Bristol City are sitting comfortably in mid-table but that doesn’t mean they’ll approach these final three matches with any comfort
It’s a three-word cliche that has become as enshrined in football’s lexicon as “parking the bus” or it’s a “funny old game”. As a season draws to a close, and a club in a position of security and comfort in the table deliver a substandard performance, predictably the claim follows of certain individuals being “on the beach”, with reference to upcoming holiday plans in Dubai, Ibiza, Mykonos or whever they choose.
There were elements of such analysis in the wake of City’s 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town in which, having recorded three straight wins and on the back of a pretty relentless 5-0 thumping of Blackburn Rovers, there appeared to be a notable drop-off, not just in the overall performance but in energy, sharpness and perhaps, to the naked eye, even effort.
Head coach Liam Manning hinted at a slight mental tiredness coupled with the obvious selections complications caused by injuries to Zak Vyner and Rob Dickie as potential reasons, and Sykes wholeheartedly dismisses the concept of the Robins phoning-in these last three games of the season.
During the March international break, which Manning and his players continue to state was a hugely important time for resetting and refocusing, the remaining eight matches of 2023/24 were laid out as a “mini-season” for which City were to attack and put themselves in the best possible shape heading into the summer and next term.
Play-offs weren’t mathematically out of the question but, if everyone was being honbest with themselves, were a largely unrealistic target and instead the desire was to glean as many points from the 24 available as was possible.
Having remained unbeaten over these five matches, taking 11 and with nine on the table, Sykes very much wants it to continue at Norwich City this weekend, even taking into account the difference in dynamic between a team in 12th and one in sixth and battling to secure a post-season berth.
“I think it’s an easy thing to say from the outside,” Sykes said. “As soon as you maybe perform badly once it’s like, ‘oh, they don’t care’ or certain things like that but everyone has personal pride to play for. Me personally, I’ve never ever wanted to try and go out and play badly or not try my hardest.
“It’s easy to think the opposite and we’re on the beach, or whatever, but for us as player, it’s a silly thing to say. The manager wants to build on the end of this season and going into next year, by finishing strongly. Because you don’t want to be winning three or four games and then thinking, ‘oh we’ve cracked it’, it’s trying to do 8-9 games when you can out those kind of runs together and that will help you next year in trying to achieve what you want to do.”
That’s from a team perspective. Individually there is also a feeling within the squad that everyone still has a point to prove to the new head coach.
After all, Manning is entering his first summer transfer window and pre-season, with an opportunity to make and enact real change in the squad. Although 32 games in charge have sharpened his opinions of the squad, there remains the potential for views to alter, for better and for worse. Ultimately, everyone has to prove and earn their spot, both in the short, medium and long term.
“I feel like that every week, you can’t ever just rest on yourself and think that you’ve cracked it or that’s me in the team for good,” Sykes added. “There’s always got to be competition, it’s healthy as well, and it always brings a better performance out when you know somebody is breathing down your neck. You’ve got to be on top of your game every week.
“We’re playing for a lot of pride. Lads just want to stay in good health, play well and finish the season strongly. The manager is big on that, he doesn’t see this season as a write-off, he wants to build into next year and that goes by the last three games and the last eight games after the international break where we’ve been on a good run of form. He’s big on starting next season well, but also ending this one correctly.”
The status of Saturday’s opponents represents a departure from recent encounters against Huddersfield, Blackburn and Plymouth Argyle, who are struggling towards the foot of the table and mid-table Sunderland, treading water under caretaker Mike Dodds.
Norwich are in the final play-off spot and six points ahead of Hull City in seventh, but have played one game more and any slip-ups could let the Tigers, or even Coventry, Middlesbrough or Preston North End below them in, albeit with goal difference probably holding the latter side back.
The Robins have beaten Leicester City and Southampton this year, matched Ipswich Town until a chaotic final 10 minutes at Portman Road, done the double over Middlesbrough and finished the season unbeaten against Hull and Coventry, so have shown they can compete with the division’s best.
Theories as to why vary, but one common theme runs alongside the possession argument and how the make-up of this City squad is essentially still cast in the image of Nigel Pearson, with individuals recruited to counter-attack. It remains the case that, under Manning, they are yet to win when having 50 or more per cent possession of the ball (the closest has been 49 per cent against Hull and Plymouth).
David Wagner’s Norwich don’t quite subscribe to the concept of a ball-dominant Championship outfit ala Leicester, but they do average 51 per cent possession at Carrow Road and, given the pressure of the situation and expectation on the hosts to secure a result, can expect to exceed that number on the weekend.
There also seems to be a desire for retribution within the Robins dressing room having been cruelly robbed of a result at Ashton Gate in December as they led the Canaries 1-0 only to concede twice in the second half via individual errors, with Adam Idah’s winner arriving in injury time – a result that arguably kept Wagner in a job.
“There have been times this year when we’ve played quite well and haven’t gotten the result so it was nice to get that equaliser (against Huddersfield) in the last minute and our unbeaten run goes to five games so hopefully we can keep that until the end of the season,” Sykes added. “Especially the Norwich game at Ashton Gate where they scored in the last minute, so it’ll be nice to try and get one back on them.
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