Bristol City host West Ham in the FA Cup third round at Ashton Gate.
Liam Manning made it pretty clear on Saturday after Bristol City’s defeat to Preston North End that he wouldn’t be letting one poor performance significantly impact his selection process.
“I don’t want to be overly reactive off the back of one game,” Manning said. “I think certain people build credit; it’s such an honest group, you know the lads aren’t coming out and deliberately not hitting the level they want, we want, or that they need. So, for me, it’s not about being overly hasty.”
To put it gently, City struggled in the second half at Deepdale, which was frustrating not just from a league standpoint but also in a broader sense given what awaits them at a sold-out Ashton Gate in the shape of West Ham and a potential fourth-round meeting in BS3.
Maybe that subconsciously bled into the performance to some extent, but the head coach has been left with a situation in which he would like to pick “on form” as well as the suitability of the individual to whatever tactical plan he has for tonight, but that form – if you consider Birmingham, Millwall, and Preston as a sample size – hasn’t been particularly impressive.
We have, of course, missed the reason we are all here today: the 1-1 draw against West Ham that allowed this matchup to take place, and it appears, based on what he stated on Saturday, that much of that performance will inform his decision-making for tonight.
That’s in addition to the ongoing issue of not being able to pick from a very large and deep pool of players, as he could only name eight replacements over the weekend. Here’s how we expect City to line up against the Hammers.
Goalkeeper and defence
This section has been a little cut-out-and-keep over the last four weeks due to the consistency Manning has enjoyed in selecting his defence. That has been welcome to an extent, but the head coach would probably have liked a tad more variety in certain moments and blocks of games.
That now-established quintet of Max O’Leary, George Tanner, Zak Vyner, Rob Dickie and Cam Pring have played and defended pretty well together over the last eight games but cracks did emerge on the weekend at Deepdale.
Preston North End didn’t have to work particularly hard for either of their two goals, with Will Keane taking advantage of some sloppy mistakes and positioning and also a degree of lax marking for his second-half double.
In ideal circumstances regarding resources, all could feel a degree of pressure over their places but in the case of O’Leary and his centre-backs they’re safe with regards to tonight’s game, as a combination of building up enough currency and a lack of competition means they should continue.
It would be very un-Manning, and a little bizarre, to all of a sudden pivot to Stefan Bajic in goal and although he was culpable for the first at Preston, O’Leary overall had another decent game and made some fine saves.
Kal Naismith (hamstring) and Rob Atkinson (ACL recovery) aren’t in the first-team picture right now so Vyner and Dickie will retain their partnership with Jamie Knight-Lebel providing cover on the bench.
The full-back areas are a little less clear with Ross McCrorie and Haydon Roberts returning to fitness and back in the matchday squads to push Tanner and Pring. McCrorie played 15 minutes in what was his debut on the weekend but Roberts remained among the substitutes.
Manning has noted that the latter is still a week behind the Scot regarding his recovery programme so it seems unlikely he’ll trouble Pring’s position on the left, for now at least.
Midfield
Taylor Gardner-Hickman is full-time Robin,which is a nice thing to write and also ends one potential transfer question over the second half of the season. The 22-year-old has established himself as a valuable member of this squad and, in recent games, has usurped Matty James at the base of midfield.
which is a nice thing to write and also ends one potential transfer question over the second half of the season. The 22-year-old has established himself as a valuable member of this squad and, in recent games, has usurped Matty James at the base of midfield.
It was a slight surprise to see him named ahead of the veteran at the London Stadium nine days ago but the reverse could happen at Ashton Gate tonight. Gardner-Hickman didn’t enjoy the best of performances at Deepdale and the sense of occasion and need for James’ leadership – pretty much the same logic that dictated why he’d seemingly play in the first game – means he may well start.
James was dependable, as he tends to be, when he came on for the final 15 minutes on the weekend and while that may take away some of City’s attacking guile, the veteran’s presence and game management should ensure a greater degree of control.
Then again, Manning may point to events last week and how Gardner-Hickman fared against James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez and envisage a repeat showing tonight as, for his qualities, James doesn’t possess quite the same athleticism or speed.
Joe Williams isn’t part of this debate because it’s hard to see how the 27-year-old can be left out. Even in what was a below-par performance at Preston, he was among City’s brightest players and the energy he brings will be vitally needed.
Andi Weimann’s departure on Monday to West Brom means that Jason Knight doesn’t have too much competition in the advanced No10 role, although that will change for the weekend with Scott Twine’s arrival on loan from Burnley. The 24-year-old is cup tied for this game following his involvement for Hull City in the third round
Attack
It’s been a struggle of late, Tommy Conway finish at the London Stadium aside, as the Robins are finding the art of scoring goals a bit of a challenge. Having not found the target in their previous three league games, all against well-organised sides deploying low-ish blocks, they’ll need something to change tonight to get anything out of the tie; the concept of taking a Premier League side, even in light of their injuries, to extra-time and penalties at 0-0 seems fanciful.
Medium-term, that’s why Twine is in the building, but he’s not a consideration tonight, as stated above. Although, it should be mentioned, that the Robins are still creating chances – certainly Gardner-Hickman and Knight had good opportunities at Preston – but perhaps not enough are falling to one of their main strikers, Conway or Nahki Wells.
There is a case to maybe mix it up a bit tonight and for Manning to start Wells over Conway, having shown a preference for the younger party ever since the Bermudian returned to fitness around Christmas.
It’s a slightly different story on the right but McCrorie’s lack of minutes and the length of his injury absence means that throwing him into such a huge occasion against high-level opponents might be too much of a physical and competitive risk. Tanner, after all, also had a decent display in the first game and has played well enough over the last few weeks not to be discarded after.
With Watford on Saturday, there’s an opportunity to give Conway a mental and physical break while also rewarding Wells for his patience in attempting to reclaim a role in the lineup. What may weigh against him significantly is the lack of impact he gave on Saturday, although under tough circumstances, but these minor nuances do matter.
Outside of the center striker, with Weimann out, Mark Sykes still recovering from a hamstring injury, Ephraim Yeboah back in the academy, and Harry Cornick remaining on the fringes, Manning appears to be sticking with Sam Bell on the right and Anis Mehmeti on the left.
Bell had a very good game in the initial tie, causing Emerson Palmieri all sorts of issues and it makes sense to try and continue that theme, while Mehmeti has been steady enough, albeit not able to fully produce the x-factor that City require. Tonight would be the ideal occasion for that to emerge.
Bristol City (4-2-3-1): Max O’Leary; George Tanner, Zak Vyner, Rob Dickie, Cam Pring; Matty James, Joe Williams; Sam Bell, Jason Knight, Anis Mehmeti; Nahki Wells
