Gill: Strength in Depth Will Certainly Help Us Monday, 15th Feb 2021 10:39 First-team coach Matt Gill believes strength in depth will help the Blues as they work through a very busy period of fixtures with two games a week for the next five weeks. “I certainly hope so,” Gill said. “I think that having some strength in depth will certainly help us and it’s something we need to take advantage of if needed.” Asked why the modern-day player can’t play two games a week over a sustained period - as players of yesteryear had to do - Gill said: “That’s probably a question for them. It’s an interesting one, some players would like to play loads of football, some players get fatigued. “You have to look after them, obviously physical performance is a major part of football these days, the distances they’re travelling, the sprint distance, the high-speed running. “There have been lots of injuries even at the top level this year, so it’s trying to be wary of that, not put people in physical danger but I think most of the lads are pretty robust and are willing to play when they’re needed.” How did he take being rested during his time as a player? “I was rested even when I didn’t need a rest!” With games coming so frequently he says one eye is kept on the games which follows the immediate fixture, although with the main concentration still on the next one. “There’s a lot of planning that goes into it,” he said. “It’s all well and good me saying that we only take the next game [into account] and being very boring, but I think as staff you have to have one eye on the next game and also the game after that, but the majority of your attention needs to be on the next game. “And that’s how we’re approaching it. It’s the most important because it’s the next one. The analysts do an unbelievable amount of work, Will [Stevenson] and George [Buckley] work unbelievably hard on making sure we’re as prepared as we possibly can be for these next games. “They’re getting themselves a game ahead. They do some really unseen work which is invaluable to us as staff. “Will and George, especially in this environment we’re in at the moment when for the majority of the time they’re not in the office, they’re the unsung heroes of all that. “I think that staff-wise we prepare training as normal, you try not to be in a maintenance cycle as far as just [working on] player recovery and try to add as much value as you can technically and tactically within the gaps you’ve got. It’s tricky but it obviously takes a lot of preparation.” Given the squad rotation, is it the case that a player rested on a Saturday will be told he’ll be needed on the Tuesday? “There’s a little bit of that,” he continued. “Probably going into the next game it’s one of those where it’s a case of who’s physically ready to play a game. “I think it can be a dangerous thing having one eye on two games’ time or three games’ time, so I think that we’ve made it pretty clear, you get in the team and you do well, there will be occasions where you come out for recovery purposes or just to make sure that we’re looking after you physically. “But it’s a bit of everything really. You need to be prepared to roll out the same team if they’ve done well. But then there will be occasions when you do need to make changes.” Town switched their system to a 4-4-2 diamond at Peterborough having utilised a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 throughout the season prior to that and Gill believes there has to be versatility of that type and that the formation could change depending on the circumstances in future fixtures. “I think in the times we’re in you have to be adaptable, you have to be flexible,” he said. “I think it’s certainly an option. We went to it [4-4-2] at Crewe late on in the game. We played a couple of different formations last year. “I don’t think you can rule anything out at this stage, you need to be flexible, you need that ability to adapt, so I think that’s certainly an option.” It seems likely that young full-backs Luke Matheson and Myles Kenlock will come back into the side facing Northampton tomorrow but he says skipper Luke Chambers and Stephen Ward, both 35, will still have a part to play. “All the players do,” Gill said. “Obviously only 11 can play. I think there are ways of adding value when you’re not in the starting XI. I very much think that young players, senior players, they’re all alike in trying to add value in whatever way they can, whether that’s on the pitch or off it. “I think those boys you mentioned are no different and I know that everyone will be as motivated as they possibly can be to help the team.” The former midfielder says the more senior players have a role to play in helping the youngsters develop and find their feet. “Very much so,” he added. “I think the lads that have played hundreds of games have been through loads of spells and, it’s a saying I’ve used before, their ‘psychological stamina’ is great, it’s brilliant, they’ve been through tough times. “They don’t get to a point in their career where they’ve not gone through tough times before. Their experience is invaluable and that’s something we’ll certainly use.” Regarding switching skipper Chambers back to his preferred role at the centre of the defence, he said: “It’s obviously an option. He’s obviously played a lot of his career at centre-half, so it’s certainly an option.” Striker Kayden Jackson is available again after his three-match ban for his red card against Sunderland. Asked how the striker’s looked in training, Gill said: “Kayden’s been working hard, the same as a number of the lads.” Could the 26-year-old operate in a front two alongside Troy Parrott as James Norwood did at Peterborough? “I think Kayden’s played in a two previously and at previous clubs, so it’s an option we’ve got. “We’ve got quite a few options now, which is good. Players have the ability to play in a few different positions and a few different formations. That’s only a plus for us.”
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