Express & Star

Dean Keates: Walsall must learn fast

Boss Dean Keates says Walsall will learn from their loss at Luton as they look to bounce back at Southend tonight.

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The Saddlers have enjoyed an impressive start to the 2018/19 campaign but they were well off the pace in a 2-0 loss to The Hatters on Saturday.

Speaking after that game, Keates said his players fell well below the standards he expects from them.

And he has told his squad it was a performance they must learn from.

“Luton was an education for everybody,” Keates said. “We have watched the game back clipped it and shown them a lot of negatives that they need to learn from. It’s a young group. They have come far in a short distance and this will be part of their learning curve. They have had to take their medicine. We weren’t good enough and we didn’t deserve to take anything from the game. Now we have got to get ready and go again at Southend. We will make sure the wrongs will be made right.

“We’ve had a reaction from every defeat this season. And now we have to go to Southend, give a performance and pick up some points.”

Following Walsall’s underwhelming display at Kenilworth Road, Keates admitted he has contemplated making changes for tonight’s trip to Roots Hall.

“When you have got the top, when you have got the jersey, it’s up to you to give everything, to take on board the messages we give you and perform,” the boss continued.

“If I then come in and change the tactics, it’s up to me to justify why I changed them.

“But as I told the players in the dressing room at Luton, a lot of players have left themselves open with their performance.”

Keates also wants to see Walsall improve on their set-piece delivery which wasn’t good enough on Saturday.

“I wasn’t happy with the set pieces,” he added.

“We work on them. We speak about them. There are a couple of factors when you work on set-pieces - you have to make sure the ball is correct and in the right area.

“Then it’s the desire to get on it. But you can’t question the players’ desire to get on it when it’s not in the right area.”

Walsall will host Coventry in the first round of the FA Cup on the weekend of Saturday, November 10.