Barnsley boss Valerian Ismael blames loss on tiredness and welcomes international break
Barnsley boss Valerian Ismael has welcomed the international break after blaming Saturday’s derby defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on his players being tired.
The play-off chasing Tykes were second best against their relegation-threatened South Yorkshire neighbours, according to Frenchman Ismael, who had overseen nine wins in 10 matches before the weekend’s 2-1 defeat.
Speaking after the final whistle, he said: “You could see that fatigue impacted the game today.
"We made two mistakes for the goals and it’s all about tiredness and concentration. That’s why it was such a difficult game.”
Barnsley have played six times this month – once more than the Owls.
A late Carlton Morris goal gave them hope after Jordan Rhodes’ double put the visitors 2-0 up, but Wednesday held on to move to within six points of safety.
A unbeaten run stretching back 10 matches before Saturday propelled Barnsley into the Sky Bet Championship play-off places.
Despite that hot streak coming to an end to give Darren Moore his first win as Owls manager, the Tykes still have a five-point gap to Bournemouth in seventh, having played one game more.
Ismael said: “We are fifth with a play-off ticket. If you want to get in the play-offs, we need 75 points and at least four wins from the last eight games.
“Sheffield Wednesday played like a team who wanted to survive and had a fresher mindset than us. The international break is a time to recover, to reset and come back with a fresh mindset for the last eight games.”
Ismael, who took charge of Barnsley in October, also felt his side should have been awarded two ‘clear’ penalties.