Danny Schofield weighs up adaptable Huddersfield Town player’s role | OneFootball

Huddersfield Town fans are desperate for a shot of positivity after a bleak start to 2022/23.

Danny Schofield’s side have lost out by a single goal in both of their Championship fixtures so far this season, whilst Preston wiped the floor with them in the League Cup midweek.

There’s been some poor defensive decisions in all three of those performances. Things haven’t clicked in the final third either. Disappointingly, there have been some fundamentals missing too.

Another issue is how the midfield is evolving without Lewis O’Brien in there after three years of the 23-year-old covering every blade of grass.

Jon Russell and Jonathan Hogg simply hasn’t worked in the Championship, David Kasumu is injured already and it would be unfair to ask too much of Etienne Camara so early in his career.

Interestingly, Schofield turned to Jack Rudoni (from the bench) in his midfield on Tuesday night against Preston, allowing the summer recruit licence to drop deeper and get on the ball in more central areas.

“I’ve said it before about Jack that he’s a very versatile player. We knew that when we were doing the research on his recruitment,” Schofield explained.

“We feel as though he can play in a number of positions when defending and attacking. It’s important to have that in the squad.”

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After shipping four goals, three of which came inside 30 minutes, against Preston, Schofield shuffled Huddersfield into something of a 5-4-1 in a bid to gain some control. It also allowed Rudoni to play that slightly deeper role.

“He’s adaptable in that he can play with a four or a five behind him,” Schofield continued.

The 21-year-old thrived in a poor AFC Wimbledon side in League One last season, with his 12 goals and five assists standing out. According to Wyscout, Rudoni has failed to register a shot on goal in the Championship this season and has an xG of 0. He’s only mustered five touches in the opposition penalty area during Town’s lacklustre start.

Huddersfield lacked goals from midfield even last season, with Rudoni highlighted as something of a solution going into this year.

Does pulling him back into the aforementioned deeper role lessen his goal threat, then? Schofield admits it might: “Potentially, it does mean he’s sitting a little bit deeper. But he can also be creative with assists and feed other players to score.”

Huddersfield are a side that need a result this afternoon against Stoke City in the Champonship. A key factor to getting that result will be not surrendering the midfield battle inside the opening third.

Rudoni could, possibly, give them something different.