Aluko: There’s Too Much Depth in Our Squad to Play Every Game Tuesday, 22nd Feb 2022 11:31 Sone Aluko admits players always want to play every game but knows that with a squad as strong as Town’s that’s not going to be possible. While manager Kieran McKenna has been consistent in selecting the same keeper, back three and wing-backs since he has come to the club, the Northern Irishman has switched his forward players on a match-by-match basis. Aluko, 33, knows that that’s going to be the case given the quality and variety of attackers McKenna has at his disposal. “You’re always going to want to play every game, but you can’t sign for Ipswich and look at the squad and think that’s going to be possible. There’s too much depth in our squad to play every game,” he told TWTD. “So when a player’s not at full freshness, it doesn’t make sense to keep playing them because someone else will come in and have as much impact and is able to have the same intensity, the team will probably play the same way and then we can be intense for longer through the season. “So when teams are tiring at the back end of the season, we’re going to pick up form, have our momentum hopefully and it’s going to be a big factor. You only have to look at Manchester City, who have a huge squad, and how they do it. “I think that’s the nature of football. If you want to have an intense style of play, you have to rotate the team, especially when it’s Saturday-Tuesday. “The defence is slightly different. Once you have a run of clean sheets and have set up organisation, it’s more a cultural thing, you just keep that same back four, back five. “But attacking players, you’re always going to have a change because you’re doing a lot of intense pressing, a lot of intense running.” Having played wide more regularly earlier in the season, the Nigeria international, who has scored three goals in 17 starts and 11 sub appearances for the Blues, has usually played as a number 10 under McKenna. “Tactically the formation’s changed so our start positions are different on the pitch, our pressing’s different,” he said. “My role has changed. Everyone’s role has changed. I’ve been more central since he came in, which kind of changed just before he came in. I think the last couple of games before he became manager he watched me playing centrally, so I’ve been a lot more involved in the build-up of the play. “Going through the pitch, I’m a lot more involved in the build-up of the play rather than before I was more of a winger closer to the end of the move. So I’d wait for the ball to get to me before, whereas now a touch the ball a lot more, which I enjoy. “But it’s a role I’ve played previously at other clubs, so it was easy to transition back to that kind of role. “Do I prefer that role? The way I play, I’m probably more effective but I wouldn’t say being out wide I like it less than I do as a number 10, but I get more touches of the ball, so I have more impact on the game playing that way. “I’ll probably end up scoring fewer goals than if I was out wide but I’d probably play better more often. “When you’re out wide, it’s more one-v-one, you versus whatever defender you’re playing against, but this way I can play better in more ways than I was playing on the wing before.”
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