Contrary to the oft-aired criticism, Ian Evatt probably does know his best 11 – the trouble is, it changes every week.

Seventeen games into the League One season, Bolton Wanderers have named an unchanged line-up just once, at Port Vale, where Ricardo Santos’s red card ensured it could not happen again a few days later against Morecambe.

Squad rotation has become a real talking point around the University of Bolton Stadium this season and while in the good times it was discussed in glowing terms as a sign of the depth in Evatt’s squad, more recently there has been a swell of opinion that constant changes have disrupted continuity, harming performances and results.

Even Evatt – who had explained in depth his belief that a high-pressing, high-octane brand of football would require constant rotation earlier in the season – has recently admitted he would like a more settled XI, if enough players came into form.

“I don’t want to make changes, I’m not Claudio Ranieri or any of these tinker men or whatever you want to call me,” he told The Bolton News last week. “I am making changes because I don’t feel like I’m getting the consistency of performance from the team that is selected.”

During those opening weeks of the season, it had been explained that sports science would guide Evatt’s selection policy, informing him of who was physically ready to play and who required a rest.

The Bolton boss has rarely – and thankfully - found himself in a position where injuries or suspensions forced his hand on selection, as he did last winter, so the majority of the 46 changes to personnel over the course of 17 league games have been down to his personal preference.

Some players, for instance goalkeeper James Trafford or defenders George Johnston, Ricardo Santos and Gethin Jones, have rarely been swapped out of the line-up. Given Bolton’s excellent defensive record, that above all else may back-up the argument for keeping some stability of selection.

It has been in the midfield and forward areas that Evatt has experimented most, and that could be down to the workload placed on the forward players in the current system, which asks players to work hard out of possession to regain the ball higher up the pitch. It could also be that nobody has shown themselves able to hold down a place.

The Bolton News:

At least part of a manager’s remit when selecting a side is to try and exploit weaknesses in an opposing team – be that using more physical players against defenders who struggle in the air, or pacier ones to expose a flat-footed centre half.

It also works in reverse, where certain players are used to nullify threats. Kyle Dempsey, for example, is often drafted in to engage a busy midfield, whereas Aaron Morley’s accurate distribution skills often make him the man Bolton turn to if they have to play longer, or faster through the middle of the park.

The ‘horses for courses’ approach lends itself to regular rotation and is why Bolton have steadily recruited a team which does have such specialists. The downside, however, is that some players can struggle for consistency when used sparingly and while Evatt has spread the minutes around his squad fairly evenly, it has been noticeable since the penalty shoot-out defeat at Tranmere Rovers in the Papa John’s Trophy that his shadow squad has lacked a sense of readiness.

Even last season’s top scorer, Dapo Afolayan, has found himself unable to recapture his top form after dropping on to the bench in the early weeks of the season.

Evatt has tried to incorporate him into the 3-4-1-2 system in a few different positions, including more surprisingly as a wing-back, but is yet to find the right formula.

Likewise, Kieran Sadlier, who finished last season strongly as a right wing-back but who since fell behind Liverpool loanee Conor Bradley and has had to rely on the cup competitions for the majority of his playing time. The balancing act between a formation which is defensively solid and one which can allow the club’s best attacking players to thrive is still frustratingly elusive.

Speaking after the 0-0 draw against Cambridge at the weekend, former Bolton first team coach Phil Brown sympathised with Evatt’s attempts to find a consistent winning formula.

“The modern day squad, the whole game has changed,” he said. “It isn’t the case that you have an 11 and two or three subs, you probably have two sets of 11. I know the argument about not knowing your best team – but it is very difficult to get that team out there week in, week out. The modern day game is that quick, there are injuries, all sorts of issues.

“Where Ian is concerned, I think he knows his best system but he needs that second string to the system – a change at some stage to confuse the opposition or two win a game in the last five minutes. I don’t think we see enough of that.”

It is often said in football that you should not change a winning team – a rule Evatt has broken in seven out of the eight victories his side has claimed this season.

But it is fair to say he changes a winning team ‘less’ than a losing one. On average, Bolton make 2.14 changes per win compared with 3.66 after a defeat.

This season the introduction of seven substitutes, five of which can be used during a game, has added an extra tactical nuance to football in League One. Evatt has taken full advantage, making more than three changes from the bench in 13 of the 17 games so far, and the maximum five on seven occasions.

That has allowed him to spread game minutes around and, on a fairly regular basis, affect games in a positive way. Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Amadou Bakayoko and the aforementioned Afolayan have all scored as substitutes this season.

But it is a fair question to ask whether those players who have primarily been used as replacements have lost some sharpness when asked to start games.

There is no obvious formula and Evatt will have a plan in mind to try and beat Fleetwood this weekend which may – or may not – mean more changes.

He may point to the fact that on two occasions he has swapped five players from the previous starting line-up, against Morecambe and Burton, and come up with victories in both – a tick in the right box for squad rotation.

One thing is for certain, should one of his attacking players get themselves into some scoring form, there is a regular spot waiting to be claimed.