The postponement of the EFL has come at a good time for Barnsley after back-to-back defeats has seen them cement their place in the bottom three of the Sky Bet Championship.

A 2-0 away defeat at Reading was followed a week later by another defeat by the same scoreline to Cardiff City at Oakwell which have put huge dents in the Tykes’ bid to stay in the division. Gerhard Struber’s men have plummeted to the bottom of the Championship with a seven-point gap to Hull City, Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough, who sit just above the dotted line.

It would be fair to say that the Tykes haven’t been in impressive form in recent weeks and now face an uphill battle to stop themselves from slipping back into League One. With games set to not take place until early April, the Tykes could use the break as an advantage to regroup and find some form that would give them a fighting chance of staying in the Championship.

Here are THREE knock-on effects the break could have on the Tykes…

Struber influence

Since his arrival at the football club back in November, the Austrian has certainly put his footprint on the club both on and off the pitch. However, in recent weeks the Tykes haven’t showcased that on the field. Struber enjoys a progressive style of football between the thirds with the ball remaining on the floor and creating goalscoring opportunities by working the ball into zones within the box.

However, during the recent defeat to Cardiff, the Barnsley boss was disappointed with the way that his side appeared to try and match the Bluebirds psychically with his side going direct on several occasions. This shows that the Austrian needs to implement his style even further on the side when they are facing a variety of scenarios in a game and the enforced break could give him the time that he needs to effect what happens on the pitch.

Time to regroup

It appears clear that the Tykes are going through a difficult spell on the pitch with many fans criticising the form of the side and perhaps their character. With the gap to safety currently sitting at seven points, it would take a huge swing in momentum for the Tykes to stay in the Championship this season, but a break could come as a great aid to them.

With the club’s not reappearing in a competitive game until at least the 3rd of April, they will have more time on the training pitch to finalise tactical changes they want to make between now and the eventual end of the campaign. The Barnsley playing squad will need to not only use the time to become more tactically astute for the upcoming games but also to regroup and bond as a team which could make the difference between survival and relegation.

Becoming defensively better

Barnsley have struggled so far this campaign to stop the ball from going into their net with the Tykes possessing the third worst defensive unit in the Championship. They have conceded 62 goals so far this season which averages out to around 1.6 goals conceded per game which gives them a mountain to climb if they want to get anything out of their remaining games.

Both goals in the recent clash with Cardiff will have disappointed Struber with Barnsley being offered several opportunities to either get rid of the ball or to get themselves into positions which would prevent a clear goalscoring opportunity. Calum Paterson’s strike decided the game as he was on the end of a ball that appeared to completely bypass the Barnsley midfield and backline.

The enforced break will help the Tykes work on their defensive shape, and this could help them in their bid to retain their Championship status.