Luton's Edwards on spirited late fightback in 3-2 defeat to Chelsea to end 2023

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Luton Town boss Rob Edwards on spirited late fightback in 3-2 defeat to Chelsea to end 2023

Transcript

00:00 What is your feeling now that you might have been better at the comeback?

00:24 A little bit of a game of what if, if only. I think the performance was brilliant though.

00:32 I know they went 3-0 up, so that probably changed people's perceptions a little bit,

00:35 but we were incredibly brave. It's difficult to find a way through and really create too

00:39 much in the first half when the game is still maybe a little bit tighter. They're defending

00:42 very, very well and they're really good players. It's hard to find a way past people like Thiago

00:47 Silva, you know? It's difficult. But that being said, I thought we were really aggressive. We

00:52 were on the front foot. We were asking a lot of questions. We gifted them the first goal,

00:56 which is then a challenge. The second goal I thought was a brilliant skill,

01:00 when he made the work. It was a brilliant goal, which we knew. We respected their quality. We

01:04 knew they had that. The individuals, that front four are electric and can be,

01:08 just even in moments. Even if they're not consistently throughout the game, just even

01:14 in moments. But I thought we started the second half really aggressively. Great intent,

01:20 made some changes and really attacked the game. Continued to attack the game, I should say.

01:25 Wasn't really a different message. It was just different personnel in some different places.

01:30 And then, yes, a third goal, which again is avoidable. But when we were in the ascendancy,

01:37 I thought what pleased me most then is that game could go one way or the other. Chelsea can go

01:42 four, five, six, seven. We've seen that in the Premier League against better teams than us.

01:46 For the players to then go and do what they did, I think shows how special they are.

01:52 So I know we have not got anything from the game, but I'll be able to sleep easier tonight

01:56 than if we'd have just given up and gone and got beaten four or five. We showed fight,

02:01 we showed heart, we showed loads of quality. We took the ball. We had more of the ball than they

02:05 did. And Chelsea, that doesn't really happen. We took the ball and we were really brave.

02:10 We carried on being aggressive and wrestled the game back in terms of result.

02:16 I think we were in the ascendancy, like I said, but I think we almost wrestled the result back.

02:20 So incredibly proud of the lads.

02:23 If I look at the progress we've made from when we played Chelsea's second game of the season to

02:41 that game there today, I like the way that we're going. And if we can continue to improve and

02:46 keep working the right way and keep improving, then we'll give ourselves a chance. I don't think

02:55 really anyone can doubt that. I'm not saying we're going to do it and we're going to stay up. I

02:58 believe we can. But we can give ourselves a chance with the performances that we've been giving now

03:03 over the last couple of months.

03:04 We won't come out of January weaker. I think that's important to say. I just said to the

03:11 lads there now, it's important we stick together. We're a really tight group that have got an

03:16 amazing spirit and we have to keep that. So I know there's some people that will be a little

03:19 bit disappointed and frustrated and January can bring a little bit of unease around. I don't like

03:26 it as a manager because I want the group to be together and all fighting for the same thing.

03:30 Players want to play. But I've just said now, no one leaves unless I say so, unless I think

03:35 it's going to be good for the group. Because I need us all. You can see the impact that our

03:39 subs have. They had it the other day. Carlton came on and got a couple of assists. Chongi came on

03:42 today and was amazing. We need the group. We need the group. And if we can bring someone in that

03:49 allows us to be a little bit stronger and improves us, then I think we've got the support and the

03:52 backing to do that. Clearly we're not going to be spending like £50 million on people.

03:55 There'll be a plan to it. But if we think it can help us, then Gary and the board I think

04:02 will support us.

04:02 Is the key to finding more composure at both ends?

04:14 Possibly, yeah. Clearly both boxes are really, really important. We can't concede those goals.

04:20 I thought the first and the third were disappointing from our point of view and could

04:23 have been avoided. Really, apart from those three goals, it's a lot. But apart from those three,

04:28 Chelsea then weren't able to create the often-puffed. There was one that flashed across

04:32 I think in the first half. There was a good block from Sambi in the second half. But there

04:35 wasn't loads of saves then for Thomas to make. And we did have big chances, you're right.

04:40 We did have big chances. We hit the woodwork a couple of times, the offside goal. There was

04:46 some really good play there to actually create those chances. So think about the performance,

04:51 keep creating, keep brushing up on the mistakes that we've made today. Keep learning and improving

05:00 in those moments. But I'm seeing a lot of stuff that I like as well.

05:04 Premier League is really hard to keep clean sheets. It's going to be difficult for us to

05:06 keep clean sheets. Zeros and ones we talk about. That's the aim. It gives you a chance, a bit of

05:10 a platform, a foothold in the game. Today we nearly found a way to get something from the game,

05:16 even when we conceded three.

05:17 I think they're disappointed because they know we were good enough today to get something from it

05:28 and we showed that. The performance was excellent. Without the ball we were aggressive and brave,

05:33 happy to go 1v1 in big spaces against top players. We knew at times there's a risk to that,

05:38 but we felt the reward was greater than the risk. So that's what suits us, that's how we play.

05:45 They're going to get away, they're going to get through at times, but when we win it,

05:50 we're dangerous as well. The players can see how we're improving. They're on board.

05:59 They'll be flat and disappointed because we've not got something from the game,

06:03 but they'll see the growth in the team. They'll see what we are doing. They'll see how well we're

06:08 competing. They'll see that from Game 2 to there now there's been a huge leap in performance levels.

06:16 The only way to get out of the position we're in is by working really hard and

06:21 continuing to build and grow. They're flat, but there's a belief there.

06:24 They'll probably feel similar to me. After a good performance, you can sleep a little bit easier.

06:32 If it was a poor performance and we'd lost, it's more difficult.

06:35 How would you sum up the first half of the season?

06:44 Yeah, it's hard. I think we're building, we're growing. I think we've learnt a lot.

06:53 I think we learnt quite quickly, I would like to think. We got stung in a couple of games early on

06:57 where we weren't doing one or two things right. We worked hard on that to adjust.

07:03 To this point now, the halfway stage where we've played today, I know Kenilworth Road is different,

07:09 but we've had more of the ball than Chelsea and the wealth of talent they've got. We've

07:12 created loads and loads of chances, showed loads of character, heart, fight.

07:16 So I love the way that we're progressing. That gives me confidence and belief going into the

07:23 second half of the season. Bottom line, good in terms of performances, but we need more points.

07:29 I think this gentleman said on the front row as well, the ruthlessness in both boxes is

07:35 going to be really, really important. That's the big thing at this level.

07:38 A lot of people have said that Ross Barkley is a bit too important,

07:42 excellent against David, but it's a real threat from the set-pieces now, isn't it?

07:44 Yeah, yeah, he is. He's getting his head on things. He's a special player, special person.

07:51 It's great that he's found a home and he's happy. He feels he's getting, I think he feels supported

07:56 and we're allowing him to go and be the best Ross Barkley possible. The best Ross is a pretty good

08:02 player.

08:02 How does that affect Chong?

08:08 Yeah, it was. He'll be frustrated at the moment and understandably so because they all want to

08:12 play and Chong, I think 16, 17, 18, it's hard to give a number now because you'll be thinking,

08:19 right, putting them in, who's who then? But I think people who could start and clearly Chong

08:24 is one of those players. You get in the team, you stay in the team by playing like that when you

08:29 get the chance to come on. That's the hardest bit of my job, you have to disappoint people.

08:36 I hate that. I hate that. But you get in the team, you stay in the team by performing

08:42 really, really well when you come on and affecting games and training really hard

08:45 every single day and he does that and he's done that today.

08:48 Did you make any changes to the third game?

08:55 Yeah, I thought about it but felt the energy, the pressure that that front three had been giving us

08:59 has been remarkable. We felt they got it in them to do it again and they have. They did.

09:04 So I don't think we needed to tweak too much. I think it's important that I don't try and be

09:12 too clever and think, oh right, I can make too many changes because we were in a rhythm.

09:17 But we did, of course, I think about that stuff all the time.

09:22 You were surprised only six minutes of suffice time?

09:24 Yeah, I was expecting a double figure so I've got to be honest today. I don't know.

09:28 I'm not going to comment on that.

09:32 Did you think, talking of the pressure, that you forced Chelsea into changing their tactics?

09:37 Yeah, but I think most teams, when you look at all the bigger clubs and the teams that will

09:44 be possession dominant, they've all had to do that in the end because we'll be so aggressive

09:48 with that press. I think that's why Brogier would have started today to be able to go into him.

09:52 He's sort of a bigger number nine type, if you like, so he could get hold of it.

09:55 So it was pretty clear that's why he was playing because they thought they'd try and miss it and

09:59 go in. And that's what everyone will do these days now. Teams that will press high,

10:03 the opposition teams, if they can't get through it, they'll obviously try and miss that press.

10:06 It becomes a bit more of a second ball game, a bit more chaotic, which suits us.

10:10 But yeah, that's down to the players' quality as well in 1v1 duels and having to,

10:16 if Brogier was having a field day and bringing it down and then being able to go and play,

10:21 they could continue to do that and get control,

10:23 but they couldn't really get consistent control off the back of doing that.

10:26 Thanks a lot.

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