Mike Jackson gave his thoughts in Thursday's press conference ahead of this weekend's game against Scunthorpe United at Prenton Park.
The Whites’ boss has gained encouragement from recent displays versus Cambridge United and Liverpool U21s, matches in which possession was regained in the final third to great effect.
Jackson now wants this attacking mechanism to become a regular feature of the Tranmere team, as he praised the progress being made as a collective.
He said: “I looked back at the games from Tuesday and Saturday, and the pressing and amount of times we turned the ball over in the opposition half is high: 36 in one game, 35 in another. That gets you closer to your goal. That’s the way we want to play, we want to be aggressive on that press at the right times and then we can come out with the ball and attack. It’s got to be a part of our identity, that pressing and winning the ball back in good areas.
“With last week’s away performance and the performance on Tuesday night, I’ve seen some really good signs that the team is starting to gel a little bit more,” continued Jackson. “We will benefit from Tuesday’s result and the performance last weekend, where I thought we were dominant in our attacking play. That comes from having these attacking players available and I think it’s the first time we’ve had the attacking players available for one week’s training and 90 minutes of football together, though we're still missing two.
“I was delighted with another clean sheet [Cambridge], it’s always a good base to work from. With the Cheltenham game, we know where we conceded from. It wasn’t from open play or anyone cutting you open, that was people just switching off on a couple of set-plays.”
Having earned a first home win earlier this week against Liverpool U21s, the Tranmere boss is now seeking a further three points as Scunthorpe United make the trip to Prenton Park this weekend.
The Iron have claimed four points from their opening three league encounters and Jackson is expecting a challenging contest on Saturday afternoon.
“I know the manager well and how he sets his teams up. He’s a good guy. It’s another tough game in this league, which they all are. They’ve got some decent players in there and a way of playing. We’ve just got to make sure that we build on these last two games. I think this team are starting to gel and I’ve got a feeling that it’s ready to go,” concluded the Tranmere manager.
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