Ryan Lowe hints at change of Preston North End approach because of Leicester, Southampton, Norwich and West Brom
Preston North End could be a bit more flexible tactically against higher level opposition.
Ryan Lowe has admitted he might change Preston North End's approach when it comes to facing the bigger teams in the Championship.
The Lilywhites looked like an outside bet to reach the play-offs last season as they entered the last stretch of the campaign but their form faltered when they came up against their promotion rivals. Losses to Norwich City, Southampton and West Brom, who all finished in the top six, saw North End finish a whole 10 points off the top six.
PNE struggled when they travelled to Southampton, with Russell Martin’s men making easy work of them. Norwich City won by a narrow margin at Deepdale, and then when the pressure was off, West Brom ran out comfortable winners in PNE’s final game of the campaign.
Norwich and West Brom are being considered for the promotion mix again this season, and now there is Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United to contend with. The manager has admitted he could consider making the team more conservative against the tougher teams in the division.
"The only thing to do is learn from it," said Lowe.
"You can't dwell on it. We know, because we analysed it and we knew where we went wrong. Ultimately, the teams we played in that period - Southampton and Leicester got promoted, Norwich and West Brom ended up in the play-offs.
"So, they are teams we've been trying to compete with and got close with. We know we need to be a bit better. Is it maybe the tactical side of things, when you do go to those places?
"Do you sure it up for as long as you can and try to win at the back end of the game? There are loads of factors we've looked at.
"This season, we'll look to change one or two things when we're playing those teams - just to stay in the game, because ultimately they've got better players and better quality.
"What I know is that I've got a good group of players, who'll give us everything - with the additions of Sam and Stefan. And, hopefully more additions will help us be better than we were last year."