Reply With QuoteHappy Days
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Two of Sky Bet League One’s five unbeaten sides are set to go head-to-head as Barnsley host Walsall at Oakwell on Saturday.
The Reds, fresh from their Checkatrade Trophy comeback against Oldham in midweek, will be looking to build on last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Gillingham when the Saddlers visit South Yorkshire.
Assistant Head Coach Andreas Winkler is thrilled with the start his side has made to the new campaign, but believes Barnsley can get even better as the season goes on.
“I’m delighted with the start and the unbeaten record because, before the season started, everyone was talking about the high-pressing and counter-attacking, and now we can show that this style of football is also good for our defence,” said Winkler.
“If you look at how much Adam Davies has had to do, it’s not too much. So it’s a good sign that everyone is working hard for the defence; it starts with the strikers.
“Winning is a great motivator; I like to win – everyone likes to win. Draws can also be good, but the best part is that we haven’t lost. We can do even better. If we do it over 90 minutes we’ll be delighted.
“We can improve the periods of ball possession to be more composed. Everyone has to know, whether it’s 2-0 or 2-1, that we can decide the pace of the match, but this is a learning process and I’m happy with how we do it. There’s a good attitude, a winning attitude now.”
Daniel Stendel utilised his squad perfectly on Tuesday evening, with ten alterations to the starting line-up as the Reds won their first Group F encounter.
One player in particular who impressed was Jack Walton, with the young goalkeeper pulling off a number of fine saves to keep the hosts at bay – including a stunning last-gasp block to deny Jonathan Benteke.
“It’s good for him and his self-confidence that everyone trusts him,” insisted Winkler. “A new gaffer has come in and he has a new contract, so he knows that the gaffer thinks highly of him. He’s confident in training to play well on Saturday.
“We’re confident with him; there are no question marks. Matches are very important for young goalkeepers, everyone knows it’s the toughest job on the pitch but we don’t think about that. He played the last four or five matches of last season, so that’s good for us.”
With four wins and two draws each, there is nothing to separate the two sides heading into Saturday’s clash.
The Saddlers were held 0-0 at home to Blackpool in their last League One outing and, like Barnsley, can climb to the summit with three points this weekend.
“It will be a tough match; they’re unbeaten, like us,” continued the Reds’ Assistant. “We know that they defend very hard, very strong, in a good shape and compact.
“They’ve got two or three very good strikers with a lot of pace, so we have to be very wary of their counter-attack. We may have to be patient and find something special in our tactics to penetrate their defence.
“If you’re unbeaten, you have great self-confidence and they will look forward to playing here at Oakwell and to show how well they can perform, so it will be a tough match.”
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Happy Days
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0-0 then !!
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Still plenty more improvement in this squad which given our start gives me plenty of positivity .
Get through January without losing anyone and possibly adding a couple of players to strengthen then the league's there to be won for us in my opinion .
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I'd be looking for a replacement for Kieffer MooreOriginally Posted by animallittle3
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Goat ez got you lot well and truly stitched up. Lovely bloke etc etc. Expect sales in January as players near end of contracts. "We couldn't refuse" etc etc . Ev to mek up the £6 mill from relegation this financial year from his disastrous appointment of Morais. A still believe widda stopped up with McBurnie and Moore cuumin in if we ed appointed a decent manager rather than Goat's Morais.
Last edited by SBRed48; 06-09-2018 at 04:17 PM.
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I'll try another angle , if some of the big championship clubs like WBA , Villa etc make bids for our top performers then we will be exactly where we were two years ago won't we ? .
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Goat will sell Animal just like the previous owners did. Forget the "We are happy wiv wot wiv got and will keep the squad" azzin the Conway interview. It's all b0ll0cks and tha knows it.
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Chimes with " under no pressure to sell " in 2016 ' two cheeks to the same @ss if you ask me .
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If we are top 2 on January first, then every single one of our players will be linked with Championship clubs. I reckon two will go.
Moore and Cavaré MINIMUM
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