Millwall (H) | Schumacher's Reaction

After a 2-0 loss at home to Millwall, Argyle boss Steven Schumacher considered himself to be more frustrated than disappointed.

It was easy to see why. Few managers would be disappointed with what they saw from their team in a first half like this one, as Argyle moved the ball slickly, dominated possession and territory, and restricted Millwall to fleeting glimpses of the ball.

The travelling Lions fans ironically cheered on some of the occasions they were in possession, such was Argyle’s supremacy. However, the one criterion that matters most in the game of football was the thing lacking: a goal.

Millwall showed a little more guile in the second period, and a goal from Zian Flemming put them in front on the hour mark. In added time, with Argyle searching for an equaliser that looked increasingly beyond them, George Saville added a second goal.

“I was happy with how we played in general,” said Schumacher. “We passed the ball well and got into some really dangerous areas, but a combination of good defending from Millwall, the goalkeeper making a few good saves and then poor decision making and execution in the final third is the most frustrating thing.

“We started the game really well. We knew how important the first goal was going to be tonight.

“We did go over it again at half-time. One lapse of concentration or a mistake or a bit of quality from them, if they get the first goal, it becomes even harder to win the game. Unfortunately, we lost concentration and they got it. Once they did that, they shut up shop and defended their goal.

“We just switched off. We didn't see a runner from a second ball and it's in the back of our net. We did everything that we possibly could to try to score and it was just one of those nights where it wasn't going to go in.”

At the outset, Argyle reverted to the 4-3-3 system they began the season with, with Mickel Miller playing as a left full-back, and Finn Azaz and Adam Randell providing support for a front three.

Argyle were aware that Millwall were likely to put a premium on defending, which to their credit they did very well.

“They're an established Championship team,” Schumacher said. “They've probably been playing that way forever. It is what it is. We've got to get our heads around that.

“We changed back to the system that we've been playing the majority of this season. I thought that was the right call. We had an extra attacking player because we knew we were going to control possession. They're not the type of team that are bothered about having possession, so we knew we were going to have the ball.

“I thought we played okay. We passed it well. We got into some really good areas. The lads looked sharp; they responded and did everything that we asked them to. We just didn't get the break of the ball or show enough quality to take one of the chances that we made.

“We're going to win games football this year and we're going to lose. You draw a line under it and move on to the next one. Thankfully, we’re at home [on Saturday] and it's another opportunity for us to try to get a win. If we get a win then it's been a good block of six games, so we can't be we won't be too disappointed.

“We’re frustrated tonight. We'll probably play worse than that and win. The performance was okay. We didn't get the result that we wanted, so we’ll try to get a better one on Saturday.”