1 week Ago By George Hodgson
Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Lancashire Evening Post, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Preston North End host Plymouth Argyle on Saturday in a fixture of great significance to both sides. Here, long-standing Argyle reporter, Chris Errington, speaks to the Lancashire Post ahead of the Pilgrims’ trip up to Deepdale.
Argyle are still alive, Chris, aren’t they? Advertisement Advertisement “Just about, yeah!” said Errington. “They have given themselves a little bit of hope. I think it's not a massive amount of hope, but there is hope there.
They've won the last three home games. They've beaten Norwich City, Sheffield United and Coventry City, and that's an impressive run of form. In fact, over the course of the season, I think if it was just based on home form, they would be probably staying up.
“But the away form has just been truly awful, and that is what potentially is going to cost them their place in the Championship. But, they're in there fighting. They had a good win against Coventry on Easter Monday, possibly one of their best performances under Miron Muslic since he took over as the head coach in January.
So, yeah, they'll be coming up there and they know they've got to win. Draws are no good; they have to win. That will definitely be their mindset.
” What's the biggest impact you'd say Miron Muslic has had? I read this week that he thinks, if he was there all season, that Argyle would be OK. Has it been a major improvement? The away form is obviously still an issue..
. “Yeah, he hasn't been able to get to the bottom of the away form,” said Errington. “The stats and facts are that under Wayne Rooney, Argyle got 18 points from the first 23 games of the season.
They then had two games with caretaker managers, but they got two draws. And then under Muslic, they've got 23 points from 19 games. So, I think if you had that over the course of the season, that probably will keep you up - just about.
It'd be a bit close, but it probably will keep you up. I think that's what he's basing his comments on..
. the form they've had under him. Advertisement Advertisement “That might’ve just kept them up.
He's totally transformed the style of play. Under Rooney, it was very much the passing out from the back, starting with the goalkeeper, centre backs taking goal kicks, the goalkeeper playing as a centre midfielder, all that sort of thing that we've seen a lot. And then since Muslic's come in, he's worked hard to make them tighter at the back.
They have had a few blips but generally speaking, they've been a bit more solid at the back. They're definitely more direct. They get the ball forward quicker.
The goalkeeper will kick the ball long a lot more, whereas before that wasn't done. “And they've done their very best to try and find a long throw-in threat. It's something that a lot of opposition teams have had, and Argyle have never really had.
But they've deployed a guy called Kornél Szűcs, a Hungarian defender who's got, not the longest long throw you've ever seen - but I think the theory is to get the ball in the opposition box, try and win second balls and just get themselves up the pitch. So they're a lot more direct than they used to be. They're quite physical as well.
Anyone who was at Home Park in October and saw that 3-3 draw, the Argyle of then and now, in terms of style, is quite different.” From what you've said there, has Muslic sort of eliminated risk in their play, at both ends? “I think, yes, that's true,” said Errington. “If you try and play out from the back you can make mistakes, be caught in possession and it can lead to a goal.
If the ball is in the opposition half - I know this is quite simplistic - you're probably not going to concede from there. So yeah, cut out risks. Transition is a word that Miron uses quite a bit.
Argyle, even at home, are quite happy for the opposition to have the ball. But they will try, at the right moments, to win the ball and then go on the break. Advertisement Advertisement “They've got the likes of Ryan Hardie and Mustapha Bundu - who have been playing quite well for them recently - who are two quick attackers who can perhaps break from slightly deeper positions, and try catch teams on the counter-attack.
Anyone who's seen Argyle recently will know exactly what Argyle are going to do. They'll be solid, they'll probably be in a low block, but they will try and catch teams on the break. Up at Middlesbrough on Good Friday is, probably, a good example of what we might see at Deepdale.
“Middlesbrough are a very good team, they pass the ball around a lot. I think they had 75-80% possession, but I think they had three shots on target the whole game. And Argyle, I think off the top of my head, were like 18 goal attempts, five on target.
So, while they're going to defend in the low block, I think they will try and catch Preston in possession, nick the ball off them, break and create chances that way. That worked quite well against Middlesbrough. They did concede a very late, and pretty harsh, penalty at the end of that game and they lost 2-1.
But, I think if they could put in a performance like they did against Middlesbrough and just have one or two things go their way, then they'd be hopeful of getting a good result at Deepdale.” In terms of the defence, is there anywhere that still looks a weakness to you, that Preston might be looking to exploit? Talk of a low block may worry Preston fans, due to a lack of creativity..
. “I suppose there's always the potential for people to run in behind Argyle,” said Errington. “They're not the quickest at the back.
The centre-backs have done a pretty good job recently, but they're perhaps not the quickest. Aerially, Nikola Katic has been good and strong in the air. Physicality-wise, they're good.
Like a lot of defences, if you can get in behind them, if you can turn the defenders, then that's probably the way to go. They play with the wing-backs as well, who might well line up and make it almost a back five. Advertisement Advertisement “But, Argyle do have to win.
I think the key for them is to get themselves into the game. When they played up at Swansea a couple of weeks ago, they conceded the first goal after four minutes. They were 3-0 down after 35 and it was just like damage limitation then.
So, they will try and avoid a repeat of that and then hope they can get the sort of performance they did against Middlesbrough - where they got themselves into the game and then chances will come as the game goes on. “They're not going to be going gung-ho just because they need a win and attacking from the off. I can't see that.
That would be against the style that they've shown. But I think they'll try and work themselves into the game, make sure they're nice and tight and then look to go on the transition. That's what I would be planning for if you're playing against Argyle, and I'd be pretty surprised if it wasn't like that on Saturday.
” Is there a good away following coming? I think Plymouth are known for their backing on the road, with all the long trips...
they will be right up for it, won't they? “They will be, yes,” said Errington. “The Green Army have had a tough season. Just one away win out of 22 home league games, which is dreadful.
I was just looking at the record...
22 away league games, one win, six draws, 15 defeats, nine goals scored and 48 conceded. But the Green Army, to their immense credit, always turn up in good numbers. I think the cut-price ticket offer is helping a bit, as well as the fact that Argyle do need to win.
The last figure I heard was 1,500 fans have already got tickets and a few more, hopefully, might get tempted between now and the game on Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement “So, yes, a good following and they'll be looking to get behind the team as they always do. They travel thousands and thousands of miles.
They've not seen a lot from their team on the road this season, but they were better against Middlesbrough. That's the thing that I think everyone will be clinging to, that they did play quite well at Middlesbrough on Good Friday in their last away game. And if they can produce that sort of performance, then they have got a chance of getting the result they need.
“If they play like they did against Swansea in the previous game, it'll be all over by half-time. So, that's part of the problems. One of the reasons they're bottom is their sheer inconsistency.
You struggle to know what you're going to get from them a lot of the time. Although, in fairness, I would say under Muslic that there's been one or two blips, but they have been more consistent. They have been harder to beat under him.
.. it's whether it's going to be enough to keep them up.
” Your next PNE read: EFL confirm referee for Preston North End vs Plymouth Argyle.
