30 MILLWALL www.newsatden.co.uk/
Southwark News, Thursday March 16 2023
Lions loanee has ‘burning desire to be the best’ EXCLUSIVE By Alex Jones
alexj@southwarknews.co.uk CHARLIE CRESSWELL’S marked improvement since the turn of the year has been nothing short of astonishing.
The centre-back had a difficult start to life at Millwall, making numerous mistakes in the early part of the season. Gary Rowett ended up switching from a back five to a 4-2-3-1 in October and the 20-year-old was dropped to the bench and then out of the squad entirely. It was undoubtedly the nadir of his loan spell to date, as he was limited to a handful of sporadic appearances that then created rumours of a January departure. Championship rivals were linked with moves and had reportedly been in contact with parent club Leeds United, but Cresswell told them he wanted to stay at The Den. He had to be patient, but his time came when Shaun Hutchinson picked up a groin injury at the start of the year. Cresswell was brought into the team as a result and has hardly put a foot wrong, helping him to keep his place in the starting lineup over the club captain, who has since recovered. His centre-back partner, Jake Cooper, put his improvement down to learning from mistakes and adapting to how Millwall prefer to play, but Rowett pointed to his ‘burning desire to be the best’ that he has shown on the training ground and during matches. “I think he’s improved by learning what it is to be a centre-half in the Championship, which is one of the hardest positions for any young player to manage and master,” the manager told the News. “There’s a lot of players that have been in the division for a long time and still will find it a real challenge because it’s such a competitive league.
Charlie Cresswell was voted as NewsAtDen’s Player of the Month for February
Gary Rowett explains key reason behind Charlie Cresswell’s improved performances “With Cressy, what you see is a lad that’s got a real burning desire to be the best, and you see that manifest in the way he trains and acts around the place, as well as his commitment to being away on loan for the season, which I think has been tremendous. “What you have to do around that is learn very quickly in this division.
Millwall
Championship preview
He’s played really, really well. He’s had some extreme moments in games, but that’s what any young player is going to do when you want to play to a higher level. You can’t do that without making some mistakes. “I think he’s learned to control his emotions better within games and he’s learned to make better decisions within games, but the Championship
VS Huddersfield Town
is still a challenge and you’re still going to make the odd mistake. “I don’t think there’s any player, whether you’re 20 or 32, that’s not going to make mistakes, that’s the nature of the business. “If you take the three centre-halves we’ve got in Coops, Hutchy and Cressy, I could play any two of the three at the moment. I trust every
single one of them and I think that’s a testament to Cressy for the way he’s certainly improved some of the elements around his game. “It’s an area you don’t tend to rotate, but at the same time we’ve got three very, very good centre-backs with different experiences and qualities, but nevertheless all very good players.”
The Den. Saturday, March 18th. Kick-off: 3pm
Millwall face Warnock’s last dance at The Den
Lions want big win against legendary manager to start the international break with a bang By Alex Jones alexj@southwarknews.co.uk WINNING YOUR last game before an international break is crucial for any Championship side, especially at this stage of the season.
Millwall are looking to create a gap on the chasing pack before the run-in starts in April
When Millwall return to action on April 1st, they will have just eight games left to play. It will be a run that decides whether or not they secure a top-six finish, and heading into that period full of confidence will be absolutely vital in terms of achieving that goal. Many supporters will see a home clash with Huddersfield Town as the perfect fixture, with the Terriers only off bottom on goal difference following their 1-0 defeat at West Brom last weekend. They will head into their trip to The Den in the relegation zone, having won just once in 2023 going into Wednesday’s home tie against Norwich City. However, the clash could certainly end
up being much harder than most people expect it to be. After all, Huddersfield won the reverse fixture at the John Smith’s Stadium, a game which ended Millwall’s five-match unbeaten run back in October. Furthermore, they will be coming up against one of the most experienced and iconic managers in English football in Neil Warnock, who will likely be visiting SE16 for the final time in his career. The 74-year-old has faced Millwall 21 times in a managerial career that started all the way back in 1980, winning nine, drawing five and losing seven of those games. He has had a number of memorable moments against the Lions, many of which were caught on a documentary that was recorded in 2004, and the veteran certainly knows what to expect when he visits South London this weekend. “We have a nice easy one at Millwall,” he joked before the game. “Nobody
wants to go down there, do they?” “I always enjoy going to Millwall, you know what you’re in for. “Gary [Rowett] has done a fabulous job, they’re in for the play-offs.” The match could certainly be a banana skin for the Lions, who have often struggled against sides sat at the bottom end of the division. The likes of Hull City, Wigan Athletic and Bristol City have all frustrated the Lions at The Den so far this season, showing that a low block can help them pick up points on the road. However, Rowett’s men have also improved in this respect, having learned how to grind out tight wins as they have done against Cardiff City, QPR, Stoke City and Reading earlier in the campaign. They will likely have to do it again this weekend, but Huddersfield’s patchy defensive record could make it an easier task. They also have the worst away form in the
Championship, having won just two of their eighteen games outside of West Yorkshire this season. Millwall are still without Tyler Burey [hip], Billy Mitchell and Mason Bennett [ankle], although all three are in line to return after the international break, while Callum Styles [calf] is expected to miss the rest of the season.
matCh details
Possible Millwall starting XI: 4-2-3-1
Long; McNamara, Cresswell, Cooper, Wallace; Shackleton, Saville; Burke, Flemming, Voglsammer; Bradshaw
Match odds:
Millwall 1/2 Draw 14/5 Huddersfield 6/1
Last meeting:
Championship (October 29, 2022): Huddersfield 1-0 Millwall (Nakayama 9’)
