Speaking after our 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup second round on Tuesday evening, Gerhard Struber says he is delighted with his team’s performance.
Barnsley secured safe passage thanks to first half goals from Patrick Schmidt and Jordan Williams at the Riverside Stadium, and the Reds’ Head Coach was pleased with the resolve that his side showed as the hosts laid siege late on.
“In the first half we played our style and, when we play our style, it’s difficult for the opponents in the Championship,” began Struber. “We played the EFL Cup with a massive team against us and my boys made a good job.
“I expected a reaction from our game on Saturday and we were the better team; we fought – especially in the second half from set-pieces. I can see we are not talents – we are professional players and I am very happy with the performance.”
The win has set up a mouth-watering third round tie with Premier League giants Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next week.
London has been a relatively happy stomping ground for Struber since he took over at Barnsley back in November, but he insists that his side were not distracted by the prospect of potentially facing Frank Lampard’s charges.
“We have a bonus game and it’s a very good feeling that we play against Chelsea,” continued the Austrian.
“The big focus was on our Middlesbrough game and the motivation to bring a better performance than against Luton. This was our biggest motivation. In the end, maybe the wish for everyone was to play against Chelsea in a bonus game, but right now we have to prepare for the game against Reading.”
You can watch Gerhard’s full post-match interview on iFollow Barnsley.
