00:00Question on Blue Sky from Ian, who says,
00:03Just wondering, Phil, if we need to make sure Ballard is in the team somehow,
00:06definitely look more solid when he was on.
00:09Yeah, I agree with that.
00:10And I said ahead of the Nottingham Forest game that although it's not ideal,
00:14I just felt that was the perfect opportunity with Ray and I'll do suspension
00:17to get Ballard back into the team,
00:18because of what he brings you in both boxes.
00:20And I think the platform he helps give the team through his kind of dominance
00:24in the air and duels, the way he can pinch the ball as well
00:27when the team try and play forward to their strider.
00:30I think it's really important attributes that make someone the better team.
00:34And I think when you're coming into the Premier League
00:36and you're trying to survive and you're trying to get a foothold,
00:38I think you've just got to maximise your strength and try and hide your weaknesses.
00:41And I think getting Ballard in the team is one of the best ways to do that.
00:46To be fair, to Le Brice, the team looked really strong at Nottingham Forest
00:49and he managed the game well.
00:50Massuaki played for an hour, Ballard then came on and made an impact.
00:54So it's difficult to criticise.
00:55But I definitely think with Ray and I'll do still suspended at the moment,
00:58I think it's the right opportunity to get Ballard back in this team
01:01because I think there's something that's stronger with him in it.
01:03Now, I can completely understand why Le Brice is reluctant to do it in some senses
01:07because pretty much any combination we talk about,
01:10back three is obviously one option,
01:12but any combination of a back four with Hume going over to left back
01:15or Detroit coming in at left back.
01:17Obviously, you're pretty much guaranteed with the way someone is set up at the moment,
01:21the wingers that they have.
01:22You're going to have two right footers on the left flank
01:24and that's never quite ideal.
01:25It can make you very predictable.
01:27And it can also really slow your build-up play down
01:28because the opposition knows what both those players are going to want to do,
01:33which is to come inside and it can make you a bit predictable.
01:35So, I agree in whether that's going to a back three or in playing Masiwaku.
01:40Obviously, that means you do have to kind of lose a player from forward areas.
01:43At home, I think Le Brice, which is obviously the next game against Wolves,
01:48I think Le Brice will be minded to try and keep things as stable as possible
01:51and as consistent in terms of his approach, which I completely agree with.
01:54I think there's a really strong argument for getting Ballard back,
01:57whether that's moving Mukeli out to right back,
01:59where I thought he looked strong yesterday,
02:01and moving Hume across, or whether that's bringing Gatroyder in.
02:04I think either way, I'd be a bit disappointed if Ballard wasn't in the team
02:07when some of them play Wolves,
02:09because although it's probably not absolutely ideal for the set-up of the side
02:12in terms of those, as I mentioned, those two right-footers,
02:15I think we're a stronger team with Ballard in it,
02:17and I think we have a better chance of keeping clean sheets
02:19and a better chance of scoring goals,
02:21and therefore a better chance of winning games.
02:22I did put that question in to Le Brice after the game
02:25about whether he needs to find a way to get Ballard in,
02:27and he noted, as I mentioned before,
02:29about how much of a difference Ballard made
02:30in helping some of them deal with that direct approach,
02:32so it's definitely something that's in his mind.
02:34I think that'll be something that he's thinking about
02:36over the course of the international break.
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