Birmingham City v Huddersfield Town - Terriers better equipped for battle than last season, says Jonas Lossl

The Terriers are in danger of a second consecutive relegation, heading to Birmingham City tonight in the Championship’s bottom three, but with seven games to do something about it.

Huddersfield have lost both matches since the season resumed after the coronavirus pandemic but manager Danny Cowley received a glowing endorsement from Lossl when the players met to talk through their predicament.

“We spoke as a group on Monday and sometimes it’s good to look in the whites of people’s eyes and to speak truth to one another,” said the manager.

“Sometimes I talk a lot, I realise that, sometimes it’s nice to listen to the players because we’ve got a wealth of experience in the dressing room and I was really inspired by them speaking.

“Tommy Elphick, Andy King, Richard Stearman, Chris Schindler and Jonas spoke. He (Lossl) talked about last year and the difference between the squad and the staff last season compared to this season and how positive he is that we can be on the right side of this.

“I was certainly appreciative of his kind words and I think the group were.

“It’s our routine to always analyse and watch the game back and learn from it technically and tactically but this was more a talk between men and it was a positive one.

“But it’s time for actions now.”

Lossl was Huddersfield’s goalkeeper when they defied the odds by avoiding Premier League relegation in 2017-18, and the season after when it caught up with them. He left in the summer for Everton, but returned in January to find a club refreshed under Cowley, who took over in September.

Although the squad has changed considerably over the last 12 months, Cowley can see the scars of relegation.

“There’s been no doubt there’s been effects of what has happened in the past,” he said. “On the other hand, a number of our players have been in a relegation battle before and understand it and know what it is.

“We’ve (also) got a lot of young players living it for the first time and it’s about trying to manage them and their thoughts and how they are living their life through this process.

“It’s for us to enjoy the pressure. I’m not sure I would wake up if there was no pressure. We have to embrace it and enjoy it.”

This is Cowley’s first relegation battle as a manager, and the nature of his squad has tested him too.

“Everyone’s different,” he said. “Normally in the groups I’ve had in the past, there’s been a much clearer identity to the club, so the psychology has fitted all. You’ve been able to hit that and target the group to find the right words for the group at that moment.

“This group is different for many reasons and sometimes one psychology doesn’t fit all.

“The key to management is to try to say the right thing at the right time to the right individual and if you can master that art you can get people thinking clearly and when you’re under pressure that allows you to perform effectively.”

With the bottom of the Championship so tight, not over-reacting to good or bad results is important too.

“Football is an emotional game and we live in a world and a society where we catastrophise everything – it’s either brilliant or awful,” said Cowley.

“I try not to get caught up in the emotion and try to encourage the players not to because if you get over-emotional you’re going to waste energy. We cannot afford that, we have to stay laser-focused and concentrate on what we can control.”

Steve Mounie and Fraizer Campbell are back in training, potentially allowing Cowley the option of a specialist centre-forward for the first time since the lockdown.

“If I’d lost both my No 9s at Lincoln (his previous club) I’m not sure we’d have had the results we consistently got.

“It’s going to be critically important because it also allows us to use Karlan (Grant) in his favoured position.

“They’ve both been on the grass so we’re hopeful they will have some involvement at Birmingham.

“Whenever I go to any club it’s always one and nine, get them sorted out first because they’re the two key positions in terms of the points they can gain and lose you.”

Last six games: Birmingham City DDLLDD; Huddersfield Town LLLWWL.

Referee: Robert Jones (Merseyside).

Last time: Derby County 1 Huddersfield Town 1, April 17, 2017, Championship.

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