Nathan Jones was delighted with his side’s organisation on Friday afternoon, as the Addicks drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace in their fourth game of pre-season.
“I think we’re in a good place and I’m very, very pleased,” he said. “In terms of being a team in and out of possession, pressing, being aggressive and disciplined – absolutely outstanding.
“This is a good Premier League side, so to come up against that at their place, I’m proud of it. It shows that we’re ticking along nicely. It’s a nice finish to the week. I was pleased with what I saw on Tuesday, and today was another step up.
“We had the best chances in the game, we’ve hit the post, we’ve had some situations that we could have done better with, and our keeper hasn’t had to make a save. So defensively, we’re looking a really good unit. That won’t be our test every week, so if we can be that good out of possession and then be as good as we can be in possession, then we’ll be in a very good place.”
Up against a Palace side which was not far off full strength, Jones fielded a first XI without a number of the Addicks’ established stars. But it was Charlton who went in at half-time a goal up.
“It shows that whatever XI we put out, we’ve got great competition here,” said Jones. “Plus we didn’t use Berry, didn’t use Godden. So we’re in a good position strength-wise, and we’re still looking to streamline and strengthen the squad.”
Gassan Ahadme and Rarmani Edmonds-Green missed out with minor issues, and the gaffer provided an update on their fitness.
“Just little muscular things – you’re going to pick them up in pre-season. The thing about Gassan is he wants to train all the time. He wants to be in the gym, he wants to train, he wants to run to work, run home from work. That’s one thing we have to control, because he’s just picking up some stiffness and so on. It’s just about education because he’s so keen to do well, wants to train, wants to get better.
“Rarmani’s just picked up something. He’s trained this week, but it was just too soon today.”
One man who did make his first start of pre-season was Chuks Aneke, who impressed with a tremendous strike to open the scoring in the 38th minute.
“Chuks can be a phenomenon,” said Jones. “it’s just about getting him fit and keeping him fit. We’ve got a new programme for him. We’ve sat him down and said what we require, and we’re hopefully reaping the benefits.”
The boss also provided an update on any transfer plans the club have. “We know who we want to bring in, and we know what positions we want to strengthen. It’s just about getting the deals done,” he said.
“None of our signings have been easy deals, which means they’re the right ones. I want to make sure we get the right ones, however long that takes. I would have liked everyone to have been in place by now, but sometimes with big signings it’s not always possible. So what we’ve got to do is keep working with the ones we’ve got, keep trying to improve the squad, and I’m sure by the time the season starts we will have improved in different areas.”
Today saw an appearance from one new player in the form of defender Dan Potts.
“We’re looking for a left-sided centre-half,” said Jones. “Dan Potts has done fantastically well for me. He’s had a number of promotions, played in the Premier League, so the pedigree is there. It’s just about making sure we can get enough of what we need out of him. It’s not a trial, he’s just training with us. He’s having a look at us, we’re having a look at him, but if Dan’s fit and ready to go, then he’s a wonderful acquisition.”
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