North End's talkative Frenchman Youl Mawene is back in contention for this weekend's trip to Swansea.
The centre-half watched from the bench in midweek as the Lilywhites put on a disappointing show against Barnsley, but having freshened up from a hectic period of games the Frenchman is raring to go and get things back on track at The Liberty Stadium.
Youl, you were rested for Tuesday night's match against Barnsley, are you feeling any fresher now?
We've got a big squad so we need to use everyone and try and have fresh legs. I think we have got a big squad and if you are not 100 per cent you shouldn't really be starting. My legs are back now, they feel better and hopefully I will be alright for the weekend.
Your first game back was the FA Cup match, how have things gone since then?
Chelsea was the first game and we lost but we kind of did alright, there were some good positives to take from the game and we managed to bring that on for the next two games. It's a shame that during the midweek we haven't been able to carry on that run. We'll have to get back to basics at Swansea and make sure that defensively we are sound and that we have got strong performances and hopefully we can create chances and score goals.
We talk about having a reaction following a bad defeat, is that the case this weekend?
Massively. You have got to move on, we were very disappointed, it was a great opportunity to really get back up the league but we need to pick ourselves up, get back out there. This is another opportunity against a very good Swansea team, they are going to be passing the ball and we are expecting a tough game. We'll definitely need a strong reaction and be ready for this game.
Togetherness and teamwork has been the main ethos of this squad in recent times, does that continue?
We have got a good squad, a good group of lads, they are all ready to work hard and do the best that they can. We've got a few new signings that have come in so we will have to communicate a lot, I feel that sometimes the understanding is not quite there but I think if you have got the will to do better things will improve. A lot of good ideas have been thrown at us and it is still early days but the work will start paying off, hopefully soon now.
The Gaffer said he was keen to get you back in the side because you are a good communicator. Does it seem strange that a Frenchman in an English side is being singled out as a good talker?
I've always kind of been the second in command, a captain's man or whatever you want to call it. I'm happy in that role, to try and help all the players out there, give people cover, give people advice and try and pick people up as well. Mistakes are going to happen and sometimes you just need someone to be there and be encouraging. I've got a good understanding with players like Ledge and Lonners and that helps as well when you are playing with players like that. I always say, we win and lose as a team, I don't like to point fingers at people. The bottom line is that as a defender sometimes you are there to cover for other people's mistakes and you have just got to put yourself out there and do the best you can.
It's been said that we are a quiet side. Should we learn to talk more?
Sometimes we are a side who when we are confident we are a threat and sometimes on different days when the confidence is not there we look almost nothing. It shouldn't be like that, we should always have the same impact in games and sometimes if it is not happening for you you should try and keep at it. Sometimes this confidence factor is hitting us hard, we've been on a bad run before and when you are on a run like that the lack of experience and the lack of communication in the team can show sometimes. It's important to have players from different age groups and players to do certain jobs and to do different things. You win as a team so as long as everyone puts in a hard shift that's the most important thing.
What do you make of the two new signings, Keith Treacy and Paul Coutts?
They are very talented on the ball, they are very confident players and at the minute we are a bit short on confidence so it would be nice to have people ready to take people on, ready to commit the opposition players and to take chances. If you don't try out there you are not going to succeed, both players are here and they have got good quality, they are full of confidence and hopefully we will be able to create and score more goals than we have been doing recently.
Swansea play some good football, almost a continental style of play.
We are expecting them to pass us to death to be honest. It could be a kind of Chelsea rematch in the sense that you have to really switch on and concentrate all the time, passing people on, staying with your man at times and communicate across the line and make sure you have got a good shape. You close the spaces where people want to play and all those basic things which involve defending as a unit and as a team. It is going to be hard, it is going to be really hard, we know that but it is all about our shape, hopefully we get a good shape about ourselves and then we will be able to stop them playing.
If they are playing football then that should allow us also to go out there and express ourselves.
The objective is to go there and have a bit more free passing football. They are going to want to pass the football and hopefully we will have a chance with our new players and to try and pass and cause them problems. Hopefully we can create chances and score goals, to win games you need to score goals and that's the bottom line, we need to try and create a bit more.
