Social media represents a very small portion of the population and often we, the media, are very much guilty of overstating its importance in driving hearts, minds and the overall conversations that matter to people.
With that in mind this next point should perhaps be taken with a small pinch of salt, given the responses are sprinkled with healthy portions of cynicism and sarcasm within all supporters of a struggling football team.
That adjective isn’t one that’s been attributed to Bristol City much this season, but with four defeats in their last five, no clean sheet for 15 matches and without a win on the road since the first week of October, as they lie 20th in the Championship, it’s probably fair.
Which is why, when asked through Bristol Live’s social media channels, the levels of confidence from 1-10 on getting a result at Blackburn today, the overwhelming response was one, at the very top end, all the way down to -37. Not one fan delivered a shred of optimism although shout out to Steve Connor for going for 4/10.
Given City are up against a Blackburn Rovers side who, yes, may lie fourth with the third-best home record in the division but have scored just once in their last eight games, it emphasises the desperately low levels of belief among some fans for the challenge that awaits at Ewood Park. Here is how we think City will line up…
Goalkeeper and defence
Max O’Leary has been back in training since last week but there’s no reason to suggest he’ll replace Dan Bentley who, since returning to the team four games ago, has probably been the Robins’ outstanding player - which says something in itself - and has enabled games were they’ve been soundly beaten to still contain reasonably respectable scorelines.
Given Blackburn’s issues in front of goal, not so much in creating chances but taking them, Bentley could well be City’s hero again today and it would be nice to say that with at least a point - or hopefully three - in the bag, rather than in defeat.
It’s not as definite in front of the City captain as Tomas Kalas is expected to miss the game at Ewood Park which further depletes an already vulnerable Robins defence.
Timm Klose has been declared fit, which is a positive, and Rob Atkinson is likely to effectively replace Kalas after a bright cameo against Birmingham last weekend.
That leaves Pearson’s other centre-back options as Robbie Cundy, who’s still to make his full debut for the club, and Zak Vyner, who hasn’t been involved since his errors against Swansea City, four matches back. There is Cam Pring but that experiment looks to have been abandoned and playing three left-sided defenders in a back three just seems a bit, well, odd… although we’re not 100 per cent sure why given plenty of teams have operated with three right-sided centre-backs.
Anyway, while we digress, that also gets to the nub of the debate because Pearson could stick with a flat back four as they’ve sort of being playing of late - albeit with the manager insisting Sam Bell last week was a “wing-back” - or revert to the 3-5-2 which was his stock-in-trade for a significant part of the season.
The answer could lie at right-back as it’s a stretch to see Bell starting again given the torrid time he had against Blues. In previous games this season when a youngster has struggled - Ryley Towler vs Millwall, Alex Scott vs Luton and Ayman Benarous vs Huddersfield (at least as a wing-back) - they’ve then been taken out of the team in the following fixture.
There is an argument in selecting Bell to help him get over last weekend but, then again, is there any point given he wasn’t playing in his specialist position, anyway.
However, the squad isn’t exactly brimming with options there; George Tanner could start, and would solve a lot of issues, but Pearson has hinted he’s not quite ready after a second hamstring injury, while Vyner could also play there or Jay Dasilva could come across from the left.
The situation sort of lends itself to a return to the back three (in tandem with the midfield conversation) and either Vyner or Cundy joining Klose and Atkinson in defence. The question as to who, could simply come down to which individual has trained the best this week.
It was how City finished the game against Birmingham in what was a marginally improved second-half performance and Pearson has previous in abandoning a tactical system during a game, witnessing improvement with a new system and then reverting to that for the following fixture.
Midfield
We’ll briefly contradict ourselves here (and stick with this) but if we return to the concept of a back four that does leave Pearson with the ability to play all four of his best centre-midfielders in a diamond: Joe Williams, Matty James, Alex Scott and Han-Noah Massengo which, when written down like that, does look rather favourable. However, it is also very narrow, especially with a defensive-minded right-back like Vyner.
The counter to that is by swamping the midfield it theoretically gives the Robins a bit more security in the defensive areas; Pearson may have declared that City don’t have any pure defensive midfielders but you can slightly mitigate that by having an extra body in there.
But, really, we’re getting away from the point a bit because, in another nod to why a 3-5-2 may make sense is that Blackburn had real trouble with City’s shape in the first half at Ashton Gate in November. Rovers have themselves switched to a 3-4-1-2 since then, and had some success, but Pearson also likes to match up opposition teams so, to labour on a point, let’s assume it’ll be three at the back with wing-backs.
As to who the three central midfielders will be, Bell’s likely withdrawal from the starting XI and the lack of an obvious candidate at right wing-back, outside of Tanner, could lead to an obvious answer.
There’s a good chance that Scott moves across to right wing-back which then opens up three spots for James, Williams and Massengo and then Dasilva down the left, picked on form ahead of Pring.
That’s then excluding Andi Weimann, of course, but this looks the right scenario for the Austrian to be moved higher up the field.
It’s also worth noting that Blackburn rank last in the Championship for possession, both overall and at home, at just 43 per cent. They are not a team to keep the ball which means that City are likely to take that mantle. Should that be the case, the more technicians Pearson can get in the team, the better.
Attack
That need to spread his four midfielders across the park, squeezing Weimann further forward, looks likely to cost Chris Martin his place who’s been probably City’s least effective attacking player in this difficult spell.
Martin has previously benefited from being taken out of the team and Barnsley on Tuesday night looks a good setting for the veteran to start.
Could Nahki Wells be an option? Well, he didn’t play for the Under-23s this week, as has been in previous games so could be primed for a starting berth but we’ve been here so many times before and it’s simply not materialised.
There is maybe a case for giving Antoine Semenyo a breather and having Weimann and Wells as runners in behind the Blackburn defence, but Pearson likes to have some kind of a physical presence through the middle and if it’s not going to be Martin, then it’ll certainly be Semenyo.
Bristol City (3-5-2): Dan Bentley; Zak Vyner, Rob Atkinson, Timm Klose; Alex Scott, Joe Williams, Matty James, Han-Noah Massengo, Jay Dasilva; Andi Weimann, Antoine Semenyo
