RYAN Leonard has admitted his 2019-20 was a “nightmare campaign” – but he has a few aces up his sleeve heading into the new season.
Leonard, 28, suffered a knee injury against Leeds last October and then a further setback on his return in February meant it was June before he started his first game under Gary Rowett.
Even that seemed to sum up his misfortune, as Millwall lost 3-2 at home to Derby after football’s restart.
But if Leonard can stay fit he can fill a number of positions. He has featured as a right-back, right wing-back – where he played against Crawley last Saturday – holding midfielder and number 10 in his two campaigns at The Den since his 2018 move from Sheffield United. With Mahlon Romeo a doubt this weekend against Stoke, Leonard could continue on the right flank.
That’s a versatility range that Rowett values, as he wants players to be comfortable in a number of different positions and formations.
It gives Leonard extra opportunities to claim a first-team place, as he looks to put last season behind him.
“It was a nightmare campaign on a personal note,” Leonard said. “It finished well and I scored a nice goal at the end of the season [against Hull], but in general it was difficult.
“I’m hopeful that after last Saturday it will help to put it behind me. It was tough mentally last season, but my aim now is to start this season well.
“The gaffer had been here a number of months and I hadn’t played under him. It was strange, watching a lot of games but not really working with the gaffer.
“But I’m feeling fresh, feeling fit and strong and I can’t wait for the new campaign.
“The gaffer has said to me a few times that I can play in different positions and that helps me and the team. I’m a central midfielder, if I had to pick one position, but I can do a job at the back, out wide, in most places, really.
“I’d like to think I can play in a lot of positions and play well. I thought I did okay last Saturday. If I play there more often, great, if I play midfield on Saturday then that’s fine as well.
“Mahlon’s our number one right-back, we all know that, but if I can push him and keep him improving, and if I keep improving, then it improves the team as well. That’s how we want it, you have to have competition for places.
“The gaffer has made sure in the summer with the players he’s brought in that we are really competitive in all areas.”
Rowett has also demanded goals from more areas of the pitch. Millwall scored just 57 times in 46 league games last season, the lowest of the top 16 in the Championship.
Scott Malone got off the mark last weekend from left wing-back, and Leonard knows that it can’t all be left to the front players.
He said: “We don’t want to put too much onus on the strikers and attacking players to get all the goals, I don’t think it’s fair to leave it all to them. We need to provide more goals, whether it’s from midfield or at set-pieces from the defenders.
“We know what the gaffer wants, and we should be chipping in with a few more goals from all over the pitch. If we can do that this year then it will take a little bit of pressure off the attacking players. We need more goals from deeper on the pitch.
“It’s great to see good players coming into the building, it gives everyone a boost. The first few weeks since the new boys have been here the standards have been really high, everyone’s been at it. It showed straightaway when those types of players came into the club, everyone buys into it. They’re great lads as well, they fit in immediately.
“The gaffer wants us to enjoy getting forward. It was a new position for me [at Crawley] but I was happy to play there.
“He wants us to play with freedom, not just out wide and I thought our attacking play at times was really good, we created excellent chances.
“If we can keep doing that then great. In pre-season you can get bogged down too much in the way you play. At the end of the day pre-season is a fitness exercise, it’s to get minutes and games and improve your technique.
“So far we’ve had more of the ball in games, but there’s going to be plenty of matches when we don’t have the majority of possession. If we can adjust in different games with the way we play then that’s only going to help us.
The gaffer wants us to have more of the ball, and it’s up to us to use it better. I think so far we’ve used possession quite well. We need to continue that.
“The aim is to go one better this season.”
Does that mean a top-six place is the ambition?
Leonard said: “Possibly, but we’re not really talking about that. I know you’re probably thinking, ‘well, they’re never going to say that anyway’. But as a group we haven’t mentioned any targets at the moment.
“All we want to do is try to improve on last season, whether that’s points, performances. If it gets us an extra couple of places then great.
“I think we’ve already shown in pre-season we’ve got better. If we can continue that then who knows where we can end up.
“Our strongest attribute is group strength, we’re not an individual-based group. Improvement rather than specific targets is our aim at the moment.”
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