Birchall takes positives from defeat | Interview | News
Adam Birchall took positives despite our under-18s’ late defeat against West Ham United in the Premier League South.
Our young Gunners ended up on the wrong side of a thrilling seven-goal encounter, conceding a late penalty to lose the game.
“I’m not happy with the scoreline, but the manner of the defeat, in terms of the effort and the energy the players put into the game, I was really pleased with,” Birchall said. “It was just key moments.
“We didn’t really manage their longer transitions and counter-attacks as well as we could have, and there were some key moments in those fast attacks. I thought that, with the ball, we played well and maybe should have scored more goals to make the game more comfortable.
“But in the end, I can’t fault the players’ efforts. We’re obviously disappointed to have lost the game and conceded four goals.”
Birchall also highlighted Saurap Sampang’s standout performance.
“I was really pleased with Saurap. We call him the glue in the group. He’s had to wait for his chance this year, and even today, he was playing out of position at right-back, he’s more of a midfield-type player.
“But we’ve been really pleased with him for a while now, and that’s why he’s getting his opportunities through his training habits and performances in games. He scored a fantastic goal today.
“He’ll be disappointed with the result, but he needs to keep his head up because the games are coming thick and fast.”
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Looking ahead, Birchall emphasised the need for greater consistency.
“I said it against Reading, we’re just really inconsistent in terms of results at the minute.
“My challenge to the group and to us as staff is: can we be more consistent? I definitely saw improvement in the approach and competitiveness compared to Reading.
“It was just that, at times, we didn’t manage transitions as well as we did in that game. So it’s about consistency, in habits and in that competitive element.
“We also need to build on performances like the clean sheet at Reading. Now, we’ll be raring to go and win the next one.”
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