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Wanderers won’t be aiming for reinvention on the plush pitches of the Algarve this week but Ian Evatt admits there is pressure on him to deliver something different.
Anyone expecting Bolton to abandon their possession-based style in response to missing out on promotion last season is likely to be disappointed in the coming months.
Evatt remains convinced that the blueprint he has established in four years at the helm can not only get his team out of League One but also futureproof it in the league above.
But the Wanderers boss is also aware of his squad’s limitations and the tactical criticism which came his way after the play-off final.
This is the third time the club has travelled to Portugal for an intensive training camp with few distractions, and arguably this is also the most important pre-season that Evatt has had to organise.
Not only will he have to make the necessary tweaks to his gameplan and recruit players with the necessary quality to challenge at the top end of the table, he must also overcome the psychological damage done to his existing squad after last season’s disappointment.
Adding a new face to the coaching staff in Stephen Crainey, the former Blackpool and Scotland defender, and three fresh signings in Chris Forino, Luke Southwood and Klaidi Lolos are a first step, and Evatt appreciates that fans will want to see progress.
“We know that this is a big pre-season for us,” he told The Bolton News. “What happened at Wembley, what happened last season, it is something we have to own, something we have to carry.
“There are things that can help us move on, though. Stephen’s recruitment as well is part of bringing in a fresh voice, some positivity. New players can do the same.
“It is important to remind the players that everything they did last season wasn’t wrong. We lost out on automatic promotion on one game, more or less. We lost the play-off final, which is a one-off game. It is about finding some balance now.
“We can’t just rip up the plan and start afresh but we do recognise that there are areas which have to get better and where we need to find better and different solutions. I am intelligent enough to know that, but I’m also intelligent enough to know that you can’t go from a team that has the style and identity that we do, and we recruit to that style and identity, to then be completely direct and playing forward. It just doesn’t work.
“We have to find a solution that fits the squad that we have built, and we will do that. My aim and focus this summer is to make us better and give us a different plan but with the same ideology.”
Evatt has already hinted that Lolos, the 23-year-old bought from newly promoted Crawley Town, could be an important factor in the “Plan A 2.0” currently in development.
The Greek-born forward can play in midfield, as a number 10 or centre-forward, much like last season’s £300,000 signing Carlos Mendes Gomes, who was struck down by an unfortunate Achillies injury early in the New Year.
Wanderers played almost exclusively with a 3-5-2 formation last season, switching very occasionally in-game. The focus this summer will be on switching shapes more quickly and seamlessly, especially on occasions where opposing sides change their own system to try and first nullify that of the Whites – an issue which regularly cropped up in home games.
The cliched football critique calls for managers to have a ‘Plan B’ – and the phrase most certainly has been directed towards Evatt as he stuck to his beliefs over the past few years. His response, in most cases, has been to try and ensure ‘Plan A’ was better but with a boosted playing budget this summer he may for the first time have the spending power to sign more players who can switch systems and play different roles, giving him more tactical flexibility.
Whilst the whole squad has travelled out for the training camp, there have been allowances made for internationals like Gethin Jones and Eoin Toal, who were in action as recently as last month for Australia and Northern Ireland, respectively.
“They need something different,” Evatt added. “We played 61 games last season and those guys played the majority of them, have also played in the summer and there has been some travelling involved in that as well. There hasn’t been a lot of break time or rest time, so they will have a modified pre-season.”
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