Good start and finish, but Robins fall flat in the middle
Talking points from Bristol City’s draw against Swansea, by
BRISTOL City are clinging to second spot in the Championship. It is early in the season still but that position looks a false one unless there is a sharp upturn in recent match performances.
Fans will hope it’s not another false dawn for Bristol City as they ride high having lost just one game, but the sharp performances of a month ago are quickly slipping from memory.
Saturday saw Swansea have the better of the game for good periods, though the draw was maybe the fairest result.
The Robins, though, were struggling to find an equaliser before their 83rd-minute penalty award, which was duly dispatched by Nahki Wells for his third goal of the season.
Here’s some talking points from the game at Ashton Gate.
TACTICAL BATTLE DEVELOPS
MIDDLESBROUGH showed the way to get on top of this Bristol City side, as Neil Warnock matched up the Robins man for man and outbattled City’s middle three to largely wrest control of the midweek fixture. “They go man for man in there and they make it difficult,” said Holden of Tuesday’s midfield battle.
Swansea boss Steve Cooper paid a similar compliment to the Robins. Swansea City switched from their regular 3-4-1-2 to a 3-5-2, with Jay Fulton coming into central midfield on Saturday.
The Swans looked to do the same as Warnock’s team, and go man to man across the pitch, likely as a worry about City playing out from deep and passing their way through the Swans’ midfield too easily, as Tyreeq Bakinson helped City do against Stoke City and Sheffield
Wednesday. And it almost worked with Cooper’s side just seven minutes and stoppage-time from a win.
Bristol City switched things up late on by brining on Callum O’Dowda on the right, changing to a 3-4-1-2 with Chris Martin behind the front pair, before finishing with a back four by the end of the game. Dean Holden even shoehorned four attackers into his side for the last minutes, in Pep Guardiolafashion. Arguably it worked as City got something from the match.
ROBINS STARTED AND ENDED FAST
HOLDEN rung the changes from the midweek game - five players swapped in - and it looked to do the trick at least initially. Bristol City looked fresher and Antoine Semenyo, Steven Sessegnon and Zak Vyner were among those first to the ball, helping the home side carry the game to the opposition.
Chris Brunt used the ball well on his first league start for almost two years, and the first league starts of 2020-21 for Jay Dasilva, Sessegnon and Semenyo were rewarded with a Championship point gained.
“I enjoyed it, I’m obviously a bit rusty, it was my first league start in about two seasons,” said the 35-year-old Brunt.
While there was more zip than the flat display of Tuesday night, perhaps that’s why it was also an, at times, disjointed display from City.
The Robins restricted the Swans to just one shot in the first half-anhour and Robins were territorially the better side during that period too.
After that the game was more even and the game did feel like it was there for the taking by either side and that the first goal would be crucial (Swansea got that and also looked fairly comfortable until the
spot-kick). That was not to be the case and, although Bristol City finished the game stronger and looked the more likely to snatch it, they may rue not having got in front at any time during the contest, especially in that early period.
They created few clear chances, Jamie Paterson’s one-on-one with Freddie Woodman being the best opportunity to score early on, and the lack of quality play carried on from Tuesday’s defeat.
However, if looking for positives, then City have restricted the last two sides to Ashton Gate to three shots on target. They just need to amass more themselves now, after averaging about 1.5 expected goals in their first three Championship matches to way less than that against Middlesbrough and Swansea City (0.3 and 1.29 as per WyScout statistics, respectively).
SEMENYO SHOWS PROMISE IT was a mixed performance from the 20-year-old former SGS College striker but ultimately he did help his side to a point. His turn on Connor Roberts led to the penalty, and that follows impressive displays in the Carabao Cup which saw him score twice this season and grab two assists in the League Cup, with a further set-up against Stoke City in the league recorded.
But no player was dispossessed of the ball more times than City’s No 18 (three; equal with Andre Ayew) on Saturday to show the other side of the coin.
Dean Holden assessed the young
striker after the game. “It’s not easy when you’re coming in and out of the team, but he showed some good signs today. I thought he grew into the game and put in a positive display so I’m happy with him,” he said after the 1-1 draw.
Perhaps Famara Diedhiou, last season’s player of the year and top scorer for City in the last two seasons, can feel a little aggrieved at being under-used, but there is room for him yet. Semenyo continues to develop and looks a useful option for the Robins. And he’ll get better and better.
INJURIES MOUNTING UP FOR THE HEAD COACH
THE bad news... although things look to be heading south performance-wise, it is in some respects a fascinating few games ahead for Bristol City. Can Dean Holden plot a path through difficult games against parachute-paymentenhanced Bournemouth and Norwich City amid mounting injuries, as Andi Weimann limped off and Steven Sessegnon was carried off on a stretcher on Saturday?
Indeed, Holden explained in his post-match radio interview with BBC Radio Bristol that he is now down to just 19 players - and that includes Liam Walsh and Joe Williams, who are not expected to return to the pitch this side of the next international break.
We may have to be patient to see the true Bristol City side of this season. And it could even be that we have yet to see the strongest midfield, if Williams or Walsh are to be part of that.