Clint Peay Enjoying 1st Full Week as Interim Head Coach
“We’ve been able to introduce some ideas, and the guys have been really good with receiving those ideas."
Life has been a whirlwind for New England Revolution interim head coach but this week he is beginning to settle into his new role.
After being thrust into the interim head coach role after replacing Richie Williams, Peay just had a few days to prepare prior to the disappointing defeat to the Colorado Rapids. As preparations are well underway for a match against Chicago Fire where New England desperately needs three points, Peay actually has some time to breathe.
“It’s been good,” Peay said regarding having a full week of training. “We’ve been able to introduce some ideas, and the guys have been really good with receiving those ideas. It’s just nice to be able to do it on the field with a full week, explore it a little bit and get some feedback from the players. It’s been a really good week so far.”
Hopefully a good week of training will have New England firing on all cylinders come Saturday evening. The club is desperate for a win after losing to the worst team in all of MLS, the Colorado Rapids.
Going up against the Chicago Fire should provide a great opportunity for New England to secure points. The Fire will be without star Xherdan Shaqiri due to picking up a red card on Wednesday.
Peay sees Saturday as an opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the season and begin the process of getting the Revs back on track.
“It’s the first of many to end the season. It’s the most important game for us right now,” Peay said of the match against Chicago. “We need three points. It’s a tight race and I think that it will set the tone for the rest of the season with us. I think Chicago is hurting a little bit with some injuries and red card situations. We have to be on the front foot and ready to take the game to them and get three points.”
Still, the interim head coach suspects that Saturday will be a tough contest.
“[Chicago Fire FC] are at home, and they still have a lot to play for,” Peay stated. “They’re right in the hunt still so I suspect that they’re going to still want to go for it. I don’t think their identity changes too much from what we’ve seen, it’s just personnel. I think they’re going to try to be hard, play against and make it difficult for us in terms of how we build up the game. They’re very good in transition so I suspect they want to take advantage of that.”
If the Revs don’t manage to secure three points, fans’ concerns will be at an all-time high. As Peay said, it is basically a must-win for the club which desperately needs a win to forget about the distractions of the last month.
No matter the result on Saturday, Peay and the players do have something to look forward to. New England returns home after the Chicago match, a place where they have yet to suffer defeat.
“It’s hugely important when we get [to be] back home,” the interim head coach claimed. “[The players] have been really good over the course of the season, and I think they take pride in that, to be able to go out in front of the fans here and perform and get results. We want to continue that, and I think the players understand the importance of it.”