Ahead of our Yorkshire derby with Huddersfield Town on Saturday, Gerhard Struber wants Barnsley to pick up where they left off in the FA Cup triumph at Crewe Alexandra last weekend.
Goals from Jacob Brown, Conor Chaplin and Luke Thomas secured safe passage for the Reds, who set-up a fourth round tie against Portsmouth at Fratton Park later this month.
However, the Austrian is anticipating a tough encounter when the Terriers visit Oakwell in the Sky Bet Championship.
“They created a very good game in their FA Cup game against Southampton and this will be a difficult task at the weekend,” said Struber. “But we also have a good self-confidence and know what we can do, and I think it’s a big derby. We have a big focus, a big concentration and the right attitude and we can win at home. This is our aim on Saturday.
“For us, it’s very important that we create a good performance and we focus on our game, not on the opponent. We need a big conviction in the last third and with the final pass, and, in the end, we hope for three points. I have told my boys that we can play better, especially on the ball, and we can create this on Saturday.”
Marcel Ritzmaier arrived at Oakwell earlier this week as Barnsley made their first signing of the January transfer window.
The Austrian midfielder put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Reds, and Struber is delighted at the addition of a player whom he worked with at former club Wolfsberger AC.
“I am very happy with our week and with our new player,” continued the Reds’ Head Coach. “Marcel is here and he is a player with a big quality and with experience, which is also very important for my team and I hope he can help us on Saturday.
“He’s very quick in my system and in my principals, and I think this is a big advantage now for the team and he can help us from the first second. I think he can play in every position in midfield; he’s a playmaker in the build-up, a playmaker in the last third, he’s a player that can score and it’s very interesting for our team.”
You can watch Gerhard’s press conference on iFollow Barnsley.
