Rusk: Under-23s relish quick turnaround

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Albion drew their second match of their Premier League 2 campaign against Arsenal on Friday.

Charlie Hanson

2020-09-19T10:00:00Z

Simon Rusk is pleased with his players' adaptability.

Head coach Simon Rusk praised the attitude of the players coming back into his team after Friday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in Premier League 2.

Peter Gwargis came on for the last 15 minutes of Albion’s Carabao Cup victory over Portsmouth on Thursday, before playing 65 minutes against the Gunners.

Alex Cochrane, Romaric Yapi and Lars Dendoncker were unused substitutes who then played the full 90 minutes on Friday.

Rusk said, “It’s the nature of under-23s football – your environment can change very quickly but the boys who were lucky enough to be involved in the first team on Thursday can take something from that experience.

Gwargis got on for the final 15 minutes against Portsmouth on Thursday night.

“The nice thing for us is we have got a few players who are looking up and could have quite easily been involved too. The boys looked like a team against Arsenal. They knitted back together very quickly and the work ethic was very good.

“Sometimes you’re involved with the first team, sometimes you’re not, so what we’re trying to do is get the boys to buy into is whatever the environment is and aim to set the best standards possible. I thought the ambition to do that was there against Arsenal.”

The quick turnaround in fixtures for the under-23s continues when they take on AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday in the EFL Trophy.

“We were out for a while because of lockdown and now we have got a really busy period in terms of fixtures,” Rusk added. “But there are plusses that come with that and there is loads to learn when you’ve got the next game just around the corner.

Alex Cochrane gets in a cross against Leyton Orient - Albion's opening match of the EFL Trophy this season.

“What we have learned in the last few matches is our game management needs to be a little bit smarter. We have to learn from key moments in the game like Friday where we get ourselves in front but then let Arsenal in a little bit too cheaply.

“It was a good challenge all round and now we get ready to get to go again in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.

“We love the tournament and the nice thing is we had an under-23s game last night which was highly technical and very tactical and now we go into a robust game against a League One first team.

“So we flip it because we get to prepare in a different way, although we know It’s a game we need something from.”