Paul Heckingbottom pleased with squad ‘adaptation’ after Preston North End’s derby win
They picked up a big three points on Saturday.
Paul Heckingbottom has been encouraged by his Preston North End squad’s versatility and adaptability in recent weeks.
Speaking after their 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers, the North End boss praised a number of his players who have had to adjust to tactical tweaks in the past few games.
That started with club vice-captain Lewis Gibson, who has taken on an added responsibility in recent days, wearing the armband in the last three games after club skipper Ali McCann suffered a hamstring injury in the Carabao Cup game v Everton.
Heckingbottom told the Lancashire Post: “I think in the Charlton and Bristol City games, he's been more positive with the ball and played that role a lot, lot better.
“Against the ball, he's sort of left centre-back in the four. Then we went back to the five, as you can see, when Stan [Mills] had to match [Dapo] Afolayan. So that adaptation, it's been good, along with a lot of them.
“I thought the midfield two, because we put a lot of emphasis on those two in terms of playing minutes. Léo [Leroy] and JT [Jordan Thompson], have been good as well in the games.
“Today, Alfie [Devine] had a couple of different roles, being higher, then he had to play in midfield.
“So they all know that, those boys. They're the boys that understand the jobs. Léo, a new one, but he's very smart.
“But we've made that many changes, we've got that many new lads now, that's the bit I'm talking about, which is really important we can get across.”
He also confirmed to the Lancashire Post that Pol Valentin’s omission from the squad on Saturday was down to selection and not injury.
On the squad’s depth since the arrivals of Johnny Kenny and Liam Gibbs, Heckingbottom told Radio 5 Live: “You want changes when you're chasing the game.
“Today, it was more for us against the box. We changed two front players and brought two more on, Liam Gibbs coming on the field when Alfie got tired.”
He added: “We felt like we've had competition and cover at centre-back and things like that.
“But now we've got it all over and it's just a case of us, now the window’s shut, getting to work, and getting the players to build those relationships.”