OXFORD United will not overly focus on Barnsley’s Devante Cole this evening, with U’s head coach Des Buckingham looking to stop the threat of the forward at source.
Cole, the son of former Manchester United and England forward Andy, is currently the equal top scorer in Sky Bet League One.
The 28-year-old has bagged 16 goals in 26 league games, putting him equal with Charlton Athletic’s Alfie May in the goalscoring charts.
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Asked about the preparation work that has gone into dealing with Cole and his teammates, Buckingham responded: “We’ll never try and focus on one. We know the goals record he’s got this year, and he’s a threat.
“We’ve addressed that, but it’s about making sure we try and stop it getting there in the first place.
“We’ve got a way that we want to press, and a way we want to sit and block, and then we’ve got different ways to deal with individuals.
“If you focus too much on one, they have players elsewhere that can hurt you.”
Barnsley have won four of their last seven games by the odd goal, with the other three matches finishing a draw.
On whether he’s anticipating a tight game tonight, Buckingham said: “We’re expecting from what we’ve seen in the last few games, that they’re very aggressive without the ball and press very well.
“They’re a young team as well, but they’ve got some good experience in there. They capitalise on the chances they create.
“It’s going to be about us taking our chances to make sure we get the result we’re looking for.”
ANALYSIS: 1,000 words on the League One promotion race and where #oufc sit amongst those challenginghttps://t.co/9jS6W36Dc4
— Liam Rice (@OxMailLiamRice) January 21, 2024
He added: “They’re a good team and the manager’s got a way of playing, and he’s got them playing really well, but we’re at home and we’ve played some good football ourselves.
“It’s shaping up to be a very good game. We know the importance of these types of games with teams in and around us.
“The good thing is that for every day and every week that goes by in January, we’re getting stronger with players returning.
“We’ve got some new faces that have come in, that can look to contribute, and people like Tyler Burey will stand a chance.
“The longer January goes on, the stronger we will get. When we face these challenges, we should put ourselves in the best position to try and get performances and results.
“We’re at home and we’ve got a way we want to do things. Of the work we do, 80 per cent is us, whether that be presentations, training sessions, or us with or without the ball.
“We know what we’re trying to do, and we have control of that. What we don’t know is what they will do. We’ve got a good idea, but we prepare the team as well as we can for what we think they may face, and then it’s about going out to try and execute that.”
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