We’ll start with a quick apology because we published one of these on July 27 and, lo and behold, five weeks later the state of the Bristol City squad in terms of numbers and personnel is pretty much identical.
Duncan Idehen and Ryley Towler have left on loan to Carlisle United and AFC Wimbledon, respectively, but Stefan Bajic was the last senior incoming at the club way back on July 5. So feel free to refer back to that version.
However, 37 days is a long time in football and although the faces remain largely the same, the make-up of the squad has changed ever so slightly over these first nine games of the 2022/23 season and the narrative has been altered around certain players, which has changed the dynamic of the depth within the first-team group.
Depth is the operative word here because Nigel Pearson isn’t wholly convinced by the resources at his disposal, not in terms of ability but more of consistency and, based on his comments earlier this week, he doesn’t feel he has enough week-to-week reliability in certain positions, which indicates he believes that’s behind City’s erratic form under his management.
Nevertheless, the transfer window can be considered a success given City were able to bring in some significant players, add to the squad via subtraction in getting Kasey Palmer, Callum O’Dowda and Tyreeq Bakinson off the wage bill and, most importantly, retain the services of Alex Scott and Antoine Semenyo.
Goalkeeper
There is no magic formula for the perfect goalkeeping department but City’s is looking strong with Dan Bentley in form, Max O’Leary serving as his No2 so far and Stefan Bajic being carefully managed towards full fitness.
Harvey Wiles-Richards is the fourth member of the group, with Will Buse, Mac Boyd and Josey Casa Grand behind him, but Bajic’s arrival appears to have limited his immediate future and the 20-year-old could well be loaned out to a non-league club once the Frenchman is deemed ready to play.
That scenario also impacts O’Leary who was strongly considered for a loan move in the summer, and MK Dons and Exeter City very interested in taking him, only for Pearson to pull the plug at the 11th hour on any move away due to Bajic’s recovery from wrist surgery.
With the deadline having passed, once Bajic starts to get some minutes with the Under-21s, presumably O’Leary will have to make way on the bench but is now effectively stuck with the next window not open until January. And there’s little point sending him to non-league.
That being said, competition is high and as Bentley found out last season, your place is never guaranteed even if you carry the status of being club captain.
Defence and wing-backs
We’ll address the latter part first because it’s probably a little more straightforward given City have a nice and neat two players in each position: Kane Wilson and George Tanner on the right and Jay Dasilva and Cam Pring on the left.
There are caveats to that, of course, with Wilson able to play on the left and Mark Sykes, Alex Scott and Andi Weimann have been used on the right, either as starters or during a game and the former looks to be Pearson’s go-to guy at present. But without delving too much into the comparative strengths of each player, there are plentiful options in two key positions in Pearson’s systems which, at times, last season he was lacking in alternatives.
Pring is in an interesting spot given he’s been left out of five matchday squads in the league, despite being one of the more versatile players in the squad. It would be interesting to see who Pearson would turn do, should Dasilva sustain any kind of injury but, in fairness, the point still stands - he has options on either side.
Into the middle of defence and the now established trio of Kal Naismith, Rob Atkinson and Zak Vyner has started all of City’s seven Championship fixtures and are building a strong understanding back there. It hasn’t been perfect and the team still look vulnerable at times, particularly on set-pieces but three consecutive clean sheets at home is not to be ignored as a clear sign of progress.
Below that trio it becomes a little uncertain and is one of two areas of concern for the manager. Timm Klose has been fourth-choice for Pearson so far this season having been unconvincing in the right-sided role during pre-season and with Naismith locking down the central place, the Swiss has been pushed to the bench.
He is, however, carrying a knee injury which has caused him to miss the last two games and join long-term absentee Tomas Kalas in the treatment room, with the Czech Republic international having not played since March.
For those fixtures Pearson has run the risk of not having any centre-back cover and with Towler and Idehen loaned out, if Klose is missing again this weekend and further into September, then we have to start considering George Tanner as the next man in.
The 22-year-old started the Carabao Cup tie against Wycombe Wanderers on the right-hand side of a back three and if he has Sykes and Wilson ahead of him on the right, this path could be his quickest back into the starting XI.
Pring also comes into the equation as cover on the left but, as mentioned, he’s largely been left out of the 18 this term indicating that Pearson needs some convincing.
There is, however, unquestionably a spot for a sixth centre-back in this squad, which could be Sol Bamba as he continues to remain on trial albeit with Pearson not wholly convincing on his first-team prospects, or there could be another alternative out there on the free market.
Nobody expects Naismith, Atkinson and Vyner to play 46 games together, accounting for injury and dips in form, including their manager and although he does have Kalas to come back into the mix, one more defender of real quality would boost and safeguard this part of the field for City.
Midfield
The debate around his contract is a conversation independent to this but had Han-Noah Massengo left close to the deadline it would have had a huge impact on the squad.
Without the Frenchman in central midfield, there isn’t a lot to mitigate for Matty James getting injured, Joe Williams’ inability to start multiple games in a week, Scott being needed elsewhere on the field or the simple fact that Andy King can’t be expected to be a regular presence in a matchday XI.
While a starter in his own right, Massengo is an ideal figure to plug into midfield when one of Pearson’s figureheads aren’t able to play, as was the case throughout August with James’ injury.
The former Leicester midfielder and Williams appear his first-choice pair, when possible, but the 21-year-old brings that extra energy and panache, when he’s on his game, if only his future beyond next summer could be decided.
Outside of that trio, Scott has drifted more into the middle this season, following the additions of Wilson and Sykes out wide, and looked all the better for it.
It’s also becoming increasingly apparent that his most effective role is as a box-to-box No8, rather than a creative 10, because he gets him on the ball more and utilises his tenacity in defence; when he’s stationed that bit further forward the teenager can get crowded out.
Again, similar to the above, a pure defensive midfielder would have been a fine player to bring into this group but it simply wasn’t possible, either through the loan market or on a permanent, which required the sale of someone else.
There is emphasis therefore on Massengo this season to be that more efficient defensive player in front of the backline and certainly his some games his dynamism has allowed him to make a number of interceptions and force turnovers from the opposition. Consistency will continue to be key.
That being said, academy duo Dylan Kadji, who’s made his debut this season, and Josh Owers, who hasn’t, do fit that profile, although there are a number of players ahead of them before they can hope to make a significant impact. It is, however, also telling that neither was permitted to leave on loan, indicating that Pearson is mindful of his central midfield resources and wants all hands on deck.
Further up the field, although he’s largely been deployed on the right, Sykes is a kind of a Weimann clone who could deputise for the Austrian in the No10 role, while Ayman Benarous will add further guile in the final third once he recovers from his ACL injury which, admittedly, isn’t likely to be until the beginning of next year.
One potential hole you could highlight is the lack of an obvious attacking wide player - with the exception of Sykes, perhaps. And certainly O’Dowda hasn’t been replaced meaning that if Pearson wants to switch to a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3, whether from the start or in-game, he’d have to use a “defensive player” in one of the roles.
Attack
iIt’s time to get excited. Even if Semenyo had been sold, Weimann, Nahki Wells, Chris Martin and the fantastic find of Tommy Conway makes for a pretty decent frontline, all four strikers offering something different and various combinations to use across a season. But with the 22-year-old still in the building, City now have four very high-level Championship forwards plus an incredibly exciting striking talent who could be among that group this time next year.
Semenyo is a game-changer, make no mistake, and there’s every reason to suggest that he’ll be in double figures goals by the time he leaves the club in November to join up with the Ghana squad for the World Cup. But it’s not just his influence on the scoreboard, it’s what he does to opposition defences in how he scares the opposition with his pace and power, finding space for his teammates.
And, as we’ve seen so far, this has all been off the bench so while a team may be able to contain Conway-Wells-Weimann for 60-70 minutes, bringing Semenyo on the for the final 20 minutes or so has a huge impact on the direction of the result. Likewise, if he’s starting alongside Wells and Weimann - as well could be the case at Blackburn Rovers - Conway’s introduction gives the Robins some extra zip, pressing ability and a canny ability to locate space in the penalty area.
A stalwart of the team last season, Martin also offers something different to those two with his hold-up play and intelligence on the fringes, plus he’s an additional threat at set-pieces with Naismith putting chances on a plate for his teammates.
Wells has also looked in excellent shape through the middle with Conway, playing on the shoulder and providing real penetration and finish prowess but also in linking the play and creating chances for others.
It’s hard on Sam Bell who’s the sixth man in all this and, right now, it’s hard to see how the academy product gets a look-in meaning he may end up being that lost winger City don’t possess.
SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate
READ NEXT
