Luton make three changes against O's as Wilshere plans to persist with new system

Luton boss Jack Wilshere has made three changes to his side for this afternoon’s home clash against Leyton Orient, although will persist with his new formation having watched it work so well against Chelsea and Stockport County recently.

The Town chief has brought in Izzy Jones, Jake Richards and Gideon Kodua for the contest, as Kasey Palmer and Dan Gore drop to the bench, while Benny Benagr misses out due to a hamstring injury. However, he appears to be lining up in the 3-4-2-1 system that has worked so well in two of Town’s last three matches, with Mads Andersen partnering George Johnston and Hakeem Odoffin.

Speaking about his decision to move away from the formation he had gone with during Town’s opening matches of the campaign, Wilshere said: “Last year we did that a few times, I like it, I do like it, I think the players like it. There’ll be some games where we go into a four, and sometimes when we’re in a four and we ask one of the wingers to track back, and defend, especially when we’re paying against wingbacks, so then we look like a five, but I think the message from me to the players is just to be adaptable and play within our principles, in and out of possession.

“Then the structure and the shape doesn't really come into it that much, but we’re playing against a team that makes you defend in a five then sometimes you have to. We’re open, we’ll change as and when we see we need to, but the main idea is to make the players comfortable on the pitch.”

Asked whether the players had requested to switch things up, Wilshere continued: “No, not necessarily. Last year when we did and had conversations, more individual conversations with the players, finding out what they think, as the main job for any coach is to make your players comfortable on the pitch.

"I don’t think you can be stubborn as a coach and say no, this is us, this is how we’re going to play. Of course we have principles and of course, we have an idea of what we want to do, but you have to be adaptable and speaking to the players last year, I know a few of them really like it. We did it against Chelsea, the context was a lot different, but that also then gives you some ideas as a coach, to see how comfortable we were, in my opinion, against one of the best teams in Europe, certainly with players on the pitch that are the best in Europe as well and how difficult we made it for them.

"The idea was to get a balance, respecting Stockport, I thought they were good, I think they are a good team in this league, they like to play out from the back, like to pull you into positions in the back-line and expose you. So we were aware of that, and sometimes as a coach, if you play in a certain structure and you have access in it, against, okay I know Stockport and Chelsea are very different, but similar ideas in how they want to play and expose you in the backline, it was a good decision to go back to that.”

On whether the absence of midfielder Jordan Clark has made it harder to play in the 4-3-3 he had been lining up with, Wilshere said: “Some of that, I think also the profile of full backs is important as well. I know we’ve still got JJ (Joe Johnson) in the building and JJ, he was integral to that, especially at the start of that last year, when we started to really create an identity,

"He would be a full back and he would go inside, or he he would go a little bit higher at times, and that’s very much in my thoughts with JJ, but I thought the profile the other night with (Harrison) Ashby coming in, with Benny on the other side, they were and they are probably more of a wingback profile than a JJ. I know Izzy Jones is that as well, while in midfield when you’re playing (Jamie) Donley, who’s new, (Dan) Gore, who’s new, they have to understand us. We didn’t have time on the pitch to work with them, and that will come, but Jordan Clark is important to that as well.”

Finally, on the test of the O’s, who thrashed Bromley 5-0 in the week, having lost 3-1 against Barnsley in the game before, Wilshere added: “They’ve got a manager with loads of experience at this level, experience of being successful, experience of struggling a bit at times last year and a really experienced manager with a lot of knowledge of the league. He’s recruited well, he was clear last year with how he saw the team improving.

"They’ve signed a lot of players, especially at the end of the window, so a good team that makes it difficult for an opposition like us, chasing consistency. It’ll be a tough game, we had two tough games against them last year, away from home we weren’t very good, but we got something out of the game with a set-piece at the end and then the home game we kind of blew them away in the first half without really being that good in the second half, but seeing it through. We know them, we know Richie and it should be a really good game.”

Hatters: Jake Keeley, Harrison Ashby, Hakeem Odoffin, Mads Andersen, George Johnston, Izzy Jones, Liam Walsh, Jake Richards, Gideon Kodua, Jamie Donley, Nahki Wells. Subs: James Shea, Kal Naismith, Callum Marshall, Dan Gore, Kasey Palmer, Harry Fox, Tudor Mendel.

O’s: O's Nathan Baxter Fin Stevens, Joseph Olowu, Will Forrester, Idris El Mizouni, Jake Kabia, Demetri Mitchell, Isaac Hayden, Charlie Wellens, Phil Chinedu. Subs: Oliver, Dovin, Armando Dobra, Dane Scarlett, Tony Springett, Sean Clare, Theo Archibald, Nichols Oyekunle. Referee: Ollie Yates.