Yep, that was not pleasant towards the end. A win is a win of course, before we all get shot for being Mr Pessimistics. But there is a lot of work to do and when you look at the relative values of squads, I think Bristol City punched way above their weight and looked like they deserved a draw.
Well 3 points is great, but we made it very hard for ourselves. Pukki back to his best and great header by Sargent from Sara's excellent corner but we're still giving the ball away too much. Both Núñez and Sara look to be settling in well now, except for Marcelino's dallying in his own area. Should have been stopped for a foul on Aarons who was dragged to the ground. Four point gap to third place now but we need to improve further to keep winning games.
The midfield problems are not sorted at all. We badly need Hayden fit as soon as possible. We can't keep riding our luck.
As always, I disagree with you, Robbie. I felt Pearson, with far less gifted players at his disposal, set up Bristol much more effectively than Smith set us up. They had a clear shape and a plan. We just seemed to be relying on individual skill to get us through. EDIT: Our defence was shambolic, our midfield didn't seem to exist for a lot of the time, and we only won because of Pukki's intelligence and Sargent's ability with his head. Despite six wins in a row, I think the idea that we will get promoted if we go on playing the way we have so far this season is pure fantasy.
Naismith gave you a two goal head start For me we have come a million miles gave you a game tonight even with a two goal head start. Thought we were good for a draw come the end.
Agreed you look more the team which is greater than it’s constituent parts. Our team has (and coaches have) a lot of work to do.
Not sorted at all, but to be fair to Smith we're missing all three of our DMs. There's nobody who can sit in front of the defence, receive a simple pass and distribute play to relieve pressure (Gibbs is good at this, hopefully Hayden is?). We've also got nobody left footed in our back four, which really limits the passing lanes open to our defenders and makes us easier to press.* A left footed CB would be a solution (Hanley's injury might force us into playing Gibson, which would at least help in that area even if it creates issues), or a fit LB (hopefully Giannoulis is only 1-2 games away) would certainly help in that area. *Harry Maguire is constantly criticised for this, being extremely right footed but playing LCB, if you're interested then: https://thepeoplesperson.com/2022/0...s-is-the-best-thing-for-harry-maguire-249375/ or https://theathletic.com/2669344/202...y-be-best-way-of-speeding-up-englands-attack/ might be worth a read. The first article highlights United's issue of relying on a LCB to progress the ball from the back because they don't have a DM capable - our squad currently has a similar issue.
Electric game, great atmostphere, plenty of goals, fabulous entertainment, I regret the loss but goals win games, you scored the winner, well done but we were in with a shout right to the end, have a great season, see you down the gate...
That left side midfield was the reason Byram was under so much pressure -- until Argos and Sara came on.
