You can break Saturday’s defeat against Bolton Wanderers down into three notable, constituent parts.
To begin with, Argyle were more than competitive with Bolton, managed by former Pilgrims boss Steven Schumacher. By the time Wanderers took the lead, on 20 minutes, the Greens had shown just as much going forward as their hosts, won midfield battles and looked decidedly tidy.
The goal changed matters. Bolton captain Eoin Toal headed in from a corner, and Argyle wobbled. Thus commenced Part Two of the game, where Argyle stayed in it, only a goal down, and although Bolton looked a threat on the break, there was hope.
On the hour, Bolton got their second – the impressive Amario Cozier-Duberry advanced on the right, and Mason Burstow fired home – and that was that. After their second, Bolton sat off, and Argyle then had loads of possession, but practically no threat whatsoever. Wanderers saw the game out in comfort.
It means Argyle have no points from their opening two games, following a defeat to Barnsley last weekend that followed a startlingly similar pattern.
“I think there are things to learn from both defeats,” said Argyle Head Coach Tom Cleverley. “I thought last week we didn’t show personality. We took a backward step.
“Today, I couldn't say we took a backward step, but we certainly didn't take a forward one and really try to threaten their goal.
“The goal completely knocked us out of our stride last week, and the same's happened again today. We looked flat, we looked a little bit short of ideas; quite a lot of control and possession, but we never want to be that team that doesn't end up with a purpose.
“I need to address the mentality. There looked a little bit of an acceptance of defeat today. That comes from two years of treading water, and defeat being the most common result that this group suffered. Maybe [it was] the first signs of the hangover of relegation, and the mentality.
“We need to address that quickly, and that'll start with all of us going through an internal reflection of the last two results, and work hard. Work harder.
“Up until our substitutes, I thought there was an acceptance of what was unfolding.
“I thought Pato (Jamie Paterson) came on, gave us quality. I thought young Tegan [Finn] did fantastically well. There’s one positive we can take out of today, is a bit more competition for places.
“After last week's defeat, our squad being so thin, we could only make one change. Steven made five.
“Our substitutes came on for us and have made that team selection a much harder decision for Tuesday and Saturday.”
The forthcoming games, of which Cleverley speaks, are against Queens Park Rangers, at Home Park on Tuesday night, in the Carabao Cup, followed by a trip to Lincoln City the following weekend.
They present both an opportunity for Argyle to shake off the losing feeling, and for players to stake a claim for future inclusion.
“We have to get out of this acceptance of defeat,” said Cleverley. “We have to change the mentality. We are up against a strong opposition, but we're at home. We need to give those fans something back for our first two performances. Every chance you have to step over that white line, it's a chance to impress; you're playing for your livelihood.
“We need to stop being so affected by setbacks. In 46 games, you're going to concede goals, you're going to suffer setbacks.
“There'll be a lot of learning from the last two games. The key to that is changing – and that needs to start as soon as possible.”
