Nigel Pearson isn't shying away from it and although he was reluctant to deploy the time-honoured “must win” cliché, he - like everyone else - accepts that today’s game with Watford is unquestionably important, for quite a few reasons.
They essentially all fall under the same Bristol City-shaped umbrella but defeat would more than likely leave the Robins in the bottom three heading into the World Cup break, with a record of two wins in 14 matches and place them back towards square one in terms of the development and evolution of this team.
Pearson also needs a reaction from his players after Tuesday’s Carabao Cup exit to Lincoln City. That competition isn’t as important as the league campaign, of course, but it still offers something else for the club and supporters to enjoy, emphasised by the fact they would have drawn Manchester United away had they made it into the fourth round.
There was clear progress in August and September, but City have since started to go backwards. They’ve been good at times, and deserved more than their points haul suggests, but being in that part of the league when, just two months ago, there was talk of a play-off push, is not a good look.
How much that reflects on Pearson is a hypothetical at the moment, given the 90 minutes ahead of us, and you can even make the point that why should one game and result potentially define so much about a team, but with four weeks of no matches ahead of them - a mini pre-season, if you like - it leaves a huge vacuum for reflection and also uncertainty.
With more than 20,000 expected the day before Remembrance Sunday, and Nathan Baker and John Ward’s 1997/98 promotion team to be honoured at half-time, it will be, at the very least, an occasion. From City and Pearson’s perspective, it could really do with being a positive one…
Goalkeeper and defence
It went a little unnoticed due to the horror show that took place in front of him, but Stefan Bajic’s debut for City won’t be one that lingers in the memory and although the France Under-21 international wasn’t bad, as such, he did little to suggest in that 90 minutes that he’ll be leaping ahead of Dan Bentley or Max O’Leary in the hierarchy just yet.
Bajic’s time will undoubtedly come and it was the steepest of learning curves for him but hopefully one that makes him a better goalkeeper in the long run.
That being said, it would have needed a 10/10 performance from the 20-year-old to unseat O’Leary, who is very much City’s No1 and although that’s coincided with a dip in form, it’s not as if the 26-year-old can be held too responsible; if anything, he’s been one of the Robins best performing individuals since he returned to the starting XI.
Consequently, Bentley must bide his time and just wait for his opportunity to come, but the addition of Bajic as a first-team consideration does make his path back into the side that little more complicated.
In terms of the defence, there will unquestionably be changes from Pearson after the chaos of the Carabao Cup. It would the boldest of decisions to keep Joe Low in the back three after his deeply challenging debut, with the expectation being that the 20-year-old will, at best, be on the bench.
That’s not to say the young centre-back was responsible for what unfolded against the Imps, far from it, and in many ways, his performance will shape the likely omission of a couple of key names, given how little protection they offered Low.
Timm Klose has been in a strange spot since the international break, with personal issues in Switzerland and illness, the veteran has not been anywhere near his usual composed and authoritative self and Pearson’s decision to hook up at half-time on Tuesday is as good an indicator as you’re going to get for where he’ll be on Saturday.
The problem for Pearson is that with no Kal Naismith, Tomas Kalas or, as we think, Klose, who can he field in the middle of defence? Zak Vyner did a pretty impressive job there against Swansea City and Sheffield United but that involved George Tanner being to his right. With the latter suspended for one more game, there is no other likely candidate other than Low. Which means Vyner has to be on the right-hand side.
That is, unless, we’re going to see a complete system change but, again, with Tanner suspended and Kane Wilson injured, there is no obvious right-back with Vyner needed in the middle.
Assuming the 25-year-old is stationed on the right, that leaves Rob Atkinson and Cam Pring as Pearson’s centre-backs, and therefore pick themselves. The interesting aspect of this is that Atkinson has never really played in the middle, with the manager almost exclusively preferring him to the left.
But necessity is the mother of invention and, who knows, Atkinson could become the answer in that area which then allows Naismith to play to the left - where he was most comfortable at Luton Town - on his return.
Wing-back and midfield
Mark Sykes has been a near permanent pick, when available, at right wing-back, starting 17 of a possible 20 Championship games with the three missed due to his red card against Luton. However, the summer signing did not have a good night at all on Tuesday as he was positionally all over the place and left Low exposed far too many times.
That should lead to a selection punishment by Pearson, with the 25-year-old in line to be dropped, albeit with no obvious replacement given Tanner’s suspension and Wilson’s long-term injury.
The choices therefore, and we’re having some deja vu from 12 months ago here, are Alex Scott and Andi Weimann. Neither is preferable, given their importance elsewhere on the pitch, and it really is a coin toss as to who will play there.
We are, however, leaning towards Weimann due to the fact that the manager used him at wing-back against Middlesbrough last Saturday and bar appearances in the position against Cardiff and Blackpool in August, Scott has been constantly deployed in midfield, where he’s been mostly very good.
With the Austrian on the right, Pearson therefore may select a more solid midfield three, to offer greater defensive protection, with Matty James joining Scott and the third spot likely to be taken by Joe Williams with Jay Dasilva to the left.
Andy King and Dylan Kadji didn’t do enough in midweek to demand re-inclusion - to put it mildly - and while Dasilva is increasingly a cause for concern, if Pring remains in the back three, who else is there to play there? Antoine Semenyo was trialled at wing-back against Boro, with no particularly encouraging results, and it just seems like Dasilva has to keep his place, despite not really justifying it.
Attack
Chris Martin will pay the price of starting against Lincoln and not really influencing the game sufficiently while it’s also hard to see how Semenyo remains in the team. The Ghana international hasn’t looked sharp of late, particularly in front of goal, and looks to be almost playing on his own a bit too much, as if he’s not properly plugged in with his teammates.
He represents a fine weapon to have off the bench but Tuesday’s performance, his overall lack of efficiency in front of gial and the fact the World Cup looms, means he should be back among the substitutes.
Unless Pearson really wants to hammer home a message and pick Sam Bell, then it looks to be Tommy Conway alongside Nahki Wells; City’s two top scorers and best partnership in terms of their ability to work together. The Robins could sorely do with a big performance from both of them.
Bristol City (3-5-2): Max O’Leary; Zak Vyner, Rob Atkinson, Cam Pring; Andi Weimann, Matty James, Joe Williams, Alex Scott, Jay Dasilva; Tommy Conway, Nahki Wells
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