David Cancola issues rallying cry after Ross County kick off 2023 with stalemate at Aberdeen
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David Cancola has insisted Ross County are better than their 0–0 draw away at Aberdeen showed.
The Staggies played out the stalemate at Pittodrie with both sides under pressure to pick up three points – the Dons after losing their previous four games and County after slipping to the bottom of the table.
Austrian midfielder Cancola admitted afterwards that his side were not at their best, but is adamant there is more quality in Dingwall than has been shown since they returned from the winter break.
"I'm going to be honest, I think the point is something to build on – it's a hard place to come – but performance-wise we're better than that," Cancola stressed.
"With the ball and without the ball, we can do better. I see that every day in training, and it's time for us to show that on the pitch.
"We did good things as well, but I think we can be better on the ball. We can be more patient and hold on to the ball better, because we give it away too easily at times.
"At times I think we make it too easy for other teams to get up the pitch and into our box. In the end it's great defending in our box, everybody was putting their body on the line so we can't criticise anybody for a lack of fight, but sometimes we have to be in a better shape to make it harder for teams to get that far.
"Our lack of shots also caught my eye, and we're going to have to look at it. You get games like that, but obviously it's a negative when you don't create many chances.
"Off the top of my head I think we had two shots on goal, which is not enough. We have to create more to cause problems and score goals. We'll look at it, and I'm sure next week that will change."
Leaving the past behind
At the start of the season, noises out of Ross County suggested that there was no need to panic.
They fell towards the relegation places early on and have yet to consistently emerge, but after going 11 matches without victory at the start of the 2021/22 campaign and still finishing in the top six, optimism remained high – and it still does among the Staggies' group.
Cancola helped turn things around as part of last season's squad, but he is keen to stop any further comparisons between the two campaigns, saying a new group of players must find their own way forward.
"I don't like the comparison to last year," Cancola explained.
"On one hand, it does give us confidence knowing that we've done it before, but it's a completely new season. We have a new squad, and we need to find the way that suits our team this time to get out of here.
"We have the right people and the right staff to do so, so I'm confident and everyone else at the club is too.
"We still believe we can get into that (top six) battle, but we take it game by game. There's no point in looking at the table too much right now, we just have to look at ourselves.
"Everyone knows that it's very tight still, so if we can get a few good results and get back into the rhythm we were in before the break, I think we can still climb the table.
"It's not great if you're in a good rhythm, and then it gets interrupted by a break, but everyone had a break. I hate excuses. It's on us to find that rhythm again, and I'm sure we will."
