Following our 1-0 defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, Ferran Sibila admitted it was disappointing not to leave Oakwell with at least a share of the spoils.
After a shaky start against the high-flying Cherries, during which time Philip Billing scored the game’s solitary goal, Barnsley grew into the contest and forced visiting goalkeeper Mark Travers into several fine saves in search of an elusive equaliser.
“I’m frustrated for the result,” began Sibila, who took charge of first team affairs in the absence of Poya Asbaghi. “We wanted and we deserved at least a point. In the second half, we created four or five chances where we can score, in the first half, we created three where we can score.
“So, we had seven chances to score a goal and we have created these chances because the players are committed and the players are putting in the effort. The players are fighting and we need the last part of the game to put the ball in the net.”
Operating with wing-backs, the Reds showed their adaptability to transition between formations and, as the encounter wore on, gradually gained a foothold – attacking with purpose and carving out opportunities.
Our assistant coach believes it is important that Barnsley continue to be fluid in their tactical approach in order to expose any potential opposing flaws.
“We talked some time ago that we have to be a flexible team; to adjust and play on the weaknesses that the opponents have,” insisted Sibila. “We tried to play just on the weaknesses that Bournemouth have, that was the plan.
“We will be flexible. We always have to analyse how an opponent plays, how we can beat the opponent, how we can play on their weaknesses and not their strengths, and we need flexibility to achieve that.”
In what was an encouraging display, there were more positive for the Reds and our academy in particular as Matty Wolfe made his first start and Aiden Marsh was brought from the bench for his Barnsley debut.
The 18-year-old from Monk Bretton has shone at the younger age groups and almost scored with his first touch as he struck a magnificent 25-yard half-volley that Travers palmed away.
Sibila has been pleased with the young forward in training sessions and says he deserved his chance to impress in front of the Oakwell faithful.
“First of all, our focus now has to be to get players back because we have a lot of players out of the squad – that’s not a good thing,” continued the Spaniard. “When this happens, there’s always players who get opportunities, and Marshy is showing in every training that he’s very committed.
“He’s showing that he understands the football in a good way, that he understands when to press and when not to press and which space he has to be in to receive the ball, so he’s a smart player in that sense.
“He also has a lot of passion and a lot of heart for the football club and Barnsley, so I’m really happy that Marshy can have his debut and he deserved it.”
You can watch Ferran’s post-match interview on iFollow Barnsley.
