Manning pleased with the greater control shown by Williams
PROGRESS and development can take many forms, and the genesis of such steps forward isn’t always obvious. Consensus opinion is that this has been Joe Williams’ best season in a Bristol City, albeit with his first, and to a large extent his second, decimated by injury.
The midfielder has brought a consistency not just in his availability but impact on the field and, while there has been natural dips, as the campaign and results have ebbed and flowed, when the Scouser has produced his best, it’s tended to coincide with the Robins’ standout displays.
But what exactly has got Williams playing with such influence and finesse, going far beyond his bountiful energy and relentless drive? For Liam Manning, it’s pretty straightforward: he’s learned to control his primal instincts.
Williams’ very nature is to play on the edge, no quarter given. It’s not exclusive to, but tends to be a trait of Liverpool-raised footballers. Except, while an undoubted strength, sometimes it’s been detrimental to his overall performance over a 90-minute period.
The willingness to sprint for everything, to fly into tackles and get the collective blood pressure raised inside a stadium can be a positive but the downsides can be an obvious lack of discipline, in terms of cards accumulated - although his seven yellows isn’t too far away from the nine last term - but also it has an adverse effect on his own positional sense, and therefore his team-mates in general.
Manning is big on playing to a structure and at the heart of that is
Williams; he needs him to be that Tasmanian Devil in terms of winning second balls and powering forward, but also with the restraint at times to maintain shape and assess what’s in front of him while dictating the tempo beyond 100mph.
It sounds straightforward, but for a player of Williams’ profile and make-up, he’s probably had to work hard at it; more so than, say, someone like Matty James who is a model of composure, on and off the field. However, the results of Williams’ work are there for all to see.
“I can only assess what I worked with when I came in and where he’s at now and he’s made strides forward in his emotional control,” said Manning. “He’s got that bite, that aggression, that tenacity, it’s making sure it’s under control which I think he’s done a good job of because that allows him to stay focused in-game; you want to keep the hunger and the bite but not to the detriment of doing what the team needs you to.”
Psychology and the use of it to improve performance forms a significant part of Manning’s approach to coaching; in terms of skilset, fitness, technique, athleticism, there isn’t a great deal to distinguish many of the players that make up the 24 teams in the Championship. Players have respective strengths and weaknesses, of course, but they’re mostly all fundamentally of a high level, otherwise they wouldn’t be making a living in the second tier.
Finding that extra five per cent is often between the ears and controlling his impulses has maybe helped Williams find it. That will be further tested against the Steve Evans-led Rotherham United this weekend as the already-relegated Millers are likely to test City’s desire to play, with interruptions, physically-imposing football and trying to play spoiler at Ashton Gate.