‘A flexible three’ – Millwall boss explains midfield calls in Rotherham win – with Mitchell dropping to the bench

BY ALEX GRACE

Millwall boss Gary Rowett is pleased with the quality he now has available to him in midfield. 

The Lions have recruited a number of central midfielders during the manager’s reign in SE16 and now have real depth and in what is known as the ‘engine room.’ 

Rowett is yet to find the right combination as he continues to try different partnerships in the centre of the park. 

He changed things up again on Wednesday night – leaving Billy Mitchell on the bench and partnering Allan Campbell with Casper De Norre for their 3-0 victory over Rotherham. 

“We played a bit more of a flexible three today, ” said Rowett. 

“Casper sat. Allan just sort of goes in between a little bit, and then Zian [Flemming] has a bit more licence to go and get forward. And I thought Allan looked a bit more match-ready tonight – we saw a better performance from him. It’s going to take a little bit of time to get those minutes. 

“We’ve got good players. Billy missed out tonight and I just felt it was a game to add a little bit more attacking quality and that meant my gamble really was to sit Casper rather than Billy and see if he can get on the ball a little bit more. He was excellent in that respect – I thought he dictated the pace and tempo for us with his switches of play and his ability to build possession.”

It looks set to be a position that the manager will change based on the opposition. Zian Flemming started on the bench against Leeds, while George Saville started neither contest but came on as a second-half substitute in both. 

Explaining his decisions, Rowett said: “We’ve got good options in there.

“We’ve got Rom [Esse] who can play really effectively in there. Even tonight, after 10-15 minutes, I thought it would be a good game for Rom in there, but again, we had to make some changes through injury and players not quite getting through [the 90 minutes physically].

“I’ve said it before – we’ve got a good squad. It’s a thin squad because we’ve got injuries. I could really do without [Kevin] Nisbet being out. But that’s what the squad is for.

“If Joe Bryan is not available, Longman comes in and has to reach the same level to stay in the team. If Brooke’s not available, Danny has to go back into the team and do exactly the same and that’s what the squad is about.”