As injury list eases, JFH has tougher calls to make
BREWERS BOSS ADMITS HE DIDN’T ENVISAGE SUCH A LARGE SQUAD
BURTON Albion’s injury list is beginning to clear – and that will give Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink some extra selection problems as he prepares his squad to face Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road today (3pm).
The manager knows that he cannot keep everyone happy with what, for the Brewers, is a relatively big squad – and he says he wants players to be angry if they are not included.
Hasselbaink admits that he was not expecting to have such a big squad but that early season injuries forced his hand.
Now, though, only Michael Mancienne remains sidelined of the senior players who were named in the official list of 22 outfield players aged over 21 submitted to the EFL when the transfer window closed.
Longer-term injury victims Louis Moult and Kieran Wallace were not named in the 22.
All over the pitch, the competition for a place now looks fierce.
“I want people to have competition for places, pushing each other and wanting to keep the shirt,” said Hasselbaink.
“I think, like that, you can get the best out of people, when they feel like somebody could take their place.
“That’s what we want. We never planned to have this amount of players. Normally we work with a smaller group.
“But we always wanted to have the quality high. Unfortunately, we had long-term injuries and we had to do something in the market.
“Now, players are coming back and the competition is high. It gives me a headache, but a good headache that I want and I’m looking forward to it.”
Apart from the injured, club captain John Brayford is available again in defence after serving a one-match suspension for his sending off againast Bolton Wanderers.
Ryan Leak has also shaken off a slight thigh injury that Hasselbaink said had more to do with fatigue, so both of those defenders will be challenging for a back four return.
The competition looks even hotted in central midield, where the two who started the first two games of the season in the position, Tom O’connor and Deji Oshilaja, are back in training.
They are up against new signing Charlie Leak, Bryn Morris and Terry Taylor for a place today.
“John Brayford is back. Tom O’connor started training on Thursday with the group and has had one really good session,” said Hasselbaink.
“Today (Friday) the session was short and more tactical, which was good for him because it would not be good to be pushing him two days in a row at this stage.
“The injury list is getting smaller. We have (forward) Jacob Maddox and Deji Oshilaja back training too. Danny Rowe is back and Ryan Leak is back.”
Hasselbaink certainly has a tough decision to make over the two central midfield places.
“I have two left-footed central midfielders in Charlie and Tom,” he said.
“I have Terry Taylor, Bryn Morris and Deji Oshilaja. So we have five for two places. But I want to be able to choose.
“I’m not going to be able to keep everybody happy and I don’t want to.
“I want them to be angry at me but I want them to show it in the right way and try to get in the team.”
Taylor, the 20-year-old Wales Under-21 international, could not get into the 18 last week but is not injured. Hasselbaink says Taylor fell foul to a rule that at least one homegrown player has to be in the squad.
“Normally, we have Brayford, who was brought up through Burton,” said Hasselbaink.
“If he’s not there, you need to have someone else and last week it was Ciaran Gilligan. Him being there meant Terry could not be on the bench. It’s a silly rule but we have to stick with it.”
In other circumstances, Hasselbaink says he would not have given his last signing, Lakin, an immediate debut last week.
“We had to throw Charlie in straightaway because of injuries,” he said.
“Normally, I would have wanted to give him at least a week to get himself going.
“He has a lot of experience and he understands it but he has also found it quite difficult, with the intensity, with how we train and how the league is.”
Lakin had been on loan from Birmingham City with Ross County in Scotland prior to signing for Burton.
“With all due respect to the Scottish League, this one is a little bit quicker, more robust, with more tackles and physical aspects,” added Hasselbaink.
“He needed to adjust.”
I want them to be angry at me but to show it in the right way and try to get in the team
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink