We signed off earlier this morning with a 5-4 victory over Portland Timbers taking a 100% record with us from the States, and Paul Lambert said he was proud of the team for their efforts.
Speaking to the Official Site Lambert said he did have issues with our overall performance against Timbers, but on balance he was very pleased with the application of the players whilst on tour:
‘I felt we should have been more comfortable than what it was. We had a lot of the ball and dominated. That’s especially true since we were on a pitch which we weren’t used to, not one bit. I was delighted with the lads. The trip has been hard and strenuous for us because we’ve been travelling all the time but I am delighted with the application of the lads and the way they played. They held their nerve on the penalty kicks as well. They have given me everything and that’s all I can ever ask.’
There has been a marked difference in our performances, the commitment and the style of play shown by the teams so far in pre season, and whilst last night wasn’t as ‘clean’ a performance as previous games, there are factors such as tiredness and the pitch that you can allow for, but they still put their bodies on the line when needed and instead of panicking and going long as the game drew to a close, we stayed calm and stayed looking for an opening, even though we didn’t quite penetrate them as we’d have liked.
It’s only pre season though, I doubt anybody can be overly concerned about last night’s game in isolation, as we’ve seen enough overall to remain excited about the coming season.
Portland Timbers Forum Thread.
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