Carlton coach Brett Ratten says he wants to release the shackles on his players by shelving their AFL top-four ambitions and focusing on their strengths.
Carlton coach Brett Ratten has backed away from his off-season prediction the AFL club will make the top four, as he aims to break the shackles of expectation and fear.
The Blues boss has urged his players to be bold and instinctive against Geelong on Friday night and not worry about mistakes.
Ratten is concerned the creativity evident early this season has been replaced by self-preservation as the team slumps.
"We'll give you positions roughly, but let's go and play," is Ratten's message to his players.
"We've just got to be a lot bolder in our play and play with a little bit more freedom.
"If we make a blue, we make a blue."
After winning five of their first six games, the Blues have lost three of their past four to sit seventh, two wins outside fourth place.
A string of injuries to key players, such as Marc Murphy, Andrew Carrazzo, Jarrad Waite, Lachie Henderson and Matthew Kreuzer, have not helped.
Ratten did not regret declaring the Blues would make the top four, but that aim had to be shelved now.
"The landscape's changed a bit, we have to adjust to that," he said.
"We don't shy away from that expectation, but that's sort of gone and been removed and been put down the back.
"We've got a lot of work to do to restore confidence, our form and a fair bit of belief."
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire added pressure on Ratten this week by suggesting Carlton would be an ideal fit for ex-Collingwood premiership coach Mick Malthouse.
Ratten's voice contained more than a hint of sarcasm when asked whether he accepted McGuire's explanation that he was taken out of context.
"He must have been. Eddie wouldn't go down that avenue, would he?"
Ratten said.
The Blues' depth has also come under fire, with unfavourable comparisons made with West Coast and Collingwood's ability to cope with similar numbers of injuries.
In Carlton's case, they have been hit hard in their midfield core and best tall players.
"It depends who the injuries are to," Ratten said.
"No one's assessed all of those lists, to say you might have injuries but who are they to."
Kreuzer and Henderson are both pushing to return on Friday night, along with Nick Duigan.
But Ratten said Waite was taking a worryingly long time to recover from a back injury.
"It might just go click and we've got him back next week, but it might take another three weeks, four weeks. I'm not sure and we can't put a finger on it," Ratten said.
He said once Waite was injury-free, he would need to regain fitness through the VFL.
In brighter news, Kreuzer has signed a contract keeping him at the club for the next three years, while Bryce Gibbs has committed for the next two.
"That's where our future is," Ratten said.
