Now the squad has been named I thought it could be worth debating the strongest team if all the players were fit( unlikely as that is).
I would be tempted to play 3-5-2 ( which again I know Roy won’t do).
II would play Tomkins,Dann and Sakho as the back 3 with AWB and PVA as wing backs.All are comfortable on the ball and Tomkins and Dann would give us aerial strength in both boxes and chip in with a few goals from set pieces.
I would go with Kouyate, Mcarthur and Meyer as the midfield 3.
They have e energy and purpose and Meyer could knit the team together.
It might seem harsh leaving Luka out but he sometimes looks one paced and am not sure he has the mobility to play in this system.
With three at the back his position in front of the defence may be less relevant.
Zaha would obviously be one of the two up front.
Who would partner him?
To show how unlikely this is ever to happen I’m going for a fully fit Wickham (I know - pure fantasy).
If this was t working could always revert to a 4-4-2 with Benteke, Townsend and Luka on the bench.

Whilst JT, SD and MS are decent centre-backs in a four man defence, they do not possess all the attributes required to play in a three. The outside CB's have to have great pace as they will be required to cover the wide areas formerly occupied by the full backs. This is one of the weaknesses of the formation as the opposition will target the wide open spaces behind the wing backs. The reason Southgate plays Walker as the right CB in England's 3-5-2 formation is because of his speed. The middle CB has to have good ball playing abilities as his role in possession is to push forward and support the midfield three. I don't think we can describe any of them as ball playing CB's. I still get the jitters when Mama is on the ball. Finally, the three CB's need excellent communication and positional awareness to play as a unit. If they allow themselves to be pulled apart from one another the opposition will exploit the space in between. This is something they would have to practice extensively and bed down in pre season.

I wish you was our manager apart from leaving Luka out, but i admit i don't know were to fit him in your team, maybe in place of Jimmy Mac, if he gets over his present poor form, he defiantly has to play.

I do like this team(if all fit).

As you say prob wont happen from RH, but, we can all pick a team from our declared 25(inc kids) & not one of us will get it right. In the end its Roy's choice as he see's fit.

Isnt that the fun of a thread like this

This operation, will make the 'Charge Of The Light Brigade' seem like a simple military exercise.

I'd like to see:
................Guaita

AWB........Tomkins...Sakho....PVA

.........Kouyate..Luka...Meyer

...Townsend...........Zaha

..............Benteke

Edited by JohnB (04 Sep 2018 4.40pm)

Seeking your apology, I’ve added a bit in bold.

Palace since 19 August 1972. Palace 1 (Tony Taylor) Liverpool 1 (Emlyn Hughes)