Barnsley FC trying to strike right balance between positivity and anger at losing streak
Barnsley are trying to strike a good balance between positivity and anger to drag themselves out of the League One relegation zone.
The Reds are at Reading on Saturday looking for a first win in 10 games. Key players are starting to come back with Luca Connell's three-match ban over and Cieran Slicker, Makenzie Kirk and Ziyad Larkeche returning from injury in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at Luton Town.
But they need to find something extra from within, and that means striking the right mood in the build-up.
For left-back Larkeche, pictured, who missed the whole of last season through injury and was only making his third appearance of this one when he came off the bench at half-time at Kenilworth Road, it is about keeping things in perspective.
“Today you can see my big smile but the reality is I hate losing,” he said.
“After the game, I didn't have a big smile at all, I was really frustrated.
“My wife knows that and my family knows that
“Not just in football, in life in general. I like to compete.
“It's really important to hate losing. But at the same time, when the game goes, you assess it but you need to move on and to be positive.
“If you watch what's happening in the world, I think we're really lucky people. Not just myself by playing football, but people in general.
“Last year a friend told me, 'Ziyad, your challenge today, what you think is a nightmare, for other people this life would be a dream.'
“This stayed in my head and I said, 'Wow, that's quite powerful.'
“I said, 'You need to take the positives.' But you need to be really angry when you lose. You can't come back with a smile – that doesn't exist.”
But equally, coach Daniel Stendel does not want his players over-doing the positivity.
“When you see everything negatively it's difficult to change it but on the other side sometimes I would like us to think more about situations like this,” he commented.
“The mood is still positive, yes, but it's professional football, the games are important, and it's important to win games.
“I would like everybody to know it's not only a game and every week there has to be a big fight for points for yourself, your bonus, for the club, for the supporters who travel so much around the country.
“Positivity is good, especially after we win games.”