No freeze on selection (From Swindon Advertiser)

SWINDON TOWN: No freeze on selection

6:00am Friday 10th February 2012 in Local By Gary Rose

PAOLO Di Canio could make up to four changes for tomorrow’s game against Barnet, with the Town boss keen keep his players constantly on their toes and avoid complacency setting in.

With temperatures set to drop well below zero today, the game at Underhill is looking increasingly unlikely to go ahead.

But if it does, Di Canio has spent the last few days trying to determine the best way to ensure his players do not approach the game too lightly, given that they are yet to taste defeat against Barnet in the three previous meetings between the two sides this season.

On Tuesday, Swindon beat the Bees 1-0 at the County Ground to progress to the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and end the latter’s hopes of a historic appearance at Wembley.

And Di Canio is expecting Barnet to be more determined than ever to beat Swindon tomorrow.

“Psychology is important at this moment in time because after beating Barnet in the JPT area final, our players obviously feel very happy,” the Town boss told the Advertiser.

“Playing them again so soon, my worry is that they may have more anger because they might feel we have stolen something from them.

“For this reason I want us to go there and be even nastier than we were on Tuesday - that is my mentality for winning.”

Daniel Boateng is still waiting to make his debut for the club after signing on loan from Arsenal last month, while the likes of Alessandro Cibocchi, Ronan Murray and Oliver Risser will all be pushing for starts.

“I will probably change three or four players. I have to work in this way,” added Di Canio.

“I need to read each player and choose the three or four players that I will involve this time that I hope can give the extra lift and have the desire.

“Those who have not played recently will want to prove they deserve to start, we want to win the league and so we have to be nastier than we were on Tuesday.”

Barnet boss Lawrie Sanchez was full of praise for Swindon after Tuesday’s 1-0 win, stating that they are a side who should be playing Championship football.

Di Canio endured plenty of criticism from some of his fellow managers earlier in this season and has welcomed a compliment from someone he is full of respect for.

“When a comment comes from a manager with his past – he was at Fulham and the Northern Ireland national team – then it makes you happy to hear comments like that,” he said.

“Whenever anyone says something nice about your team it makes you happy but if it comes from Sir Alex Ferguson or the likes of Sanchez - who has had a great past and means he has more knowledge than many others - then it is even nicer to hear.

“If he is being complimentary because of the way we play football then that is great but we still have to be a little wary because we play them soon, so maybe he wants to make us softer!

“But we accept the compliment, I am very happy and I thank him but we must prove our quality once again at Underhill on Saturday, because if we are a Championship team like he said then we have to go there and prove it again.”