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1. Squad depth
Following the appointment of Derek Adams in the summer of 2015, he was left with just the core of John Sheridan’s squad. Adams set about bringing in experienced players from his extensive knowledge of the game north of the border in Scotland, players he knew would play well under his management setup. However, as the strain of the long 2015/16 season began to take its toll on his team and injuries mounted, quickly became aware that his squad was ‘threadbare’.
As injuries piled up in November and March, players were forced to cover unfamiliar positions and results dropped off, which cost the club valuable points and, ultimately, promotion. This time around, Argyle have clearly added more depth to their spine, with plentiful back up in goal, centre back, central midfield and up front. However, still missing is a spare right back and a set of wingers. Young wingers looking for a chance on loan are high in stock, and they will be just what the doctor ordered for a side that needs a little speed and skill on the wings.
2. Rotate more
A main reason that Argyle suffered so many injuries last season was that the team was simply run into the ground. Muscular injuries rose last season as Adams’ policy of hard work on the training ground and a lack of rotation on the pitch saw a group of 14 players play nearly all the minutes until injury struck between late October and early November. At its worst, no fewer than five first team members were absent; three didn’t return until the new year.
Now he clearly has a whole host of back up players that he trusts, a target for Adams must be to use them. Preventing the squad from becoming ‘threadbare’ once more must be a priority, and he can do this by smartly tinkering and rotating his first eleven to keep them fresh and hungry.
3. Trust Youth
A way Derek Adams could have dealt with lack of squad depth was by trusting and using the youth players to their full extent. When finally given their chance, the talent of these players shone through in the last home game of the season when Hartlepool were comprehensively hammered 5-0 at Home Park, begging the question, why weren’t they given a chance sooner?
On that day, after sitting on the bench for 22 games without receiving the call, young striker Louis Rooney finally made his debut for Argyle while Tyler Harvey made his first start despite having made a series of promising substitute appearances throughout the season. Both stepped up, recording two goals each, with Harvey also grabbing two assists. Though there is a perception that the youngsters are the weakest members of the squad, they do have something to offer and should certainly be afforded runs out cup fixtures at least.
4. Find a new leader
Following the departures of leaders Curtis Nelson, Peter Hartley and Carl McHugh, Derek Adams has bought in a total of fourteen (14) new players at the time of writing. The team that finished the Play-Off Final last season were a tight knit group with clear leaders, and it is apparent that Derek Adams must pick a new leader both on and off the field to lead and guide the players.
The captain’s armband in pre-season has been handed to four players: Gary Sawyer; Luke McCormick; Graham Carey; and Jake Jervis. For now, this suggests that Adams has identified these three players as potential captains but, though McCormick is currently the favourite, the leader of this new team this may not be known until the first game of the season versus Luton Town at home. Choosing correctly will be vital to any promotion push in 2016/17.
5. Game Management
Throughout 2015/16, results were consistently good until the turn of the year, but from the moment Northampton defeated Argyle at Home Park, the automatic promotion places began to slip from the Pilgrims grasp. They lost key games from winning positions due to a number of reasons: lack of squad depth; injuries to key players; weak mentality; individual mistakes; and tactical errors.
Goals in the last ten minutes of games became a feature of Argyle’s 2016, costing the side 11 points, ultimately the difference between the play-offs and promotion. Now, it’s impossible for Adams force consistency out of his players, but in these cases he could have changed formation to 3-5-2. Such a system is perfectly designed for teams defending leads as it puts more men behind the ball and leaves two strikers in attack to poach goals on the counter, just as Argyle did nearly every time they utilised this formation.
6. Promotion
There is one main target and one main target alone for Derek Adams: promotion. Though he had the best of Sheridan’s play-off team from the previous season, topped up with his own additions, some fans still made the excuse the team wasn’t his. There can be no more of that now. Only 3 of the 22-man squad played under Sheridan; this is entirely Adams’ team.
When asked about the new signings, Adams backed them ferociously, citing the examples of Carey and Jervis and arguing he had ‘right blend’ in the team. There can certainly be nowhere to hide this year if this team fails to achieve promotion after he ripped apart the old one.
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