Agreed, we need pace at the back, but all the other Championship sides are in the same boat.
The role of defensive midfielder and whether Rohan Ince can fill this role is problematical?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensive_midfielder#Defensive_midfielder
I still think we could benefit from a deep lying playmaker. But Hyypia may play 4-2-3-1. It did not work for England.
I am an inherent of 4-3-3 basic shape but we might not have the players for it. This is the lop-sided system with one winger and the second striker that may appear on the left wing occasionally. Exactly the system the press were so scathing about.
I can't see either Calderon or Chicken being any good for deep crosses. I don't mind the winger getting past on the outside occasionally (that is what they are meant to do: no point having a winger otherwise!) if the rest of the defence is marking for the cross. Wingers cutting inside and running the channels or shooting accurately from long range is a different matter. If Buckley and Lualua are up to scratch they should cause the opposition problems. I would hate to play against those two.
Although we need players in defence, I see it as getting the current crop of players fit and playing well as much of whether or not we will do better than last season.
see the Stephen Ward thread regarding my first prediction.