Liam Manning is urging his Bristol City team to play with a “ruthless edge” against Leeds United on Friday night. Just three days after being held to a 2-2 draw away at Coventry City on Tuesday, Bristol will host the Whites at Ashton Gate.
The Robins had the lead heading into the last few minutes of play, but Ellis Simms’ equaliser in the 86th minute denied them all three points, extending Bristol’s Championship winless streak to five games. In that time, Manning’s team has dropped to 13th in the league standings, but they are aware that a victory over the Whites will propel them right back into the running for the play-offs.
But Manning knows his team needs to start laying down killer blows and stop letting teams off the hook if they want to get their top six push back on track. He wants to see that happen when United visits the south west later this week.
“I felt we gave up two very easy goals tonight,” Manning remarked following the CBS Arena match. We had some excellent opportunities in the first fifteen minutes, and I told the boys that we needed to stop playing close and instead start executing and delivering.
That merciless edge and absolving teams of responsibility appeal to me. We gave up control of the game in the second half, allowing Nahki to score a truly spectacular goal to put us ahead. After limiting them to crosses and few other scoring opportunities, we had eight or nine minutes remaining to finish the game, which was an emotional rollercoaster.
“But you have to take a step back and see the bigger picture. We’ve reached a team that is strong, in form, and I believe we gave them many opportunities to be hurt, which is probably why it’s frustrating.
“First-half performance was excellent for extended stretches of time. There are a lot of positives, and that’s the part that excites me the most. Probably every game we’ve played has been against us; it’s been close, it’s been tight, and there haven’t been many where we’ve won and I’ve said they’re miles ahead of us.
“I don’t think anyone can walk away and think we’re not of the level, but I do understand the process and we have to start turning the draws into wins.”
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