Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
John McDougall

Bolton Wanderers midfielder makes Plymouth Argyle prediction & talks team rotation

MJ Williams says the clash against Plymouth Argyle is the type of game Bolton Wanderers want to be involved in as he predicts a big encounter against a side with aspirations of being in the top six this season.

Bolton make the trip to Home Park aiming to return to winning ways in the league. Defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday was suffered last time out in League One, while there was also a midweek loss in the Carabao Cup at the hands of Aston Villa.

The Green Army did the double over the Whites last season with a 3-0 victory at Home Park. This was followed up with a 1-0 win at the University of Bolton Stadium.

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp's messages to Liverpool loanee Conor Bradley before & during Bolton Wanderers loan

Williams played in both encounters last season as Argyle finished last season just outside the top six in seventh. Steven Schumacher's side are already in those positions in the early stages of this campaign and Williams believes it will be an important opportunity to bounce back from the loss in League One last weekend at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.

He said: “They are the type of games you want, they are in the top six already. They are a team that has been together for a while, probably similar like us now.

"They are doing really well and it is going to be a massive game, an important game. I think we have got to bounce back from the weekend.

"We all know how tough it is to go down to Plymouth and it is a long journey. But we have just got to be ready for it. I’m sure we will be fresh and ready to go and put out a good performance.”

A big feature of this season so far is Ian Evatt opting to rotate his squad to maintain freshness and intensity in Bolton's play. Six changes were made for the midweek Carabao Cup clash versus Aston Villa and more are anticipated for the clash at Home Park.

Williams has explained from the dressing room's perspective how that is being approached by Evatt and the need for changes to be made for either freshness or the different challenges each game poses. He believes the squad has taken to this approach well and are buying into the philisophy.

He said: “The gaffer has set it out, not just for me but for every player. There are going to be times where you need something different, or you might feel like you need a rest.

"I think last season, coming up to the start of the season we had a lot of injuries and I think we have learned from that you can’t go a whole season with the same team. It is important to keep players fresh and maybe rotate for different games with what you might need.

"Speaking for myself, whenever the gaffer wants me to play and what position – I am ready to do that. I think all the lads have taken to it.

"No-one has kicked off and no-one has got an ego where it is like, ‘I should be playing every game’. We have all stuck to it and every game, you know you have got to play at a good level because if you are not, there is someone who will come into the team quickly enough.”

Don't miss a thing from the club you love! For all the latest updates on Wanderers , sign up to our free newsletter packed with all the latest news here.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.