Oldham Athletic manager Laurent Banide believes his side must focus on themselves this weekend as they face Crewe Alexandra at Boundary Park.
The 51-year-old takes charge of his first competitive game at home, coming off the back of an opening day defeat away to Forest Greem Rovers.
Banide, who once managed French giants Monaco, admits he is side have got to correct their mistakes from last weekend if they’re going to get their season up and running.
“We need to concentrate on correcting our mistakes from the last game and we try to do better,” he told the club’s official site. “It’s important to bounce back from Forest Green because it’s the first home game of the season and people want to see a good game.”
He revealed part of his game plan, focusing on ball retention, but also called on the supporters to play their part.
“We want to play a good game and we’re planning to control the ball more than we saw last game. We need to work better to improve and the supporters must support the team every game to reach our project.”
The French manager is on his 13th managerial role in 12 years, having spent much of his recent career in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Oldham struggled in their first season back in the fourth tier since 1971, finishing 14th.
Our View
I’ve got serious reservations about Oldham, even after one game of the season. They didn’t have a shot on target in their opening game and their squad is going to have to gel quickly if they’re to find some form.
They only had 36% possession against Mark Cooper’s side, but actually came out on top in terms of XG. It suggests there is potential in the squad, but the lack of stability last season could be a pointer to further trouble this time out.
Their chairman saw three different permanent managers come and go last season and they need Banide to be a constant throughout this campaign if they’re to settle.
However, if players struggle to adapt to his style or his message doesn’t come across, then they could find themselves in serious trouble early on.
