Grimsby Town: David Artell set to have hand forced v Carlisle United - View | OneFootball

With injuries and suspensions continuing to hit his Grimsby Town squad, boss David Artell may have to change tact for Saturday's visit to Carlisle.

Grimsby Town's topsy-turvy start to the 2024/25 League Two campaign continued with last weekend's 1-0 victory over Bromley at Blundell Park. A welcome success for boss David Artell and his players following back-to-back defeats against Chesterfield and Barrow.

The Mariners have now won three of their seven fourth-tier fixtures to date, losing the other four, and are still awaiting their first point on the travels after narrow losses at Fleetwood Town and the Spireites either side of a 4-1 setback at Notts County.

While his side have, in the main, looked strong on home soil, Artell will be acutely aware that they need to back that up on the road. Grimsby's away form was very poor last season, and despite a reasonable performance against Paul Cook's men at the SMH Group Stadium at the start of the month, they've begun in a similar vein this time around.

With difficult trips to Carlisle United and Gillingham over the coming week, the last thing the Mariners boss needed was further injury concerns and suspensions affecting player availability going into a busy run of games.

The recent victory over Andy Woodman's EFL newcomers came at a cost, however, with wide player Charles Vernam withdrawn with what appeared to be a muscle strain midway through the first period, and energetic, battling midfielder Kieran Green suffering a late dismissal, meaning Artell may have to consider some tactical alterations in an attempt to shore things up and build some consistency.

Absentees could prompt a return to 5-3-2 formation used by Artell last season

As his Grimsby side struggled last season, leaking goals at an alarming rate, Artell turned to a more pragmatic 5-3-2 system towards the back end of the campaign.

It proved a good decision, as the Mariners became much more difficult to break down, allowing them to pick up the points needed to retain their EFL status.

Over the summer, the former Crewe Alexandra boss recruited a squad to play a more expansive hybrid 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation. This has, understandably, led to mixed results and performances for the Mariners as a new group look to implement a more structured, technical approach.

There's a need for balance, however, and with the likes of Curtis Thompson, Jordan Davies and Jayden Luker still on the sidelines, Green's temporary absence this weekend is problematic for the Grimsby manager for two reasons.

Not only does it leave the Mariners exposed in an area that they were already short in terms of numbers, it also sees them short of physicality and drive in the middle of the park, with tricky winger Vernam's injury leaving the Blundell Park outfit equally lacking in ingenuity and depth in wide areas.

Taking all these factors into consideration, perhaps Artell may opt to go back to the trusted wing-back system that offers the provision of an extra defender to protect a somewhat skeletal midfield.

Centre-back Doug Tharme made his long-awaited return from summer surgery in the latter stages of last week's victory over the Ravens, helping his side close out the win following Green's late red card.

Whether Tharme is ready to start for the Mariners so soon remains to be seen but his availability is a welcome development for a Grimsby side who have missed his physicality and leadership over the first few weeks of the season.

If the Birkenhead-born defender is to stay on the bench for the time being, Lewis Cass could come in to join fellow centre-backs Harvey Rodgers and Cameron Mcjannet, with Tyrell Warren and one of Denver Hume or Matthew Carson operating as wing-backs providing the width.

With Callum Ainley seemingly not ready to start matches just yet following his serious illness throughout 2024, the only other central midfielders available for the trip to Brunton Park are George McEachran and Evan Khouri.

Both have started the season well, and are capable of providing a ball-playing base in the Mariners' engine room, but perhaps lack the combative athleticism or tenacity of a Green or Thompson.

Protecting them with an extra defender would make sense in the short-term, with Icelandic international Jason Dadi Svanthórsson coming in off the wing to play in the 'number 10 role', a position he's operated in at previous clubs.

Svanthórsson has shown diligence towards his defensive duties, meaning he could seamlessly drop into the engine room to help Khouri and McEachran when required. But he's also a clever technician with great spatial awareness and vision, and could offer a real threat behind the strikers, who will most likely be Danny Rose and Donovan Wilson if Artell does go with two up front.

Alternatively, the Grimsby boss could go with a 4-4-2, bringing in attacking left-back Carson to play in front of Hume on the left and provide some stability, while Svanthórsson remains on the right. That would still leave that lack of a physical, energetic presence in the middle of the park, however, and given the circumstances, a back three flanked by forward-thinking full-backs may be the better option.

An extra defender would help to deal with Carlisle's forward players

Carlisle have had a difficult start to the season themselves, but with Mike Williamson recently replacing Paul Simpson in the dugout, the Blues head into Saturday's clash on the back of a 2-0 win at Swindon Town last time out.

While the former Gateshead and MK Dons manager is known to prefer a possession-based style, he'd be foolish to ignore the quality physical attacking options he finds at his disposal in Cumbria.

Former Sunderland and Wigan striker Charlie Wyke is back for his second spell at Brunton Park, and provides a formidable goalscoring presence, using his frame well to find the net from crosses into the penalty area.

Luke Armstrong joins Wyke in the Carlisle attack and provides a great foil for the 31-year-old. The former Harrogate forward is a genuine goal threat himself, too, with his strength, hold-up play, and aerial ability making him a difficult man to deal with for opposing defenders.

Grimsby are a relatively small side by comparison to many other League Two teams. and have already shown they can struggle to deal with and compete at set-pieces. Having an extra defender there would help in this regard, along with dealing with the physique of the aforementioned Wyke and Armstrong in open play.

Whether Artell chooses to temporarily change his approach or not, his team selection will be key to his side's chances of getting off the mark away from home, and absentees and availability may force his hand tactically for this Saturday's League Two fixture at Carlisle.