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Ian Evatt expects some sleepless nights between now and Monday as he mulls over exactly which 11 to select for the big game at Portsmouth.
A self-confessed insomniac, the Bolton boss knows there are some key decisions to make at Fratton Park in what has become a competitive squad in virtually every department.
Game time has been distributed equally over the past couple of cup games to ensure everyone will be heading to the south coast as sharp as possible.
Which team takes to the field against Pompey is yet to be completely ironed out but Evatt has underlined that each player still has a part to play.
“It is the hardest part of my job, picking teams and disappointing people, because I think the world of all them,” he said. “They are a fantastic group of people who I enjoy working with professionally and I enjoy seeing how they have come together personally as well.
“All I can do is try and make the best decision for that game. Everyone has a different skillset and we will try and get the right ones for the right opponents. I am not always going to make the right call but I think what the players have shown is that there is a togetherness about the group regardless of which ones I pick. The ones on the bench are supporting those in the 11, and then when that swaps over it is the same thing – I think you have seen that with some of the goal celebrations and the substitutes.
“It is very much a squad game now. In the days when I was playing it was about the 11 and there would be the occasional change, but you can’t have sustained success with 11 players, you need them all, and we have got a really good squad of players who are fighting tooth and nail for this football club and that is what we need.”
In his three-and-a-half years as Bolton boss, Evatt has rarely shied away from making big calls on the team-sheet, indeed, rotation has often been a hot topic among the fanbase.
In recent weeks, however, there has been a more settled look about the starting line-up, and with only Dan Nlundulu and George Johnston unavailable for Monday night’s game, it seems likely that Evatt will not stray far from the team that drew at Oxford United last time out.
The Whites boss has been pleased to see how professionally his players have handed their spells in and out of the side this season and feels there is a changing mentality within the sport that reflects increased physical demands.
“It is how the game has evolved, I think people understand now that it is a squad game and not just about the 11,” he said. “Of course, there is disappointment and, of course, they are going to be upset at not playing, but I think there is an understanding of the bigger picture and what we are trying to build here. Every single one of those players is a part of that, there is no hierarchy, nobody is treated differently to the others. They know there is nothing personal involved in my decision-making, it is strictly business and trying to get the right result on any given day.
“It is great that there is that tolerance for it because it is about the whole squad and it is hugely important to me to be able to change within a game from the personnel we have, depending on the squad we are facing.”
Evatt has a healthy respect for his hosts, who have led the way in League One for the vast majority of the season so far, losing just once.
Wanderers allowed three points to slip through their grasp in the corresponding fixture last season, three late set pieces turning the game completely on its head.
This time, Evatt is determined to make the gameplan last the course.
“I think it is pretty clear what type of game we are looking at – they have a way of playing which is pretty defined and they will think exactly the same way about us,” he said.
“We have a clear philosophy and identity and it is about whoever executes that best on the day who will win.”
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