Peterborough United boss on his players' ability to overcome setbacks, set-piece issues and a Wigan Athletic team in a false League One position
Peterborough United manager Luke Williams has praised his players for staying competitive despite facing many setbacks.
Posh have suffered so many injuries and illnesses to defenders they have been forced to change their back four on 19 different occasions in the first 36 competitive games of the season.
There could be another change tomorrow as summer central defensive signing David Okagbue is expected to return for the League One home game against Wigan Athletic (3.01 kick off), a team Williams believes are sitting in a false position just outside the relegation zone.
Williams also accepted during his pre-match press conference on Friday that fans are entitled to grumble at his team’s issues from attacking set-pieces. According to figures produced by BBC Radio Cambs state Posh have the third worst scoring record in the division from set-plays, although James Dornelly did net from a free-kick in last weekend’s 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Huddersfield Town.
There are still players absent from the squad. Details here. Williams also reported a couple of unnamed players picked up knocks against Huddersfield, but he’s hopeful they will be fit.
Williams said: “I’m impressed with how my players have overcome the loss of key players. To adapt so well and to stay competitive is a huge compliment to them. The identity of the team comes from the players. My job is to pick players who complement each other, but they are the ones who make it all work, even when we've had to change the team on the morning of a game when all the pre-match prep has been done.
"David Okagbue has trained with us all week and that’s a big boost because before his injury he had delivered some good displays which suggested he has a big future with us and with whatever comes next.
"As far as set-pieces are concerned the fans are entitled to grumble. There was a problem before I got here, bit we have tried different approaches which haven’t worked either. I appreciate and understand the feedback and I’m confident we will see an improvement. The idea is to make good entries into the penalty area, but it hasn’t happened for us so we are trying to fine tune things while eliminating then mistakes.
"At this time of the year there are still teams in false positions in the league, whether that be higher than they should be or lower. Wigan won’t be down near the bottom for long. They have been unfortunate. They are very good to watch and they play really good football with bright players. Their position is not a fair reflection of how good they are and I’m sure it will adjust itself accordingly before the end of the season.
"We never look at current form or the league position of the opposition anyway. We assume every game will be tough and that we will have to do everything right to get a result. We will try not to give anything away cheap, while making sure we take the chances we create.
"We’ve shown this season we’ve been stingy at one end and creative at the other.”
Williams confirmed Posh will be covered by emergency loan rules should goalkeeper Alex Bass pick up an injury. The only back-up ‘keeper is Bastian Smith who has no Football League experience.
*All untelevised EFL matches this weekend - from February 5-9 - will kick off one minute late to raise awareness of the 'Every Minute Matters' campaign, a stark reminder that every minute matters when it comes to performing life-saving CPR.