The manager of the Pilgrims witnessed his youthful team, with an average age of 22, lose 3-0 at Home Park to play-off-chasing West Brom.
In their sixth game in eighteen days, Plymouth Argyle was defeated 3-0 at Home Park by West Bromwich Albion Friday night. Ian Foster believed that fatigue had got to the Plymouth Argyle players.
During that time, the Pilgrims participated in five Championship games and lost 4-1 to Leeds United in an FA Cup fourth round replay that went to extra time at home. In an effort to guarantee there was plenty of vitality on the field against play-off-chasing West Brom, Foster intentionally selected a young team, with an average age of 22.
With three adolescents in the starting lineup (Alfie Devine, Lino Sousa, and Ashley Phillips) and Darko Gyabi, who turned 20 on Sunday, defender Brendan Galloway was the oldest player at 27.
Nevertheless, the Pilgrims’ manager acknowledged that his team had given “a tired performance” against “top quality” opponents, West Brom, who scored each of their three goals starting in the 61st minute.
Foster stated: “It is obvious that we are upset about losing this game. I really can’t criticize the players in any way. After a 3-0 home loss, I realize that may sound a little unusual, but keep in mind that this is our third game in the last six days, the opposition is excellent, and they had an extra day of rest than us, which I believe showed in the second half.
“Once you give up the first goal, the game opens up, but we stuck with it and kept them at bay. Our usual athleticism, intensity, and connection to the game were absent from our play.
“We had trouble making deep runs and made a lot of lazy passes, so all of a sudden you start pressing yourself against a team that plays with a front-foot mentality. We thus had some difficulty in the second half, and I feel bad for the guys since they have once again put in a great deal of work.”
Foster went on, “We’ve changed five things. We selected a young crew. This season, that is the youngest team to start a championship game.
“The group exhibited the intensity and excitement we had hoped for; nonetheless, the second half proved to be extremely challenging. We must now work together to ensure that we recuperate adequately and make the necessary preparations for a crucial match on Saturday (away to Middlesbrough).
In their last three games, which have all been played at home against top six opponents, Argyle has drawn 2-2 with Coventry City on Wednesday following a last-gasp equalizer conceded, then lost 2-0 to Leeds United on Saturday before finishing well short of expectations against West Brom.
“I thought it was a tired performance,” Foster remarked. I felt that the game offered very little in the first half. The players were requested for more, but sadly, they were unable to provide it.
“They depleted the tanks, and although we attempted to alter it from the side and grant us some extra energy, we must give the opposition credit. You can tell they are of the highest caliber by the adjustments they have made and the players they can add to the squad.
We can’t be overly disappointed, but we do need to take our medication. Respectfully, this season’s assignments for Argyle and West Bromwich Albion are distinct. All we need to do is pick ourselves up, give it a thorough evaluation, and move on.”
The 16,000-strong audience at Home Park was obviously annoyed with Argyle’s lack of results, and there were even a few jeers when the final whistle blew.
Foster stated: “I understand that no one wants to pay to watch their team get destroyed as we did in the second half, but there also needs to be recognition that the players—as well as all of us—are doing all in their power during a very trying time.
“Even if we love watching FA Cup replays live on TV in front of packed homes, it’s undoubtedly bad for our bodies.
But see, there are no justifications. We were aware of the schedule of games we had coming up, we gave it our all against elite opponents, and we stayed competitive until they scored a goal. After that, we had some disappointing moments, which I attribute to the players’ fatigue and current state of fitness.”
The Green Army has recently been treated to some thrilling, aggressive football, but Argyle managed just four goal attempts and not a single shot on target against West Brom.
Foster remarked, “I mean that with all due respect. I’m sure you have had great nights against a damn sight worse opposition than you faced tonight.”
“They are up against a club that is playing their third game in six days, but they still boast one of the strongest defensive groups in the Championship. We tried, therefore I won’t be harsh on the players.
“We entered the game with the belief that we would have a chance. Unfortunately, that is how the game turned out for us, so we must give the enemy credit and take our medication.”
Despite having combined for 30 goals this season for Argyle, Ryan Hardie and Morgan Whittaker were inconsequential from an attacking standpoint this time around.
Foster declared: “You are stopping the team, not Ryan Hardie and Morgan Whittaker. We won’t be able to get our forward players on the ball in good locations if we can’t properly connect the game through the thirds.
Unfortunately, there were times during the game when we had trouble. First, we must give the opponent credit; they are a very good out-of-possession squad with a solid framework. The majority of the time, you have to move outside of them because the block is so tight that you are unable to locate your 10s on the ball.
“But then in wide areas you just have to show a little bit more creativity for us to get balls in good areas to hurt the opposition.”
Referee Tom Nield disagreed with Argyle’s argument that they should have been given a penalty in the first half when Gyabi was knocked down by Nathaniel Chalobah after being pushed in the back.
Foster stated: “We realized pretty early in the game that we were never going to get any choices tonight. Everyone, I believe, was aware of that.
When inquired about his opinion on whether a penalty should have been given, the manager of the Pilgrims stated, “I felt the referee got an awful lot wrong tonight.”
After the game, Foster was questioned about why Dan Scarr and Callum Wright were left out of the matchday roster of 20. This was another topic of discussion. Scarr did not play in the weekend’s match against Leeds, but Wright has not been chosen in any of the team’s last four games.
Foster stated: “We desire competition for spots within our squad, which is why we have it. We chose this 20-man squad for this specific game based on the opponents and the players’ performance in both training and games. We’ll carry on in that manner.”
