Rob Edwards does not believe Luton’s winless start to the season is a confidence issue but has warned that it could become one if the Hatters don’t find a first Championship win soon.
Town travel to Millwall on Saturday lunchtime, aiming to bounce back from a tough to take 2-1 defeat at home to QPR before the international break.
That game saw Luton lead and dominate the Londoners until two big mistakes in three second half minutes consign them to a third defeat in four opening league games. It was also their second defeat in a week to Rangers after a penalty shoot-out exit in the Carabao Cup days earlier.
And after relegation from the Premier League last term, means the Hatters have won just two league games in 2024, with their last victory a little over six months ago.
Before the season, Town were tipped as one of the favourites for an immediate return to the top flight, the pressure is on to prove the predictions correct.
“I don’t think it is a confidence issue because I think if we were playing really, really poorly and we had been for quite a while, and we said this last year as well, if we’re playing poorly and losing, then it’s hard to take anything from it, they’re going to lose belief,” Edwards said.
“But there is a good performance there (against QPR), especially up until that (first) goal. so it’s not a confidence thing. But you know, it’s a it’s a concentration thing. It’s to be robotic in those moments and do the right thing. That’s that’s what it’s got to be.
“The best teams don’t make those errors. And if they do, someone then covers and mops up and we still had an opportunity to do that, especially for that first one. So, I don’t think it’s a confidence issue, but it could become one if we’re not careful.”
Edwards has kept most of last term’s squad together and yesterday added free agent former Chelsea and Crystal Palace winger Victor Moses to his squad, having lost Chiedozie Ogbene in an £8million move to newly promoted Premier League outfit Ipswich.
“I don’t think it’s an attitude thing or people (think) ‘because I’ve dropped down to the Championship, I’m too good for this level’ or anything like that. I don’t see that,” said the manager.
“But I do want more from the players. You know, it’s not to say we’re great and everything’s going really, really well. It’s clearly not. We can still do more, but it’s not all bad either.”
