Football Manning urges his players not to feel ‘shackled’ against Foxes
IT’S not exactly cutting-edge analysis to declare that things haven’t quite gone according to plan for Bristol City under Liam Manning yet.
After some bright shoots of progress around January and into February, underpinned by four strong performances in the FA Cup against Premier League West Ham and Nottingham Forest, the four weeks prior to the international break made for a torturous watch.
Five defeats in six matches have left the Robins marooned in lower mid-table, eroded any sense of optimism and brought the angry sentiment around Nigel Pearson’s departure, and the decision to replace him with Manning, coupled with the discontent around the direction of the club, back to the surface.
Against such a background, the prospect of a 10th-straight season in the Championship looms.
As it stands, with Manning at the helm City have gotten further away from the glass ceiling the hierarchy ultimately didn’t think Pearson was capable of cracking, rather than closer, hence the growing frustration from the stands which will be further evidenced if things go south against Leicester City this lunchtime (12.30).
Manning has, up to this point, largely remained committed to “the process”, but concedes results post-Southampton have dictated a certain creeping sense of pragmatism as the Robins have retreated into their shells to a certain extent; declining to press so vigorously and moving into more a mid-block when out of possession.
“I definitely think there’s an element of that where a couple of games has compounded what then happens after that and some of that has led to me trying to tweak things, try to ease pressure off players, try to help and support them in that way which, rightly or wrongly, I think it’s always done with the best intentions,” Manning said.
“I’d have (liked to have pressed more). And I think we’ve done it well at times; QPR, I thought we did it quite well but then what we didn’t do off the back of it was dominate enough duels and second balls.
“We’ve sat down and looked at it and some of it, when you look at December-January-February, being able to press when you have a game every three-and-a-half days, the physical output, it’s been challenging from that perspective.
“In general it doesn’t change what I want the game to look like across the course of a season. It might look different in certain games, depending on the level and who you’re playing against but, in general, I want to be a team that gets after it, I want us to go and engage higher.”
He continued: “I never want a player to step on the pitch and feel shackled, that’s really important. We give them elements of the structure and ways they can progress up the pitch but at the same point it’s really important for any player that they feel empowered to make decisions.”
The international break has allowed for a reset of sorts, with a breather in between fixtures, the returns to fitness of Matty James and Joe Williams, Scott Twine enjoying a full two weeks of training to put him into starting contention for today, while Tommy Conway, Dire Mebude, Mark Sykes and Jason Knight all returned unscathed from their national commitments.
It’s also allowed for some reflection from the staff over what’s gone wrong in certain moments, and what they could have done differently.
“There have been games where I’ve found it tough to watch us at times but I understand why; there’s so much pressure on the players that when you do lose a couple of games, naturally whether it be confidence, and that then has a knockon effect with bravery, bits fall off. We’re very fortunate people to do what we do so go out and turn up tomorrow and give everything you’ve got and then the outcome will take care of itself.”
As to what constitutes success for City between now and the first weekend of May, it’s hard to quantify and opinions from supporters will vary. As a baseline, exceeding their points total from last term (59, they’re currently on 47) and position (14th, where they presently occupy) would be a start.
But you sense there has to be more to at least dull some of the external noise, and create an atmosphere that leads into the summer more conducive of a club moving forward.
“We know we’ve had a challenging period but, stepping back, it’s about progress, getting ready for next season; making sure every game is hugely important to us when we step onto the pitch and give everything that we got and we keep progressing and we keep moving forward because, for me, I don’t see it as one season finishes, the next season starts, it’s a continuation, we should be constantly looking to evolve, develop, progress and that is the message we have to have as a group,” Manning said.
City have reserved their best performances under Manning against sides who look to dominate possession, and today’s visitors, Leiecester City, are one of the Championship’s biggest ball hoggers.
Leicester, under Enzo Maresca, average 62.4 per cent of possession this season, and are only beaten by Southampton in that regard, a side who came to Ashton Gate to try and control matters, only to be torn apart on the counter.
That win, however, seems an increasingly long time ago after five defeats in six games have amplified the anguish in the stands and Manning needs some positive performances and results over the Easter break to restore a sense of calm.
That is something also being sought at Leicester as after what has seemed to be a straightforward season at the top of the table, they now lie second and just a point above Ipswich Town in third after just one win in five games. Meanwhile, off the field they have been charged for breaching Premier League spending rules.