Head Coach Lee Carsley gave his reaction after the 2-0 defeat at Derby County.
“I thought the first half was disappointing,” said Lee. “We looked nervous; we couldn’t do the basic things that we tried to get going – simple passing movements. I didn’t think the shape was great and cost us a couple of goals with the way we were set up. [It was] lot better second half. I thought we showed a lot of good character.
“Obviously it’s difficult going in at 2-0 down, but the most pleasing thing for today was the reaction from the players, especially second half. It’s given us a lot of food for thought for the next two weeks with the international break. It’s come at a good time and gives us a chance to really bed in what we’re looking for.”
Carsley’s only bright points from the afternoon were the performances of Philipp Hofmann and John Swift, the latter making his debut on loan from Chelsea.
“We felt like we needed to give Marco up front a bit of help,” said Lee. “Because he worked so hard. They’ve both done well. [With] John Swift, there’s no surprise he’s done well today. I’ve seen enough of him now. You can see the qualities there and he’ll only get better.”
Rather than brood for two weeks, Carsley is looking forward to two weeks training without matches to impart his views onto the squad.
“It’s good timing,” said Lee. “We’ve had four days in total with the players. I’m really impatient; I’ve got that much information that I want to put into them, and also the fitness as well. I’ve said to them in the dressing room that they keep believing, keep that positive vibe, It’s good around the Training Ground the last four or five days; they’ve tried to take on board what we’re doing and if they keep working as hard as they did second half they’ll definitely get their rewards.”
You can view the entire interview with Lee on Bees PlayerHD below: