It’s not all doom and gloom as we head to the end
AS another season draws rather forlornly to an end, there just remains the task of picking the positives out the embers of a very dying season.
Because it’s all too easy to drone on about where it has all gone wrong.
A fourth consecutive season of flattering to deceive has been illuminated by the midcampaign arrival of Lewis Baker. A lovely passer and mover, Baker, below, has provided drive and goals from the centre of the park. Dovetailing well with Joe Allen in the centre of the park, Baker may also be credited with elongation the Welshman’s Stoke career, for good reason given his later season revival as a force. Joe may be getting on in years, but he has give some bravura performances this season, with his turn against West Brom in the season high if that 1-0 win in early October being his best.
That was indeed a point at which we felt anything was possible. Instead a dreadful home run over the winter has seen another mid-table finish.
More goals from top scorer Jacob Brown will be very welcome next season. Brown has been a revelation, adding cool finishing to his regular hard work. Playing much of the season centrally, rather than on the right has also benefitted him. Having Harry Souttar, Tyrese Campbell and Nick Powell fit for the full season is going to be critical next time round. This City squad could have coped with one of them being unavailable for a lengthy period as they have been, but clearly not all three. Injuries are an unavoidable part of football, but Michael O’neill deserves a season that isn’t defined by them. With two solid goalkeepers, these three players plus the midfield pair of Baker and Allen, plus, for my money, Romaine Sawyers, if we can get him, offer a great spine to base a promotionchallenging squad around. But then we have to turn to the improvements which need to be made, with a key one being improving City’s ability to keep clean sheets, particularly in stopping the ridiculous mistakes that have consistently cost us goals for the past five seasons. It’s a malaise which simply has to end. As does Stoke’s reliance on outscored opponents, rather than nicking 1-0 wins left, right and centre. Because that’s what promotionchallenging teams in this division do. Relentlessly. For me, the defiant pursuit of pretty football is not the way forward in this most attritional of divisions. We end up being too easy to counter, particularly late in games.
Indeed, instead of pressing on and winning games late on, City tend to buckle and concede; another trend which needs reversing. Can all this, and more, happen over the course of one summer? And under the stewardship of Michael O’neill?
We will see.
It will have to be another summer of wheeling, dealing and scheming if City are to transform from also-rans to Championshipchallenging tough nuts; for that is what they will need to be if we are to have anything akin to success at the bet365 Stadium.