Rovers' lack of squad depth proving costly

Blackburn Rovers are discovering a harsh Championship truth: good performances count for very little if you do not have the depth to finish the job.

Long gone are the days when managers talk about their best XI. Success in modern football is built on depth, adaptability and the ability to change matches from the bench. Right now, Rovers have precious little of that.

Yes, injuries are part and parcel of the game. But if you look at the three recent 2-1 defeats as examples, Tony Mowbray has been scratching his head, wondering how he can help his tiring team with such limited options. An underwhelming transfer window hasn't helped either.

They went to Preston North End on Saturday with one fit senior goalkeeper, one fit senior centre-back and one fit centre-forward.

Three days later, a senior keeper was added to the bench, a young (but now senior) centre-back returned, but the one fit centre-forward became none, with Andri Gudjohnsen joining the list of casualties.

Already, 23 players have featured for Rovers in the Championship this season, and we're only six games in. That's not a sign of healthy competition for places. It's a sign of a squad already being stretched to its limits.

The contrast with Sheffield United could hardly have been more stark. Chris Wilder was able to introduce internationals Matt Doherty and Kalvin Phillips alongside Tyrese Campbell and Oli Arblaster.

Rovers were handing home debuts to deadline-day signing Gady Beyuku and throwing 17-year-old Harvey Higgins into the action.

Tony Mowbray told me: "It feels like an excuse and an easy out for me. I hope by the international break that we'll have four or five back."

What will frustrate Mowbray most is that Rovers were good enough to get something from this game. They created chances, registered 19 attempts on goal and spent long periods on the front foot.

Yet once again, avoidable mistakes proved costly.

Mowbray said: "You can't give games away like that when you're so dominant and deserve to win. You deserve to score more goals. You can't keep letting two goals in during a game because you're not going to win very many if you do that.

"I'm not interested in how many touches in the opposition box, shots or crosses we have. It has to go in the net, and I'd rather have a terrible expected goals figure and win 2-1."

They conceded soft goals at Preston and did exactly the same here. Whatever the injury situation, that has to improve.

"I've just said to Hayden Carter, if you're going to be the guy who wins every header and blocks every shot, maybe your time is coming," Mowbray said about his centre-back, who is yet to start a league match this season.

There are encouraging signs in the way Rovers are trying to play. They look more ambitious than the side that spent much of last season prioritising survival.

The problem is the results do not yet justify the optimism. In fact, they have two fewer points than they did at this stage last season.

Millwall and Portsmouth before the international break feel important, aren't they all? Not because the season is in danger of slipping away, but because Rovers need tangible rewards for performances before frustration starts replacing belief.

The teams challenging at the top have options, competition and game-changers on the bench. Until Rovers can say the same, they will continue walking a fine line between encouraging performances and frustrating defeats.

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