Liam Manning talks challenge of team selection with hectic MK Dons schedule

    Image Credit: Milton Keynes Dons Football Club

    Life in League One is hectic, and that's no different for Milton Keynes Dons who face Accrington Stanley on Saturday.

    Playing in the lower leagues sees teams regularly play Saturday-Tuesday for long stretches of the season, and the Dons' schedule in this early stage of the campaign sees them follow this pattern until after their away trip to Exeter City on Saturday 3rd September.

    With so many games coming at them, it's understandable that it would pose some challenges in terms of team selection - especially with six players currently injured and the vast majority of the squad still fresh faced and new to the club, English football and the rigours of League One.

    With a quick turnaround from Tuesday night's 2-1 victory over Port Vale, Manning was asked about team selection and whether or not rotation would be on the cards.

    In his pre-match press conference, he explained: "It's a real challenge, especially so early on with such a new group."

    "We're in that phase at the minute where we're looking for a level of consistency but you also want physical freshness."

    "It's a real challenge that one when we sit down as a group of staff and talk around the team and what we think is going to be successful."

    He added: "The physical freshness definitely comes into it, but then we also know that developing relationships, building on performances and results, getting people connected that's also important."

    "For me, it's not just a case of going and changing everything because we've got lots of games. I think it's a case of looking at what the games are and prioritising what's most important to the group at that given time, for that game."

    He concluded: "It's a huge amount of work, it's probably the hardest part of the job, sitting down and selecting the team you think is going to go out and be successful."

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