Holloway plans to be like Barca

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway has a plan to keep his side in the English Premier League next season – play like Barcelona.

Holloway’s side have let their impressive start to the season slip and are now just one point out of the relegation zone ahead of their trip to Blackburn on Saturday, and the manager said things need to change if they are to remain in the top flight.

“I’ve been putting together another plan to see if I can get enough points,” Holloway said.

“We’ve got to set up a system and structure that works, one that other people will admire and will make them think, ‘That’s fantastic. How are they doing that?’ There is one club doing it and that is Barcelona.”

“I love the way we have played this year and the way we try to do certain things. But will that work long term? I’m not sure.”

Holloway said his side’s predictability in their ‘attack at all costs’ regime has been a part of their downfall, so he said a slight tweaking of their tactics was in order ahead of their visit to Ewood Park.

“I think our long diagonal passes are readable and if I’m without one or two players we don’t look as effective in that system,” Holloway said.

“Last year I could pick the same midfield all the way through but you have to keep evolving.”

“So I’ll be looking to do something slightly different, to help my team be a little bit more solid, get the ball back a little easier and then go and hurt people. We will still be attacking, just slightly differently.”

Holloway admitted opposition teams were more on guard against Blackpool now after perhaps underestimating them following their unlikely promotion from the Championship.

“In the first half of the season I think everybody took us a bit lightly. We surprised an awful lot of people and played really well,” he said.

“We have continued to play well, even in this bad run we are on, but people have seen it now and we have to evolve. We are a tad predictable at times.”

“But that doesn’t mean we aren’t doing well. We are in the best division in the world and we’ve held our own better than I dreamed we would.”

Blackpool are without goalkeepers Matthew Gilks (knee) and Paul Rachubka (knee), midfielder Chris Basham (broken leg) and striker Billy Clarke (knee).