Assuming that new Japanese defender is available for selection at the Emirates, who should make way for him ?

The stark answer to this question is that sadly there is a case for either Jos Hooiveld or Jose Fonte being dropped to make way for the new aquisition from VVV-Venlo, in fact its pretty clear that there is no doubt that Yoshida will be in the side, the only real poser is when !

Given our appalling defensive showing so far I would say that it should be sooner rather than later, both of our central defenders so far have confirmed what was starting to become apparent last season, that although for long periods of the game they are solid, they suffer from lapses in concentration, in the latter part of our promotion winning campaign it started to show itself more and it was difficult to remember a goal that wasn't the result of a defensive lapse, both were equally culpable but in the Championship you dont get punished as much as you do in the Premier.

Now its a different story and as both Hooiveld and Fonte have found out, you cant take your eye of the ball for a second, nor can you dive in, in this division the slightest touch sends opponents sprawling to the ground and whilst that isnt directly the fault of for instance Hooiveld who has been on the end of two penalty decisions that possibly wouldnt have been given in the Championship, the fact of the matter is naivety is no excuse.

So the only real question that now remains is who makes way for Yoshida, its fair to say that before Saints being linked with him, few had heard of the Japanese central defender, yes Im sure there are a few you tube clips out there, but essentially we know little of him as a player and its the type of player that he is that will determine the fate of Hooiveld and Fonte.

IF Yoshida is a more ball playing defender then that could be good news for Hooiveld, of our current partnership, he is more of a stopper and it would contrast Yoshida to have some steel beside him, but contrastingly if the man from the land of the rising sun is himself more of a bruiser than cultured then it could be that Nigel Adkins would consider that he would be better partnered with Fonte.

On paper a simple question, however its not quite that simple, Adkins has to also consider which of Fonte and Hooiveld can adapt his game in the Premier, so far and I said this on many occasions last year, I dont think Fonte & Hooiveld compliment each other and never really gelled as a partnership, one or the other always seemed to be out of sorts and Fonte never seemed to be the same player that he was the previous year with other partners.

Many Saints fans took to Hooiveld, mainly for the vital goals he scored and for some that made him a better player than the Portugese, but that would be having a short term memory, Fonte himself has an eye for goal, he scored 7 in our promotion from league 1 including that memorable winner at Brighton that in hindsight was truly the difference between success and failure, the difference between last season and that one though was that it was Hooiveld often sent up for corners and set pieces rather than Fonte.

At time of writing its a hard one to call, both Fonte and Hooiveld deserve to be dropped and the one thing that is certain is that their partnership needs to be disolved, Im sure either can prosper in the Premier with the right partner, but the opening games have proved my theory from last season that they are not a match, but who will be for the axe is hard to call and indeed that axe may not be permanent as Adkins may feel that he needs to play one or the other alongside Yoshida according to the opponents.

The big worry though is whether Yoshida himself is up to the task, we just dont know as although he has experience in both Japan and Holland and of course the International stage, all three are completely different ball games to the Premier, make no mistake Yoshida's is probably the signing that will make or break this season.         

Photo: Action Images

Pecky3 added 09:44 - Sep 14 I entirely agree with above but my concern is why Saints did not sign two central defenders especially one with Premier League experience. It leaves us very vulnerable to any injuries in that position and may well prove to be the difference between survival or not!
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SaintNick added 09:58 - Sep 14 I agree with Pecky, I would have much preferred to see someone in with prmier experience, perhaps that will happen with the loan window
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SonicBoom added 10:47 - Sep 14 Do we need a CB with "steel" ? As you said yourself Nick, players in the prem hit the floor with the slightest touch anyway.
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SaintNick added 11:06 - Sep 14 Plenty of players have steel in the premier but have the guile along with it, too many people associate steel with the fist clenching 100% effort players, when there are plenty who just get on with their job and are just as tough if not tougher
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EasternSaint added 11:32 - Sep 14 Having seen Yoshida over a few years in internationals for Japan, I'd say that Fonte has more to be worried about. He is a strong guy but he also likes to play the ball out of defence and make passes up to midfield or out to the wings. Really interested to see how he fits in with us and praying he does quickly and is the key to save our defence!
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ExiledSupporter added 13:07 - Sep 14 Thanks Nick, I think you explain and demonstrate the dilemma pretty well. Certainly consistent concentration has been a large part of the problem, but I wonder about the extent to which lack of confidence in the goalie and poor communication with him has contributed to JF/JH's inconsistency. I've referred frequently in the past to KD's insecure management of his area, especially dealing with crossses - I suspect he cuts out fewer crosses (especially last season)than almost any other keeeper (tho' I have no statistics to support this contention), he seems very unwilling to leave his line. Clearly these are early days, but I already feel KD's good shot stopping record is insufficient reason for keeping him at seemingly undisputed first choice. This, of course, brings us back to the central problem, we seem to have squandered most of our resources on less urgent acquisitions (with the notable exceptions of Clyne and Davis) and this may well prove to be our downfall ie . not enough experience in the side and insufficient quality in vital positions. So how to explain this, is it a misalignment between he who picks the team and determines the formation and he who selects and pursues the transfer targets?

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Kiwifiedpom1 added 13:55 - Sep 14 All three of the CBs are short on Preier experience and I think we'll see Yoshido on the bench at least.
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Zambucco added 12:10 - Sep 16 after the first 4 performances this season, I would pick Jos for the chop. You can't fault his heart and determination, but he lacks that little bit of 'class'. Both Fonte and Yoshida have this, for me fonte is growing again, he seems to be relishing the Prem and stepping up, hopefully to the same Fonte who strode imperiously around the pitch back in League 1. Yes I know there's a massive jump in class but it's all down to 'class'. After watching Yoshida, I believe he will take the defence by the scruff of the neck and shake it up, he will be the next leader. There's something about his style of play and his manner. Plus apparently his English is damn near perfect. Clyne is almost there, Fox may make the grade but it's a massive jump in his play to achieve this, I'd like to see Shaw start a few or get more time. Alas Kelvin seems to be struggling most with the step up, apart from 2 very easy penalty saves, he's been poor.

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