Football Tyreeq makes a strong case for regular starting place
TAKING on a team like Stoke, who no matter the manager ooze physicality and organisation, requires a performance of physicality and competitiveness, before you then add in technical qualities.
If there was one area of Bristol City’s team in which there was a notable pre-match concern on Sunday it was central midfield; Dean Holden possesses numerous options, combining varying degrees of guile, skill, creativity, speed and unorthodox playmaking.
But not the overall presence and control on and off the ball. Step forward Tyreeq Bakinson, whose rise over the last few weeks has been remarkable.
His talent has been well-considered ever since he arrived from Luton Town in 2017, and after a star turn on loan at Plymouth Argyle last season, he seemed to be approaching a level where he could feature for City.
However, common wisdom dictated he needed maybe another loan, this time at League One level, to help his development in a packed unit with Holden possessing almost an entire XI of players who can operate in centre midfield.
Based on his cameo against Coventry last weekend, his showing in the Carabao Cup tie with Northampton and now this latest display, as Bristol City won 2-0 at Stoke - going toe-to-toe in the physical battles and coming out well on top - he’s one of the first names on the teamsheet.
Bakinson has natural power but he marries that with a calmness and poise in possession, which makes him destructive off the ball but delicate and decisive when on it. Keeping the Robins ticking over and disrupting the opposition’s play in a defensive sense.
It’s provided City with an extra layer of assurance and also helped mitigate the slight defensive crisis that has befallen Holden’s team with injuries to starting centrebacks Tomas Kalas and Nathan Baker.
Without a player of Bakinson’s type sitting in front of the back three, holding his position, denying space and breaking up the play, the Robins may not have
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emerged with such a high level of security as they did at the bet365 Stadium.
Bakinson enjoyed 61 touches fourth highest in the City team after the back three - and completed 45 of his 53 passes, outlining his efficiency in possession.
Where this leaves the futures of Han-Noah Massengo and Adam Nagy, with neither making the bench at the Potters, is unclear, while Joe Morrell and Joe Williams are still to be introduced into the squad as they recover from injury. But the level of competition is extremely high, on the field and in the dressing room, and while they wouldn’t have been able to forecast it a few weeks ago, but based on the reaction across social media, City fans have a new favourite player.