Duff ‘really surprised’ by MK Dons’ struggles and expects difficult game
Connell enjoying anchor role in new Reds formation
MICHAEL Duff is ‘really surprised’ that tomorrow’s visitors MK Dons are in the relegation zone but expects a difficult game against a side he thinks will soon climb the league table.
The Dons are 21st in League One, with 14 points from 17 games.
They are three points off safety, and 13 behind the eighth-placed Reds.
They were among the favourites for promotion this season, having lost in the play-off semi-finals in May to Wycombe Wanderers.
But they sank to the bottom of the third tier last month after five straight defeats.
A 2-0 victory at Charlton Athletic and 0-0 draw at Cheltenham Town were followed by home wins in the FA Cup against non-league Taunton, 6-0, and the EFL Cup against Morecambe, 2-0.
But the run of clean sheets ended with
LUCA Connell is enjoying his new role anchoring the Barnsley midfield in a 3-5-2 formation, but still hopes to chip in with goals and assists.
The 21-year-old has generally patrolled in front of the defence, allowing the two other central midfielders to get forward, since the change in system which has been followed by three straight wins. Connell told the Chronicle: “I like it. “It just helps a bit. We can’t press as high but we get the ball down a bit and have more players to connect with in midfield. I prefer it.
“I don’t mind letting everyone else push on and I will make sure we’re secure for the counter-attack.
“I want to add goals and assists to my game but I think the gaffer just wants me to be reliable, sit in and sweep up when I need to.
“I am happy with that.”
Connell – who is the joint top assist-maker for Barnsley in the league this season – is enjoying playing in front of the defence with the joint best defensive record in the EFL.
“The back three or back five are all brilliant players – whoever plays.
“We haven’t conceded too many shots. “We were unfortunate we went on a run when we were conceding from the only shots we conceded.
“It’s good to play in front of them.” Connell says the flare-up involving both sets of players just in front of the away end late on against Shrewsbury Town on Saturday, following a foul on goalkeeper Brad Collins, shows Barnsley’s togetherness.
“I went over to back Brad but Mads (Andersen) picked me up and threw me a 3-1 loss at home to Derby County on Saturday which was a sixth straight home defeat in the league.
While they have the worst home record in the division, with only four points, MK have won three of their last six away league games.
Head coach Duff said: “I am really surprised with where they are, but it goes to show how hard it is when you change so many players.
“When you take players like Harry Darling and Scott Twine and some good loans out of the team, it will take time to adjust.
“But I have watched the last four or five games and they have gone back to what I expected.
“They won’t be in the bottom four at the end of the season.
“If you just look at the league table, the other side of the pitch.
“So I stayed out of it
“It’s a good group. I think all the lads would say it’s hard to pick who your best mate is because we’re so close.
“When something like that happens, you just want to help your mate.
“You’re not trying to cause trouble, some are trying to split it up and some are quite heated.”
After tomorrow’s home game with MK Dons, the Reds do not play in the league for a fortnight with matches in the EFL Trophy and FA Cup.
Connell said: “Whatever it is, we look to the next game and try to win it.
“We would love a cup run so we will try hard in the cups and look after the league as well.” supporters will say we will beat them
“But they are the only team to win at Charlton, and they could have been 3-0 up at half-time against Derby.
“Their confidence and identity are coming back.
“They have good, experienced players and a good manager. They are probably better away than at home, and we have been up and down at home.”
MK are known for their possession-based approach.
Duff said: “I think they will play out from the back all the time, it will be very rare they go long.
“Last year they had the highest possession in the league.
“It gets frustrating sometimes because they do keep it well.
“But you have to be patient, diligent, pick your moments and set traps.
“We want to have the ball as well, we don’t want it to be attack versus defence.
“But, when we have it, we want to have purpose.”
The Dons will be without midfielder Matt Smith who is with Wales’ World Cup squad in Qatar.
MK’s highly-rated manager Liam Manning, 37, joined in August last year from Belgian club Lommel after Russell Martin moved to Swansea City.
Manning never played professionally but was a youth coach at Ipswich Town and West Ham United before working for City Football Group at New York City FC, where he was a colleague of Barnsley chief executive Khaled El-Ahmad.
Barnsley have two former MK Dons loanees in their squad.
Forward Josh Martin spent the first half of last season with the
Buckinghamshire club.
Striker Devante Cole spent the second half of the 2014/15 season on loan to MK from Manchester City, having spent the first half on loan to Barnsley in his first spell.
He scored three goals in 15 appearances for the promoted Dons, ten of which were off the bench, having netted against them in a 5-3 Reds loss at Oakwell in the September.
That was MK’s most recent visit to Barnsley, and it was their first league victory over them – having come into existence to replace Wimbledon in 2004.
The Dons also won at home to Barnsley in January 2015, the most recent meeting of the two clubs and one of three MK victories in eight games which also brought them three draws and two defeats.