Blackpool's players haven't had a hangover following Bournemouth defeat

Neil Critchley insists there’s no “psychological hangover” among his Blackpool players from last weekend’s late defeat against Bournemouth.
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The Seasiders were leading 1-0 with only four minutes to go, but ended up losing 2-1.

While Critchley concedes it was a cruel way to lose a game they largely dominated, he reveals the mood among his troops remains a very positive one.

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“There was no psychological hangover from Saturday’s game,” Critchley said.

Blackpool were beaten by Bournemouth at Bloomfield Road seven days agoBlackpool were beaten by Bournemouth at Bloomfield Road seven days ago
Blackpool were beaten by Bournemouth at Bloomfield Road seven days ago
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“We were obviously disappointed on the day to come away with nothing, but it’s how you reflect on the game, the messages you give, how you speak after the game and so on.

“There was nothing for us to be downbeat after the game.

“We played extremely well. We had some real misfortune with their first goal, that was a bit of bad luck that went against us.

“You have to give credit to Bournemouth for their second goal because, if you watch it back, it was a really high quality goal.

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“It was the last kick of the game but they didn’t panic. They played a lovely football move which top players can do and unfortunately it ended up in the back of our net.

“I can assure you, we were only positive about how we played and we can draw a lot from it: not just the performance, but everything about our mentality, how good physically we were.

“We know every game is different. Cardiff on Saturday won’t be the same as Bournemouth last Saturday, it will be completely different.

“What we have to show is that champion’s mentality if you like, that when you get punched you get back up and you go again.

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“I’ve got no doubt our players, because they’ve done it during games and after games, will do it again on Saturday.”

Today, Blackpool take on a Cardiff side who made it four wins from their last five games following a 2-0 victory against Coventry City in midweek.

Despite some positive recent results, the Bluebirds have endured a disappointing campaign in the main, sitting 19th in the Championship table.

They have performed well at home though, especially in recent weeks, which Critchley attributes to a style of play that sees them set up like an away side.

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“They’ve had some positive results recently, especially at home where they’ve beaten some good teams like Coventry, Peterborough and Nottingham Forest,” Pool’s head coach said.

“They’re in a good run of form. They beat Barnsley away too and they seem to have found a way that suits them, which is pretty much 5-3-2 with everyone behind the ball and they make things very difficult for teams to break them down. They carry a threat going forwards as well.

“There isn’t a massive difference in how they play (to when Mick McCarthy was in charge), but Steve Morison has had an impact. There is a subtle difference and that’s helped them get better results.

“They’re in good form, they strengthened in January as well and that’s made a difference to them.”

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Critchley added: “If you look at the game against Coventry the other night, they’re deciding the best way to go is to be compact, be difficult to break down and wait for opportunities to score via a set-piece or a moment in the game.

“The left wing-back Joel Bagan cut inside in midweek and curled one into the bottom corner on his right foot, which was a fantastic goal.

“It’s moments like that, then they scored late on with a breakaway goal.

“They’ve got players that can hurt you on the break. It’s the beauty of football, everyone can decide what they want to do and how to play the game.

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“There’s no right or wrong play. At the moment, they’ve found the right way to play for them.”

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