ADAM DAVIES
The Barnsley skipper reflects on the impact of boss Daniel Stendel
IF MAURIZIO Sarri wants a bit of advice, the under-fire Chelsea manager could do a lot worse than seek out Barnsley boss Daniel Stendel.
Like Sarri, the German arrived in England last summer with a head full of notions on how the game should be played.
Unlike the doomed Italian, however, Stendel swiftly realised that League One was no place for rigid principles, opened his mind to advice and now has the Tykes on course for an instant return to the Championship.
“The gaffer’s been a breath of fresh for this club,” said Barnsley goalkeeper and skipper Adam Davies.
“Especially after the disappointment of last year. The relegation, all the changes. We just needed a bit of uplift, someone to get the place buzzing. He did that straight away.
Buzzing
“A lot of it was just silly stuff, like rewarding us with ice cream after a good training session. But he was also really humble and receptive.
“He’s working in a different culture to what he’s been used to, so as captain he’s always talking to me about little details. When we like to train, when we want to travel, things like that. I’m basically there to relay what the players think is best. Obviously he makes the final decision on any kind of schedule but from the start he’s been open taking things on board.
“He’s got a couple of English staff, Dale Tonge and John Vaughan, giving advice on how to handle the lads. It’s the same on the pitch as well. League One is a very direct division. Daniel was told that at the start, but I don’t think he could quite get his head round it for a while.
“I wouldn’t say he’s totally changed the way he plays, but he’s had to adapt it slightly and lean on the players’ experience to make it work.
“I think plenty of people would have stuck to their guns but he’s been open-minded, he’s listened to us and the coaches. Even now, he always says to us that he’s still learning about the league, still learning about the English game. It’s won him a lot of respect.”
And matches, for that matter. Heading into the weekend, the in-form Tykes had won nine of their last 13 games and hadn’t lost since a 1-0 reverse at Wycombe on December 8. With 59 goals from 33 games, they were also among the highest-scoring sides in England. A 0-0 draw with Burton in midweek saw Barnsley miss the chance to rein in leaders Luton - who they outplayed in a 3-2 win at Oakwell in October - but Stendel’s men started the weekend four points clear in second place and are odds-on to win promotion. “We were all down in the changing room after the Burton game,” said Davies ahead of yesterday’s crunch clash at Portsmouth. “It felt like a bit of a defeat, which tells you about the standards now.
“The first half of the season, it was all about finding consistency. We’d dominate matches three or four-nil, then go somewhere and give away a cheap goal, get done on the counter and throw away points.
Foundation
“I remember saying to the lads ‘Just stick with the pack up until Christmas because then you’ve got that foundation’. We did, and now we’re 13 games unbeaten.
“We’re not clear though. You look at last year, Wigan and Blackburn absolutely smashed it. They finished on something like 95 points each.
“This time there are four us up there, all closely matched. Us, Luton, Sunderland, Portsmouth - you could see it going right down to the last couple of games.”
For Davies, there is added motivation for a return to the Championship in the shape of increased attention from Wales boss Ryan Giggs.
Born in Germany on a UK army base, Davies was - like former Northern Ireland goalkeeper Maik Taylor - eligible to play for any of the four home nations.
“Technically, the base is
classed as British soil, so you can play for anyone,” he explains. “But my dad’s Welsh. His family are all from the Valleys, so that was always the connection for me.”
The 26-year-old has been part of the last three Wales squads but not yet featured for the first team.
“I’ve been to a lot of camps actually,” he adds. “The first time, in 2016, I was only there to train, not as an official member of the squad. But Danny Ward pulled out and I got called up.
“This season, I’ve been away with the squad on the last three international breaks. It’s been quality.
“The calibre of players - Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, loads of other Premier League lads. It can’t help but enhance my abilities to spend time around them.
“It’s great for confidence and I always feel like I come back a better player. I mean, Bale can’t half hit a ball - it moves all over the gaff.
“With some of the names there, you’d think people would be a bit big-time, but there’s absolutely nobody like that. They have the slogan, ‘Together, Stronger’, and it is something they all buy into. Everyone is really down to earth.
“Obviously the goal is a first cap. I’ve tried to put that at the back of mind now and just concentrate on the day-to-day stuff. If I perform for Barnsley that will take care of itself. Maybe this year, maybe in two or three.
“The aim for me this year was to get back in the Championship and if I’m a Championship player next year then it can hardly hurt with Wales.”