Go back to the end of last season and Barnsley found themselves in the playoffs, with just three games between them and the Premier League. Defeat over two legs to Swansea left The Tykes in the Championship, and that was followed by the hit of losing both their head coach Valérien Ismael and influential captain Alex Mowatt to West Brom.
In came Markus Schopp for the new season, and things couldn’t have gone much worse for the club. We are halfway through the new campaign and Barnsley find themselves second from bottom in the Championship, eight points behind what is required to get out of the relegation zone. The only reason Barnsley are not bottom of the table is because of the 21 points deducted from Derby due to financial problems.
Can they rekindle the spirit of last season and pull off a miracle under new man Poya Asbaghi, or does League One await The Tykes next season?
What Has Gone Wrong for Barnsley?
The biggest single problem that Barnsley have faced this season has been scoring goals. They have struggled in front of goal, and because of this, face a real lack of confidence when they go behind in games.
Defensively they have not been as strong as last season, which has been a worry, but had they scored like last season, that would have been covered up to some extent. The combination of a leaky defence and no goals is the worst of both worlds, and what usually spells trouble for teams. Until this is fixed by Asbaghi, Barnsley are unlikely to feature as winners in any of the latest Championship predictions for the weekend games and the longer this goes on, the slimmer their chances of survival.
Can Asbaghi Lead Them to Safety?
Since arriving at the club, things have looked a little better for Barnsley under Asbaghi. The 1-1 home draw with Huddersfield recently was perhaps their best performance of the season, but now is not a time when Barnsley need performances, they need wins and three points on the board.
There is a world where Asbaghi can get things right and get his squad playing, but the gap to close between relegation and survival is simply too big. He needs results now, and it doesn’t really matter how they come.
What we have seen from Asbaghi so far, Barnsley are going to be more rigid when they don’t have the ball, in a bid to shore up their backline and stop conceding so many. He also needs his players to find some confidence in front of goal.
While Carlton Morris has looked a threat all season, Cauley Woodrow seemingly has the weight of the world on his shoulders, while Aaron Leya Iseka has slowed down since a fast start to life at the club. Barnsley are in a position where one of these three playing well is not enough, all three need to start scoring goals if this miracle is going to be pulled off.
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