Regis Le Bris says Dennis Cirkin won't be rushed back for tomorrow night's game, because he has players in the squad who can fill that gap at left back. He spoke about the squad's versatility generally, singling out the fullback duo of Trai Hume and Luke O'Nien as well as Eliezer Mayenda who has played on both wings in recent weeks.
CIRKIN WON’T BE RISKED
“He is okay now and ready to train, but because he missed two weeks and we have other solutions in the squad right now we don’t have to rush the process. I trust Dennis, he is very important for us, but at the minute it would be too risky to use him tomorrow.”
L09/DEPTH
“He is still very important for the team. At the minute he is in the squad and doing very well. It is a good problem for me. If we have more depth in the squad with different styles of play then we can manage different solutions. So far, we didn’t use our five substitutions so much and I think that was because some of the players are talented but not really ready for that level of competition. They need minutes and they need experience but with a back four like that, plus Dennis, plus Trai and so on, we have many options. We know that the level of experience is perfect and we can manage different styles of play with different triangles, so if we struggle to find space and unbalance the opposition we can change. With another player the triangle will still be functional in and out of possession but with a different dynamic. That could be a good option for us.”
LUKE AND TRAI FULLBACKS
“It was a new experience for me but not for them, because they have played like that before. I spoke with the staff and we decided that it was a good option and I trust them. I think they played well, even if we didn’t score.”
MISSING MUNDLE
“Good players are very important for the team but it opens a new opportunity for others on that side. Football, like life, is unpredictable and we have to manage these situations. Sometimes we have to create something new. He is important for us but we have to wait.”
JANUARY RECRUITMENT
“Let’s wait one more month and we will see. This is the difficulty of the club. We believe in development and improvement. We have young players, so we know that for most of them when they came here they were not ready, but we are here to help them grow and we believe that is possible. So before thinking about external recruitment I think we have to push the process until the end and then in January we will see. What do we need for the next month? Are they ready to be competitive for us or do they need more time? These will be our thoughts and we will have to make the decision at that moment but the background of the club is that we believe in young players, the improvements and the learning curve and so on. If we only think about external recruitments, I think that is not the right way.”
PLAYER VERSATILITY
“We are still finding out the different qualities of our players because they are young and for some of them, I am still in the period of discovering what they are able to do in different positions. This was the case for example for Luke and Trai, because it was their first time for me in these positions. Eliezer started as a number nine, then had an opportunity as the seven (right wing) and then he played as an eleven (left wing) against West Brom. It is not definitive, one game doesn’t mean you are able or unable to play in this position. For example, I think we can keep the consistency with Wilson. It was possible to play Wilson in another position but when you have a striker with confidence and his style of play fits the league at the minute, we don’t have to change. But for others, it depends on their own dynamic and it is possible to change and to give them minutes. Try it, watch what happens in a specific scenario against one opponent and we can gain experiences for the player and the staff as well. Then, it is a question of management during the game. So, I don’t know before the game what will be useful.”
