Lambert: Players Have Bought Into Rotation Policy - Ipswich Town News
Boss Paul Lambert says it doesn’t matter who he names in his starting XI or what formation he lines them up in, everybody has taken to it and has played well.
Lambert has adopted a rotation policy this season which has seen players regularly rested and the side changing week by week. He has also frequently stressed the importance of sacrificing the ‘me’ for the ‘we’.
"They seem to at the minute,” he said when asked if the players have bought into his rotation approach. "Whatever team I play or personnel I play they seem to take to it.
"It’s the only way you win titles or become successful, you have to sacrifice something, because when you do get the success it becomes the ‘me’ again.
"If they can do that then we've got a really good chance and at the minute they're playing well.”
Reflecting back on his own career, largely in an era when rotation was less common, he added: "I think there’s always that fear of not playing, I think you’ve always got to have that.
"The fear of not playing for any player is a great thing to have because you can never stop looking over your shoulder.
"If you think you’re set in stone then you become complacent and it’s dangerous. I’ve always had that in my own career, people wanting to take my place. The secret is to try and make sure you stay in it.
"The way the modern day game is, especially in this league where you can end up having a helluva lot of games in cup competitions, you need everybody to be ‘top fit’, you need everybody when they do get put in to be ready to go and don’t give them any excuses when they’ve not performed or they’re not at it.
"But at the minute, it doesn’t matter what players I play or what formation, they’ve done really well.”
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