Allarydce fears mid-season slump
Aside from the four players he is about to lose on African Nations Cup duty, the Trotters manager also lost Kevin Nolan for the start of his FA Cup campaign at Watford next week. The Bolton skipper picked up his fifth booking of the season in the 4-1 defeat at Manchester United on Saturday to leave Allardyce wondering how he will patch his squad up for the Vicarage Road trip.
Already acutely concerned at the damage which could be sustained to Bolton’s league form over the next month, Allardyce knows if his side fail to end Liverpool’s current 10-match winning streak, they could find themselves sucked back into mid-table. That could happen by the time his African contingent return in mid-February.
“It is very important for us to secure a victory against Liverpool, so no matter what happens over the difficult period ahead of us, we won’t be in too bad a position,” said Allardyce.
“We have a cushion at the moment but that could be lost over the next month, which would be a great shame because we could have been looking at our best ever season. Losing four men to the African Nations Cup means we only have 15 outfield players left in the squad. I was concerned about what would happen if we got injuries or suspensions, and immediately we lose Kevin Nolan.”
Bolton have picked up just one point from the festive period but still lie in seventh spot, and could move up as high as fourth if they win their two matches in hand. But it would only take a couple of further setbacks to send them tumbling back into mid-table, which is why Allardyce is calling on his team to summon up the spirit produced in the superb win over Arsenal a month ago.
