George Saville on the ball against West Brom. Image: Millwall FC
MILLWALL midfielder George Saville stressed the importance of “staying in the zone” as fixtures pile up for a Lions squad that has been depleted by injuries and suspensions.
The Championship is currently on pause for the international break, giving Millwall players a two-week break between matches, but previously games came thick and fast.
The Lions played three games in eleven days, including two away games against Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion, while also dealing with a number of absences.
Five potential first team players were ruled out through injury ahead of last Saturday’s trip to West Brom, while Aidomo Emakhu was still suspended for picking up a red card against Preston North End. As a result, there was limited squad rotation.
Nine of the starting eleven against West Brom also started the previous two games.
A midweek 1-0 loss to bottom-of-the-table Cardiff put extra pressure on the Lions to get something out of Saturday’s game, but Millwall responded well. They defended with determination and grit for 90 minutes to secure a 0-0 draw against one of the best sides in the league. Saville was pleased with the point.
“It was a good performance,” Saville said. “It’s important to not get back-to-back defeats. Defensively I thought we were excellent.
“You saw by the subs they made. It was wave after wave, and it felt like every ten to fifteen minutes someone new was coming on.
“Credit to us and the back line for making them get frustrated and you could feel the atmosphere was flat in the second-half.”
When asked how he stays mentally prepared for each game with matches coming thick and fast, Saville said:
“Just staying in the zone. We had three games in eleven days. It’s just about focusing on that and being selfish and thinking: ‘this is my job’. I have to just focus for the three games and do my best for Millwall. It’s just about grinding that out.
“You know what the Championship is like, anyone could beat anyone. Today we could have even nicked at the end, and we had a couple of chances.”
Fortunately for Millwall, reinforcements are coming during the international break. Harris confirmed that forward Adam Mayor would be returning to training during the break and Emakhu is only suspended for one more game.
Regardless of how many matches the Lions’ play, the games have not taken a toll on Saville.
“It’s the industry we’re in,” Saville said. “Personally I’ve been doing it for a long time now, so it’s our job. It’s about us being professional and being ready for each game. It’s not taking its toll. We’re only in October. We’ve got eight more months to go.”
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