Luton boss Matt Bloomfield has warned his side are still a work in progress as they prepare for a “real stern test” at Peterborough United tomorrow lunchtime.
The Hatters kicked off their League One campaign with a 1–0 win over AFC Wimbledon last Friday, but it only came via a late own goal, as Town struggled to create openings about the newly-promoted Dons.
After a summer of change, with 10 signings made and 11 of last term’s first-team squad exiting Kenilworth Road, and still just over three weeks with the transfer window left open – with more business expected before it shuts – Bloomfield says his new-look squad is still finding its rhythm.
Four of his new recruits started against Wimbledon last week, with Luton adopting a 3-4-3 formation that is expected to be the standard this season and Bloomfield said: “We’re six weeks into this style of play that we want to do and we’ve got some seniors who are taking it on quickly. We’ve got some young lads that are taking it on quickly and others that need to keep educating. There’s lots of information that’s going in.”
Despite securing three points and a clean sheet on the opening night, the Luton boss admitted the performance wasn’t at the level he expects in the long run.
“We won a football match, the first one of the season with a clean sheet, and we’re off to a winning start – and no one’s smiling. So we need to smile as well. But we have to be better,” he said.
“We ended up in a game that was a lot more stodgier than any of us wanted it to be. There’s going to be lots of different challenges and we have to find ways of overcoming that and adjust along the way.”
Bloomfield knows Saturday’s trip to London Road will offer a completely different kind of challenge to the one posed by Wimbledon, though Posh lost 2-1 to Cardiff on the opening weekend, with the Welsh club also following Luton through the Championship trap door last term.
“Peterborough are a very well-drilled, very good team that we’re going to have to really respect and make sure we’re diligent in our work,” the Luton boss said, adding: “It’s going to be a real stern test for us.”
Despite a summer of big player departures at London Road and a campaign last season where they flirted with relegation but won the Vertu Trophy at Wembley against League One winners Birmingham, Bloomfield is under no illusions about the qualities of a Posh side managed by Darren Ferguson, someone he both admires and has leaned on for advice in the past.
“Darren’s teams always have a clear identity and style and philosophy,” he said. “They always have dribblers, right? They always have pace. They always have a creative and attacking intent and this team is no different to any other ones that Darren’s had.”
Ferguson’s side will be keen to make a statement in their first home fixture at a ground where Town have not won in five attempts stretched over 21 yearas. Bloomfield, however, believes the test will be as much about Luton’s ability to grow into their new system as it will be about stopping their opponents.
“We want to morph our three at the back into a more attacking unit. We’re trying to find ways to create overloads, provoke overloads, and step defenders into midfield to give us that extra threat,” he explained.
“There’s going to be different expectations on us this season because of what’s happened and where we were two seasons ago. That’s going to add expectation and we have to deal with that.”
With just shy of 4,000 Luton fans expected to make the short trip across to Cambridgeshire, Bloomfield is hoping his team can rise to the occasion.
“I’m so enthused by the fact we sold so many tickets,” he said. “We’ve had some nice days on the road at the end of last season and we want to go and try and put in a performance.”
With new signings Cohen Bramall and Jerry Yates still building fitness, and others like Marvelous Nakamba and Mark McGuinness just returning to action with the under-21s earlier this week, Bloomfield knows it may take a few more weeks before his squad truly clicks into gear.
“I do believe we’ll become better as the weeks go on,” he said. “We’re still an evolving unit – lots of new players, the ones that we’ve just spoken about getting themselves up to speed. So yeah, I’m really excited by what we will become – and we’re obviously on the journey to get there.”
