Barnsley v Wycombe Wanderers - Rested Tykes hoping to reap rewards

Friday’s game at home to Bournemouth was a third in six days and it showed with an error-strewn display leading to a 4-0 defeat.

But the positive is it has given more preparation time for today’s match against relegation-threatened Wycombe Wanderers, itself a day later than usual. With no travel either, Ismael expects his players to be fresher and better for some time off at the weekend.

They will have to be, because he simply will not accept them at anything less than full throttle.

“My team must always play with an intensity,” he insisted.

“It’s a special season in the Championship and we know there is normally more time between games to recover and prepare for the next game but we can see what we do works. It’s a balance managing time between the games.

“That’s why me and my staff have to be creative to find the right solutions all the time to give the guys time to recover. It means maybe light training sessions, days off, sometimes only in the gym or something like that. In all these ways we have to be creative.

“The players recognise the advantage when you try to win the ball high in the opponents’ half the way to the goal is shorter than when you are deeper. You put stress on the opponent and he has to make decisions quickly. You force more mistakes but we need the intensity to do that.”

The hard taskmaster has shown a softer side since Friday, and hinted he might use squad rotation to maximise the freshness he needs.

“We gave the players some rest because we have to manage the three games we played and then the next four games,” he explained.

“It was a small gap to try to recover the brain and the freshness, recover the energy because on Friday we missed the last percent in our intensity and it was clearly a tiredness. We always try to find a way to keep the players healthy and have them all available.

“When you make too many mistakes in a game you have to analyse why it’s happening and for sure tiredness plays a big role. That’s why I’m confident the game against Wycombe will be much better in this respect.

“We have the possibility to change a lot of situations because we have a lot of players on the same level and we have to see what we need against Wycombe. We have to look at which players give us this good feeling.”

With recovery more important this season than ever, Ismael has had to be proscriptive about what his players do away from the club but he says they are willing listeners.

“We speak all the time to tell the guys what they need away from the training ground but they know what they have to do to recover – to drink and sleep well, to eat well,” said the Frenchman. “Even when they are at home they receive a programme with a light run or a gym session they have to do because the players know the way we play football we need 100 per cent physically, as well as from our skills.

“We need a deep squad to be able to make changes. I’ve said before I’m very happy to have five substitutes because it gives us more of a possibility to keep that intensity all over the game.

“I think the players now are much more receptive to different ideas.

“We work a lot with the guys and show them a lot of clips to show them what’s possible and how we can improve our game. Now we have another part to improve to be more effective, and to avoid mistakes.

“This is now a process for the players to become more mature in the game. This is the next step, the next focus, the next purpose we want from the guys and that’s why I’m looking forward and I think we will see an improvement in the next game.”

Ismael also criticised the “unacceptable” booing of players taking the knee before Millwall and Colchester United’s games at the weekend. Taking a knee has become an international gesture to raise awareness of racism in society.

“The first thing I have to say is I was so happy to see fans back in the stadium,” said Ismael, one of only a handful of BAME managers in England.

“I am looking forward to seeing our fans in the stadium.

“It is exciting and I expect a lot of positive attitude.

“But to see that was a shock for me after the tough time we’ve all been through. It’s not acceptable because we have to respect football taking a position.

“We have to fight against this situation because it’s unacceptable.”

Last six games: Barnsley LWLLWW; Wycombe Wanderers DLDDDL

Referee: G Eltringham (Tune and Wear)

Last time: Barnsley 2 Wycombe Wanderers 1, February 16, 2019, Championship.

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