Ricardo Santos offers alternative approach ahead of Bolton Wanderers’ trip to Fleetwood | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers are desperate to re-join the League One top six race and could go some way to achieving that by taking maximum points at Fleetwood Town this evening.

The Trotters have picked up seven points from their last four games in the third tier, a run which has not been sparkling but has arrested their slide down the table.

Ian Evatt has instilled a predominantly possession based style of football at The UniBol since arriving in the summer of 2020, however, captain Ricardo Santos was keen for Bolton to be adaptable and do whatever it takes to win when he spoke to The Bolton News.

He said: “Sometimes you have got to do whatever you can to win. I know the gaffer wants us to play pretty football, out from the back, but if it is going to be as bad as we expect then maybe it is a time to get the ball in the right areas.

“Most importantly, everyone needs to work their socks off, get on the second balls, and then we can win the game, I am sure of that.

“Like last season, going to places like Mansfield on a horrible windy night, the pitch was horrible, so it could be one of those again. We have to go over there and do whatever we can do to get three points.

“We need to improve because it (scoring from set pieces) is the kind of thing that can really help when you are drawing a game 0-0 and it’s really tight.”

With the busy Christmas period fast approaching and the extreme weather conditions we have experienced in recent weeks, particularly at the smaller grounds in the EFL it is going to be difficult to play attractive football.

The Verdict

Highbury Stadium is far from a poster ground in League One and the surface could suit a direct approach with controlling the ball and popping passes off getting tougher as pitches deteriorate. Wanderers are currently eight points off of the play-off places and with 78 left to play for the squad will still be believing they can overcome that gap.

Bolton have the players to mix up their game and may be inclined to do so, particularly because of how leaky the Cod Army’s backline has been this term. Fleetwood are winless in eight in the league and are four points from safety in 22nd place as a result. The Trotters will go in as favourites and will be hoping to profit off the Cod Army’s low confidence following their 5-1 defeat at Accrington Stanley on Saturday.