According to the Lancashire Telegraph, Blackburn Rovers manager Jon Dahl Tomasson believes that the team’s recent struggles are the result of individual mistakes.
The 1995 Premier League winners fell to table-toppers Leicester City this afternoon, losing their third straight league match. The Foxes won 4-1 thanks to goals from Wout Faes, Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
With their most recent loss, Rovers have now given up 11 goals in their previous three Championship games, leaving them in 18th place and just two points above the relegation zone. That only tells part of the picture, and it could be argued that the Lancashire team is unlucky to have earned zero points in their previous nine games.
After today’s game, manager Jon Dahl Tomasson lamented the individual mistakes that had recently hurt his squad, saying;
Although we are really upset with the outcome, I don’t believe it accurately represents the game. We were aware that playing a (former) Premier League team with so many talented players would be difficult.
“We created a lot of problems in the first half, playing excellent football, moving well, and rotating. In the first half, we conceded two soft goals.
“When we had the major opportunity to score in the second half, we were still in the game and ahead of the opposition. They had a penalty and four shots that were on target.
“I believed the punishment to be very lenient. You can give it, but doing so will cost you ten per game. Then it ended. Although the outcome is difficult, the guys put out a fantastic effort.
We conceded several sloppy goals, but they were learning as they went along against a very strong opposition.
In just the fourth minute, Faes gave Leicester the lead; however, Sammie Szmodics drew things even five minutes later. Before the half-hour mark, former England player Vardy gave the visitors the lead again, and Rovers made a strong effort to get an equalizer before Iheanacho’s penalty kick deep in the second half.
Tomasson continued by breaking down the goals while maintaining his conviction that their recent form isn’t an accurate representation of their efforts;
“The first one is a corner; getting the first contact as a team is very easy. The second is a throw-in that occurs in the corner of the other team’s half, and we are not close enough to our man.
“The punishment comes in third. We must improve on these processes. Although we are in complete control of the game and are not open, mistakes made by individuals do occur in football.
“You surrender, and you’re wrong. In the Carabao Cup matches against Cardiff, they scored two goals that could have been prevented, and we performed poorly in the first half at Ipswich. I wasn’t pleased with either of those things. The second half was great, but we lost too many opportunities because we weren’t defending effectively enough, not because we were vulnerable.
We should have gone past Sunderland when they scored an uncomplicated goal, which was a mistake. If we don’t improve, we’ll lose games. Both boxes determine football outcomes, therefore we obviously need to improve.
In order to break out of their slump, Blackburn go to Coventry City on Wednesday. The following Saturday, they play host to Queens Park Rangers.
Author’s Opinion
Tomasson’s evaluation of recent games may be accurate. Although his squad has performed generally well, they have nothing to show for it. But since football is a results-driven sport, he will be aware that he needs to start scoring before he feels pressure building.
Even though the following two games are on the road against clubs in the bottom half of the standings, they both present a chance to resume winning ways. He will believe that eventually his luck will turn around, but he does have a tiny team that he must instill the winning mindset in.
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