WHETHER it is from the technical area on a matchday or the training ground during the working week, listening to Daniel Stendel bark out the orders has become commonplace for Barnsley’s players.

His young Reds side remains a work in progress and it will take time for some to find their voices. So he has to do a fair bit of the shouting for them, as it stands.

Becoming more vocal, streetwise and battle-hardened in lower-division circles - even a touch nasty - doesn’t happen overnight. That will only arrive with experience and the tough times invariably provide the most important learnings.

Stendel's squad - especially his back-five players - might just vouch for that after the club's last two league matches: heavy defeats at the hands of Stevenage and Plymouth Argyle.

Barnsley head coach Daniel Stendel. Photo: Tony Johnson.

placeholder image — Barnsley head coach Daniel Stendel. Photo: Tony Johnson.

Against the former, Stendel's main takeaway was seeing a gnarled forward operator in Josh Magennis bullying his backline, even though he did not score in Stevenage's 5-1 romp at Oakwell.

At Home Park, Barnsley’s defenders, especially centre-backs Sam Gale and Connor O’Riordan, also struggled to handle Argyle’s powerhouse striker Bim Pepple.

Another big man ‘up top’ with a serious EFL pedigree in Leicester City’s Emil Riis is waiting in the wings on Saturday for a Barnsley side who have shipped 11 goals in their last three competitive matches.

This weekend, Stendel wants to see his players - and not just his defence - don their combat fatigues.

Barnsley defender Sam Gale tussles with Blackpool's Tom Bloxham in the League One game earlier this month. Photo: Tony Johnson.

The Reds chief said: "We have a good mentality, but need to battle more against the (rival) players and fight - and not only say: ‘I tried my best’ because a lot more is needed.

"We talked after the game against Stevenage about Magennis and how he worked in front. It’s so much more than working on the ball and I think this is what we have to learn really quick, our defenders but also our offence players.

"This is a big battle every time and you have to use your physical skills to win the battle.

"We talk about this honestly because for a lot of players it's a new experience and not all the experienced players are next to them.

"It means the players have more responsibility than in the past, but they're still improving and quicker would be better than longer."

Should that happen relatively quickly, it will be a sign of Barnsley’s evolution and forged relationships. The understanding between Gale, 21 and central defensive partner O’Riordan, 22, is particularly important, going forward.

For the time being, Stendel will be on their case - in a good way—and on their team-mates.

He continued: "There's shouting, but only to get the best for my team - when we need more running, tackling and scoring.

"We can say it's not shouting, but it’s taking your responsibility. We work as a team together. That means I can also not only talk kindly to everybody.

"Sometimes you need a little bit more power in your voice to maybe wake him (the player) up, so you do more than you believe and this is also a big point.”

Saturday lunch-time is noteworthy for representing Conor Hourihane’s first return to Oakwell since leaving his post as head coach last spring.

The departure of the former Reds captain, now Russell Martin’s assistant at Leicester, also marked a sea-change in terms of playing style from a possession-based ethos to 'Stendel-Ball' high-press intensity and less emphasis on ball retention.

Any style makeover on the football field takes time—months as opposed to weeks.

When you are largely operating with young players in their early 20s and late teens, this age-specific route makes the conversion even less straightforward.

On the concept of time, Stendel continued: "In football, you do not have so much time.

"I think the important thing is that we try it, believe it and get the feeling we improve a little bit more every (training) week.

"Nobody likes to lose games - us, the players and supporters - but it's also a chance to improve what we can do better. What we miss at the moment is to bring the game to our side and we try to take from every experience where we can improve."

Normally, Hourihane’s relatively recent association with Barnsley might suggest that Leicester would have a knowledge advantage regarding several home players.

Any advantage is likely to be minimal, given a raft of changes in terms of personnel and certainly style.

Stendel continued: "I think a lot of these players are new and honestly I don't think about it.

"I think I expected different things from the players compared to last season. They have to play with different tasks than before.

"I think it's not a big advantage (for Leicester) and for me it's a game against a great team. For Conor, it’s maybe different, but for me it's only a big challenge.”