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Ian Evatt says he won’t stand on ceremony when he picks a side to try and beat Oxford United on Saturday.
Though common footballing convention suggests a winning team is left to start the next match, Evatt has already warned his squad and fans alike that there will be changes at the Kassam Stadium.
The likes of Kieran Lee, Kieran Sadlier and Amadou Bakayoko could come into play after sitting on the bench for Tuesday night’s win against Charlton.
And with another road trip to Burton Albion – a team likely to provide more physical and direct opponents than Oxford – also in the back of his mind, Evatt is wary of running some of his players into the ground.
“It is complex and the players are doing well at the moment but I wonder how many times can we keep going back to that same group?” he told The Bolton News.
“On Tuesday I felt there were the first real signs of fatigue, they looked a little bit jaded, not the same snap as I have seen in recent weeks. So, I have to strike a balance and in the last six games we have been top of the form table, so we are doing a lot right.
“But we can’t keep doing the same things over and over again because we have got five games left this month and by the end of it I think we will have a pretty good idea where we will finish, and if there is an exciting end to the season as there was last.
“All we can do is monitor the data, our eyes will tell us where they are in terms of performance but I also need honesty from the players too. They all want to play, of course, but if we want to get anywhere this season we need everybody to share responsibility.”
Wanderers travel to Oxford with George Johnston also available after illness, which means there could be changes to the back three which took the field against Charlton, stretching an unbeaten run to six games.
Victory on Saturday would not improve Bolton’s league position, with a five-point gap currently between them and the ninth-placed club Ipswich Town, but it would send out a strong message of play-off intent in a month with four more games to follow.
“As superstitious as we all are – and me more than most – you can’t just keep picking the same team if a different opposition will throw a different look at you, or there will be energy and fatigue which come into play,” said Evatt.
“We are a team that thrives off energy and intensity and we need everyone. If I change things it is not because someone has done something wrong, it is down to wanting to keep those intensity levels as high as possible, share the pressure around.
“Winning games consecutively at this level is tough and if someone is upset at coming out of the team, that’s fine, take it out on me. But we need to be positive with each other and make sure they are helping their mates.”
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