Argyle 2 Leyton Orient 0 | Schumacher's Reaction
Steven Schumacher was able to count up several good things from Argyle’s Carabao Cup tie against Leyton Orient, but there was one overriding positive: progression.
The Greens are into the second round after beating Orient 2-0 on Tuesday, with Schumacher able to point to Ben Waine’s first two Home Park goals, a clean sheet and some slick football played en route to victory.
Waine’s double came before the break, and the Pilgrims had the ball in the net on two other occasions – from Waine and Finn Azaz – only to see offside flags deny them.
After the break, Orient rallied, and Argyle fluency was less evident, but it was still a dominant performance and a wholly satisfying evening, especially given that Schumacher was able to change all but one of his starting 11 from the previous game.
“It’s objective achieved,” said Schumacher. “That's what we wanted to do: get into the next round.
“It was important to freshen the team up from Saturday. Saturday took a lot out of everyone, so to make ten changes and still have that level of performance, I thought it was brilliant.
“In the first half in particular we showed some real bits of quality. We passed the ball really well, created loads of good chances and looked quick on the break. The second half was a little bit scruffy with the ball, but credit to Leyton Orient, they came after us a little bit and had nothing to lose.”
There were three Argyle debuts on the night. Julio Pleguezuelo was not only playing for the first time in a competitive game for the Greens, but was given the captain’s armband, while loan midfield duo Lewis Warrington and Luke Cundle each took the field for the first time.
Freddie Issaka, only recently turned 17, augmented his previous seven substitute appearances by starting a game for the first time, and he marked this by assisting Waine’s second goal.
The average age of the starting 11 was only a few days over 23 years, and that included three 26-year-olds in goalkeeper Callum Burton, Pleguezuelo and auxillary central defender Matt Butcher. Not only is Schumacher’s squad looking deep, but it is young, and it is hungry.
“There were loads of good debuts there tonight,” said the boss.
“[Julio Pleguezuelo] was brilliant. He's been brilliant in every game he's played for us, He's shown the qualities that he's got. He's so sharp, he reads the game really well, intercepts a lot, and he was really calm, especially in the first half, on the ball. Him being the captain, it was an easy decision.
“He's been a leader in every team that he's played. He captained Arsenal's youth team and you can just tell when he's in there, he's got that authority. I thought he was the right man for the job on the night and I thought he played really well.
“Lewis got a little taste of Home Park on Saturday and Luke Cundle only came with us yesterday for the first time so he was a bit stiff. As you would imagine, him and Finn Azaz need to get more minutes in the legs, but for them to get 55 minutes in the tank was brilliant.
“I think in that first 45 minutes they showed the quality that they've got. Finn Azaz we know all about; all our fans know all about him. Luke Cundle is really good on the ball, he's very good in tight areas. He's played very well, so both of them can be happy with their night's work as well.
“[Freddie Issaka] was very good. He’s been a breath of fresh air throughout pre-season. He's got so much speed. That role for him out wide, it suits him. He’s getting better. He needs to keep learning obviously; he's only a baby, just turned 17. He's got loads of areas in his game that he can improve. The future's bright for him and Caleb [Roberts]. Caleb looks as though he belongs in there as well.
“We're trying to bring in hungry, energetic, talented young players to the club. Obviously, we need a little bit of experience in and around them to help. Matt Butcher was excellent tonight. To play centre back like that; everywhere you ask him to play, he does a good job. Jordan Houghton, when he came on the pitch, settled us down again.
“Winning is good, it's a good feeling. You want to keep that momentum going, and that extra game now at the end of this month will be a chance for other people to stake a claim.
“We'll need the whole squad and if we can get more games in the calendar where we can look at a few different things, then it keeps everybody on their toes. We're ready for the challenges that's going to come.”
