The pre-season games are well and truly underway with Bolton suffering back to back defeats at their training camp in Austria. Losses to Sturm Graz (1-2) and Paderborn (1-4) will give Neil Lennon plenty of food for thought as he looks to get the squad up to speed ahead of the season kick off against Derby County.
On the face of it, there doesn’t look like there are many positives to be taken from the two defeats. However, it must be said that both sides faced so far are well into their own pre-season campaigns and are much more likely to be sharper and fitter than Bolton at this stage. Upcoming games against Morecambe and Oldham are likely to give a truer indication of where the squad is in terms of match sharpness.
Positives from the two games so far include new signings Gary Madine and Derik. Madine chipped in with a goal against Paderborn and has led the line well in his two outings so far. Derik has also looked composed in defence against European opposition. It remains to be seen if he can cope with the physical side of English football.
In terms of negatives we have seen a continuation of some of the worrying trends that have impacted the team in recent seasons. Penalties have been conceded in back to back games, while the team continues to leak goals created from wide areas. In the Sturm Graz game, goals were conceded very late on in the first and second half mirroring what was seen towards the end of last season. Another negative to focus on is that Bolton has looked rather disjointed as an attacking force so far, although this is probably to be expected for this stage in pre-season.
Also of concern is the fact that some of the squad players don’t appear to be capable of stepping up and staking a claim for first team action. With the continuing money worries, it is very likely that Bolton will have to rely on these squad players a great deal in the coming season, especially if we see the squad afflicted by a similar injury crisis to the one seen last year.
