Everything Paul Heckingbottom said on Preston North End's defence, league position, Emil Riis form and Watford
PNE manager discussed a whole hosts of topics ahead of Wednesday night's clash with Watford
Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom isn’t concerned about his side’s lowly position at this stage of the season, but made it clear he wants to climb up the Championship as quickly as possible.
The PNE boss spoke to the media ahead of Wednesday night’s encounter with Watford, as North End return to Deepdale following a hugely disappointing day at The Den. With one win, two draws and two defeats collected so far, Heckingbottom’s side have an important 90 minutes ahead on home soil.
Ahead of facing Tom Cleverley’s team, the Preston chief was quizzed on several things in his pre-match press conference on Monday morning...
On the form of Emil Riis and getting him scoring goals
“If it was that easy, we’d have him doing it wouldn’t we?” said Heckingbottom. “Emil has been a player who has tended to get things in gluts, if you like. We were hoping, after the Oxford game, that would happen. We are not just putting it on Emil. We’ve got another 10 players on the pitch. But, in terms of Emil, he’s a player who understands he’s about goals. His goals have tended to be very similar, in terms of where the chances have come from. It is making sure he understands that and getting him in those positions. So yeah, work in progress and he gets that.”
On the concerns around a lack of pace in PNE’s defence
“Yeah listen, I have had that thrown all the time,” said Heckingbottom. “It is not a case of pace at the back. It is always that you’ve got no pace when you’re conceding goals. Scoring goals at the top end and keeping clean sheets at the back, it’s how you win or lose games without a doubt. So of course, every position, you always want better players. That’s it; getting them is another issue. Every window, you are looking to improve the squad, all the time. The next one will be no different.”
On whether the league position is any concern
“No, not for me at the minute,” said Heckingbottom. “But, we don’t want to be down there. So, the sooner you get wins and start looking up rather than down, the better. I think, at the minute, it’s more about us focusing on what we want to do, to be a more competitive team and a team that picks up more points than we have been doing. We have shown lots of signs of doing that, in all areas of the pitch. But, Saturday was a big reminder of what’s going to happen if you don’t produce those performances in this league - especially away from home.”
On Tom Cleverley and Watford
“I don’t think, with the calibre of players they’ve got, they were ever going to struggle,” said Heckingbottom. “I think expectations maybe shifted a little bit. The last two years, they have maybe expected to be in the top six. I have not heard too many people mention them this season, until probably now. They had a decent start, obviously a couple of dodgy results and then won again.
“They’ve certainly got the ability to be up there, competing. If they did end up in the top six, it wouldn’t surprise me. But, they are coming to Deepdale and, as I always say, I’m not really concerned about who is in front of us. That is no disrespect to Watford; we have shown it whoever we’ve played. We should be more concerned about us giving our best performance; we know we can be a match for anyone.”
On debriefing Millwall, whether anything new was learned and fitness demands
“We have been (asking them to go to new levels),” said Heckingbottom. “We have produced, probably, the biggest numbers they’ve done for a long time, in the first few games. Again, it is a reminder that when you drop off... but listen, not all games call for that. So, for example against Fulham, at times our high speed running and sprint distance was not as high as other games.
“Because, we had to be compact and the game was very different. So, they’re all different games and, depending on what tactical problems are posed, it produces different results. But, certainly, the players saw and understand what I am talking about - where we need to bring our intensity to have an impact on the game, which we didn’t do (at Millwall).”
On having to balance learning about the squad but picking up results now
“Yeah, I think long-term you want to try and create an identity and change performances, because that is ultimately what’s going to help you outcompete teams, maybe with more resources,” said Heckingbottom. “We know that, but short-term is always about the next game and getting three points. We have produced some really strong performance and had some wins, probably more draws than I would’ve liked and a couple of defeats - which I am not happy about. So, yeah, we want the three points and the aim has to be then transferring performances into results.”
On evolving the team and wanting it to reflect him with time
“Yeah, so for example if you look at Saturday, we dominated the ball, but if you look how many real big moments and chances came from us almost walking the ball into the net - it is very difficult to do that,” said Heckingbottom. “You dominate the ball to control a game and get it to the top end of the pitch. Then, risk possession, lose the ball, but be aggressive and win it back. Then, you are more likely to create an opportunity. So, yeah, that part of the game was different to what we have been producing.”