Last Saturday’s defeat against Queens Park Rangers dropped us squarely in the relegation zone, but there are mitigating circumstances which need to be considered before we start to get concerned.

There are some obvious points to make in order to offer some perspective on our current position.

A squad which contains thirteen new signings needs time to gel, familiarising themselves with both each other and Parkinson’s system. In the past he has often eased new players into the starting eleven gradually, but that simply hasn’t been an option for him this season.

Secondly, it’s far too early to press the panic button. We started the 2023-24 season with one win in our first seven matches, as well as conceding twelve goals in our first three home league matches. We finished that campaign in second place.

Even the season before, when we set a national record for the most points in a season, started with a win, a loss and a defeat!

However, another factor has been partially obscured by the number of quality players Parkinson has added to an already impressive squad. Injuries have bitten deeply into his resources, and while we’ve got the players to step in and replace the unavailable, I suspect his tactical options have been restricted to a greater extent than you might think.

I think Parkinson is leaning towards using a box midfield on a more regular basis. It would offer us the benefit of congesting the middle of the pitch to make it more difficult for sides who want to pass through the thirds to make their way through our midfield.

It would also offer a natural way to add more attacking players to the mix. If we played Kieffer Moore in the lone striker role, with Nathan Broadhead and Josh Windass as the two attacking players in the box, for example, we would be able to get both those players pushing on to support Moore and get into scoring positions. As Windass was the fifth highest scorer in the division last season, and Broadhead averages near two goals per start in the second tier, this would seem to be a smart use of our resources.

However, injuries have denied Parkinson the opportunity to bed this system in. The option of fielding both Broadhead and Windass has only been available to Parkinson once this season, against West Bromwich Albion, and even that small window of opportunity only lasted thirty minutes!

Broadhead had just arrived at the SToK Cae Ras, and had not had time to train much with his new team mates, so Parkinson took the sensible course of action and started him on the bench. Unfortunately, Windass pulled his hamstring and had to go off after half an hour, replaced, ironically, by Broadhead!

So they’ve yet to be on the pitch at the same time, with Broadhead’s niggling injury adding to the lack of options in the attacking midfield role.

Their absence isn’t the only factor limiting Parkinson’s scope to deploy that tactic. Look at the rest of the squad and you’ll see that injuries have ruled out another couple of options in that position, namely Jay Rodriguez and Ollie Rathbone.

Lewis O’Brien could certainly play there, as the timing of his runs into the box are excellent. Parkinson hasn’t had many options to play alongside him, though.

Elliot Lee and Harry Ashfield are his options in those positions, but neither have featured in the EFL this season, so selecting them in those roles might be a stretch for him, despite their starring roles in the Carabao Cup this season.

James McClean is an option in that position too – remember his terrific showing when injuries forced Phil Parkinson to play him up front at Swindon? However, Liberato Cacace has only been able to start two games so far this season, meaning the Irishman has been unavailable for the box midfield as he’s been playing as a wing back.

Cacace, a high quality, adaptable player, could surely play there too but, have a look at the last paragraph to understand why he hasn’t.

So, with all his available options for the box midfield feeling like they’re not quite sitting right for Parkinson, is it any wonder he has instead settled on the experienced triumvirate of O’Brien, Matty James and George Dobson in a more orthodox midfield trio, allowing him to stick with the 3-5-2 he has favoured throughout his Wrexham reign? They have rewarded him with some consistent performances this season, after all.

The arrival of Ben Sheaf, a midfield anchor of real class, could open up the possibility of securing the defensive pairing at the base of the box further, making Parkinson more likely to take a gamble with his personnel further up the pitch. George Thomason’s return to fitness will only add to those options.

However, I think the real time when Parkinson will be tempted to go for a box midfield is when Windass and Broadhead are available to play a full ninety minutes again, which hopefully isn’t too far over the horizon!