will still be without Josh Gordon and James Clarke, with Jules set to fill the defensive void. I am unsure how we will line-up for this. I personally feel that 4-2-3-1 is the way to go, as it is the formation that I think we have looked best in. I would start Robbo in goal, Norman, Scarr, Jules and Nurse in defence. In midfield, Kinsella and Guthrie, with Osadebe, Holden and Wes as our attacking midfielders, and Adebayo up top.
The midfield is where it may be shaken up. Kinsella has played a lot of football, and he may be given a rest for Sinclair to come in. Guthrie has also played 90 minutes mid-week, so it will be interesting to see if he plays. It also begs the question, ‘Who Plays Right Wing’. Holden has looked good out there, but he is better down the middle. There is also shouts for Scrimshaw to be given a chance out wide, as he has raw pace and ability on the ball, and the same for Nolan, who has barely featured.
The Match
Last season, we faced Mansfield during our dreaded October run. We had Kory Roberts starting his first game back from injury, Kinsella at LWB, and Gaffney up top. It was a make shift team, and one low on confidence. This time around, we have more of a system in place, and a much better team to boot. This will sound bad, but we have to take advantage of a team that are Covid and injury ridden, and devoid of confidence.
We have to get at Mansfield. They have conceded 14 goals, and have players missing. Put them on the back foot, and we will get a positive result. However, allow them to get control, and allow them to gain some momentum, and we could struggle. They have players that can hurt us. Cook is an obvious threat, as is Maynard.
We have to stop the leakiness too. The mistakes per game are going up, not down, and we won’t win games if we keep it up. We also need to get Adebayo on the ball. He hasn’t had a lot to go off in the last few games, and we have looked worse when Adebayo hasn’t had the service.
