Kenna plans all out attack
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
After a light work-out at the RDS before Thursday night’s Europa League play-off round second leg, Jeff Kenna was not entirely giving up the ghost on St. Patrick’s Athletics’ chances of clawing back a 3-0 deficit against Steaua Bucharest.
“We’ll be attacking minded on Thursday. It’s up to the players to go out there with all guns blazing and if we nick a goal early on who knows,” Kenna stated.
Having endured the heat in Valetta and the trek to the heart of deepest Russia to upset the odds in Sovitov, Kenna is under no false illusions going into the return leg in Ballsbridge: “It’s a great occasion for the players to be involved in and everyone knows what’s at stake but obviously we’re realistic enough to know it’s an uphill task against a very good team.”
Kenna conceded that the Romanian heavyweights are an altogether different animal from the two previous opponents Pat’s faced down in the competition.
“They’re excellent [Steaua], they’re technically very good, they pass the ball well, their movement is good, their fitness is good and they kept asking questions of us defensively.”
Despite the 3-0 loss the Pat’s manager backed his team selection for last week’s first leg in Bucharest: “I was happy with the team selection. I suppose you can argue at the fact that we conceded three but for an hour it was certainly going according to plan.”
With a need for goals obvious, the practice match at the arena which housed the recent Dublin Horse Show certainly smacked of a team who will not be taking a defensive approach, and Kenna confirmed that he will be using two strikers on Thursday night, reverting from the 4-5-1 he played last week. He’s still unsure who those two will be, however, and whether or not Glen Fitzpatrick will start, as he did last week as the lone striker.
“I haven’t decided yet,” said Kenna. “I’ll be going with two up front but I haven’t decided which two.”
Since the heroics in Russia, St. Pat's have given a whole new meaning to a day being a long time in football. What about three weeks? Since then the Inchicore outfit have drawn in the FAI Ford Cup with Monaghan United and lost in the league to both Bohemians and Derry City and Kenna agreed that his side have a lot to worry about after Thursday night’s game.
“It’s been....abysmal [league form] is probably the word to use. We played against Derry who had ten men for the best part of an hour I think…..and to concede with ten minutes to go in the manner that we did is very disappointing to say the least but that’s been the story of our season so far. It’s been very up and down and probably more downs than ups, and certainly once Thursday is out of the way we’ll be sitting down and discussing with everybody [at the club] how we can come to a solution.”
Kenna also declared that he has a fully fit squad before Thursday night’s game.
Kick-off at the RDS is 7.45pm.
“We’ll be attacking minded on Thursday. It’s up to the players to go out there with all guns blazing and if we nick a goal early on who knows,” Kenna stated.
Having endured the heat in Valetta and the trek to the heart of deepest Russia to upset the odds in Sovitov, Kenna is under no false illusions going into the return leg in Ballsbridge: “It’s a great occasion for the players to be involved in and everyone knows what’s at stake but obviously we’re realistic enough to know it’s an uphill task against a very good team.”
Kenna conceded that the Romanian heavyweights are an altogether different animal from the two previous opponents Pat’s faced down in the competition.
“They’re excellent [Steaua], they’re technically very good, they pass the ball well, their movement is good, their fitness is good and they kept asking questions of us defensively.”
Despite the 3-0 loss the Pat’s manager backed his team selection for last week’s first leg in Bucharest: “I was happy with the team selection. I suppose you can argue at the fact that we conceded three but for an hour it was certainly going according to plan.”
With a need for goals obvious, the practice match at the arena which housed the recent Dublin Horse Show certainly smacked of a team who will not be taking a defensive approach, and Kenna confirmed that he will be using two strikers on Thursday night, reverting from the 4-5-1 he played last week. He’s still unsure who those two will be, however, and whether or not Glen Fitzpatrick will start, as he did last week as the lone striker.
“I haven’t decided yet,” said Kenna. “I’ll be going with two up front but I haven’t decided which two.”
Since the heroics in Russia, St. Pat's have given a whole new meaning to a day being a long time in football. What about three weeks? Since then the Inchicore outfit have drawn in the FAI Ford Cup with Monaghan United and lost in the league to both Bohemians and Derry City and Kenna agreed that his side have a lot to worry about after Thursday night’s game.
“It’s been....abysmal [league form] is probably the word to use. We played against Derry who had ten men for the best part of an hour I think…..and to concede with ten minutes to go in the manner that we did is very disappointing to say the least but that’s been the story of our season so far. It’s been very up and down and probably more downs than ups, and certainly once Thursday is out of the way we’ll be sitting down and discussing with everybody [at the club] how we can come to a solution.”
Kenna also declared that he has a fully fit squad before Thursday night’s game.
Kick-off at the RDS is 7.45pm.
