Mark Hughes has explained why he gave Josh Vela a surprise recall to the Carlisle United starting line-up.
The experienced midfielder came back into the XI for last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to AFC Wimbledon.
The change did not pay off as Carlisle again struggled – and went on to go further adrift in their fight for League Two survival.
Vela was one of a host of players who struggled to make an impact as he was drafted in for his first start in three months alongside Callum Guy in midfield.
Asked why he felt Vela had earned a fresh opportunity, head coach Hughes said: “Josh has done okay in training.
“I'm looking at what guys are offering me.
“He's fitter now than he's been for a long time, I thought he could give us a good 60 minutes, which for the most part I thought he did.
“But it was difficult for him as it was for a number of players [on Saturday].
“I wouldn’t just highlight his contribution – I thought he was one of the better ones.”
Hughes said there needed to be more balance in United's game understanding (Image: Ben Holmes)
Hughes conceded after the game that his changes in personnel and formation did not pay off.
And he felt United did not get the “balance” of their approach to the game right.
“I felt in some games that we got sucked into [a certain style], and although we competed and did OK in some of the games, I just felt we could play a little bit more football.
“At times we did that, but it’s the balance of understanding – sometimes you've got to go a little bit more direct, you've got to put pressure on opposition back lines, turn them around and see what happens.
“Our ability to do that, which on paper, when you think about it and talk about it, should be the easier part of the game in terms of just hitting the long ball and keeping it on the island and then getting around it…we didn't do that part of the play very well at all.
“You've got to be adaptable, you've got to be able to change things as a player and myself as the manager, and those changes probably didn't help the players.”
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