ALEX Neil explained his half-time switch in Millwall’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town.
The Lions were a distinct second-best against the home side for the opening 45 minutes, going into the break 1-0 down after the dangerous Jack Clarke struck with a long-range effort on the cusp of half-time.
Neil switched how his side pressed during the interval, going on-to-one, and replaced Macaulay Langstaff with Mihailo Ivanovic.
Millwall equalised through Josh Coburn with five minutes of the restart and came close to snatching a late winner when Ivanovic smacked the underside of the crossbar.
Neil clarified why he brought Ivanovic on.
“I want to make it clear,” Neil said. “Because we took Macca off and put Mihailo on, the game didn’t change on that. The game changed because we changed our press. Now, I could’ve kept Macca on, but if you’re playing two up front, you’re going to put the ball forward. Physical presence matters, and that’s why I made the change. “