Blackburn defender Alebiosu targets fitness gains despite heavy Forest defeat

Ryan Alebiosu says Blackburn Rovers’ 3-0 pre-season defeat by Nottingham Forest was still a valuable step towards full fitness and sharper performances ahead of the new campaign.

The Nigeria international, who started the friendly and played an hour, stressed that getting significant game time after the summer break was his main takeaway from the match.

“It felt good to get 60 minutes in my legs and to get the rust out,” the Super Eagles defender said, reflecting on the outing. “It was a good run-around to keep the fitness up and it was a good 60 minutes for the boys, which will stand us in good stead for the season to come.”

Alebiosu underlined that conditioning, rather than the scoreline, was the priority as Blackburn continue their preparations.

“The most important thing was the fitness. After a long break, coming back in, some of us have been ill, so getting those minutes in the legs, in this heat as well, was good for us,” he added.

Forest test seen as valuable benchmark

Blackburn were well beaten by a Forest side preparing for another Premier League season, but Alebiosu felt the level of opposition provided an important benchmark for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s squad.

“Respect to Nottingham Forest, they’re a big team, Premier League and they played in Europe last season as well, so it was always going to be a good battle,” he said.

The defender explained that facing top-flight players gave Blackburn’s squad both a test and a target as they look to raise their own standards.

“The boys wanted to prove that they can play at this, play against these kind of opponents and I think the boys did well,” he said. “Playing against the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White, these kind of players, it’s something to learn from, seeing the way they play. It’s motivational for a lot of us to be honest.”

Belief growing despite result

Despite the margin of defeat, Alebiosu highlighted spells of the game – particularly the opening 45 minutes – when Blackburn were able to compete and create opportunities against their Premier League visitors.

“As a group, playing against these boys, even in the first 45 when we created chances, it motivated everyone to think, ‘You know what, maybe we can play at this level, maybe we can do things this season,’ so it was good motivation,” he concluded.

Blackburn will continue their pre-season schedule aiming to build on those fitness foundations and the confidence gained from testing themselves against higher-level opposition, as Alebiosu and his team-mates target a stronger campaign when the competitive action begins.