Following our 2-0 victory at Derby County on Saturday afternoon, Valérien Ismaël lavished praise on his side for their industrious performance that sees them head into the international break with three morale boosting points.
Although Barnsley saw considerably less of the ball than their hosts, they made the most of their opportunities, registering 17 attempts to the Rams’ nine at Pride Park.
The win was enough to see the Reds climb a couple of places to 16th in the Sky Bet Championship table in what is already shaping up to be a tight affair, with just six points separating seventh place Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest – our next opponents – in 20th.
“Congratulations to the team, to the staff,” began our Head Coach. “It was a very great game, a great performance and a big result for us.
“We played very well; it was a positive result with another clean sheet, Victor scored his first goal, it was the first away win in the Championship and the first win at Derby since 2009. That’s why it’s a great day for us. Before the break, it’s always a very good feeling when you get the three points.”
It was the ideal response from Barnsley, who were dismantled by Cardiff in midweek as Ismaël lost his first game at the helm since arriving a fortnight ago.
However, it is now three wins from four for the Frenchman, who has also guided his side to three clean sheets in the process as the players gradually get to grips with the new methods.
“We knew that this was a completely different game as against Cardiff, that’s why it was more for us a lot of pressing situations that we created,” continued Ismaël.
“I told the guys, before the game, our game plan was high-intensity aggressiveness to force mistakes and punish mistakes and it was perfect.
“After the first goal, it was a very good feeling for the guys to see when we are ready and invest a lot of energy in the game for each other, it will be possible to win against Derby. That’s why it was our focus in this game and the guys did very well.”
You can watch Valérien’s post-match interview on iFollow Barnsley.
