Sometimes, Jimmy Greaves' favourite catchphrase, "it’s a funny old game" doesn’t always do football justice. Away at Bournemouth on a sunny but cold day by the seaside, it was exactly what was needed to describe Bristol City’s predicament.
The timing of Nigel Pearson’s trip was by definition, funny - 16 points clear of relegation and 17 behind play-offs is how the Robins have felt for most of the season, give or take a few precarious moments of uncertainty. It’s also at this time of the season when a managerial pet hate comes out. The floated notion that teams are "on the beach".
The fans don’t see the reason to be excited about matches beyond new stadiums or general Saturday afternoon fillers, the players are caught drifting closely to dreams of holidays and pre-season breaks, the staff have to fight their side to make it perfectly sure that nobody lets their professionalism slip.
Being so close to the seaside, on the face of it, it’d be hard to find a more beach-worthy side than City right now. They aren’t doing much this season other than possibly fighting for the odd future, contract, or transfer budget.
Perhaps the players wished they were on the Bournemouth beach, but City’s spirited and brave battle on the south coast wasn’t evidence of the same brittle spine that they have shown this season.
If nothing else, the proof that City aren’t laying under the umbrella on the sand is a positive one. Their gritty performance against Bournemouth was what Pearson has been calling for all season.
Here are the moments missed from the Vitality Stadium…
Zonal marking issue
City may have taken the lead from a corner during a period that was dominated by early set-pieces, but no matter how much Pearson had credited his team for changing their ways against West Brom from dead-ball situations, they weren’t comfortable at the Vitality Stadium.
Having to face a free cross into their box within 60 seconds of the start, City’s new zonal system was tested and squeezed for the first half. By the 15th minute they had already conceded five corners. Whatever Pearson was adamant had changed before the international break, wasn’t so apparent in Bournemouth for the first spell.
Although the system changed and was zonal to the point of leaving three men spare on the edge of the box, it didn’t look any safer. From the first kick it was Jefferson Lerma that had half of the 18-yard box to direct his header unopposed towards goal. The second kick was nodded back across goal towards Dominic Solanke at the far post, but for a good defensive header it might have caused more issues.
By the third act, this time Lloyd Kelly’s attacking meet, which was sent over the bar, something was wrong. City have already shown their deficiencies when competing for the ball in the air and given a man to mark, they didn’t find it any easier to defend a zone instead.
When Nat Phillips leapt backwards alongside three of his teammates, still closer to each other than any purple shirt, City looked naïve and startled, still unsure of what to do when facing their siege.
The Cherries didn’t continue to dominate the game from set-pieces as the game went on as they sought a breakthrough via short kicks and intricate plays instead, but just because City didn’t concede directly from any of the 12 corners that Bournemouth accumulated doesn’t mean that the issues have been fixed.
Pearson's message to Atkinson
As the hosts passed the ball short from kick off and retained possession in a neat triangle, exchanging short, one-touch passes in close quarters, the standard of football had been set. Before City had even touched the ball they had been sliced through and made to look dizzy, seeing Solanke, Lerma and Ryan Christie roam down the right flank with slick ease.
Cam Pring pressed the ball and dropped off in retreat after the initial pass, Rob Atkinson moved to cover his space and then Solanke pounced. Darting between them and receiving a neat backheel through the legs of Pring, City had been opened up without even knowing it. It was a silent assassination takedown at lightning speed, in front of 11,000 fans.
That was always going to be the test, playing against the second-best team in the league, but the initial uncertainty of City’s left side was quite obvious. This was a great example of the need for an assured and solid team performance. One-on-one, City couldn’t win.
They weren’t alone in the struggle, barked on by Pearson from the tight sideline, any communication that was missed by Atkinson or Pring was relayed by their manager. Instructing the play and organising his unit as they struggled to get into the game with the ball.
When City did have the ball, often with Dan Bentley holding onto it for as long as possible, there was a reluctance from the team to want it. The suffocation from the Cherries meant that the precious time spent with the possession was time to think clearly amidst an onslaught of attacks coming towards them.
Pearson didn’t allow his team to go into their shell though, demanding that Atkinson spread himself for the ball, coming short and being the initial ball carrier. It was a trap that Scott Parker seemed to have prepared for though, using Atkinson as a press trigger for Christie to sprint at and unnerve.
Atkinson, not being the most assertive or composed in possession, was then forced unwillingly to make the steps forward, ambushed by red and black shirts around him.
Despite being uncertain, Atkinson was time and again called by his manager, shouting, “Rob, Rob, come wide and get the ball, Rob!” Alongside that was Pearson pushing his plan for the Robins to send the ball wide and behind Adam Smith and Jordan Zemura as they pushed up the field.
As the half went on and City were pegged back more and more, their out balls were narrower and narrower, giving the attackers less and less to feed off. Subsequently, Pearson's cries slowed as his team took the brief seconds to regroup and catch a needed breather, evading the Bournemouth blanket of pressure.
Atkinson might have scored when he ventured forward for a corner, but that didn’t make any of his defensive work any easier, often struggling to shut down any of Bournemouth’s attacks and often ending up out of position.
Martin's argy bargy
After holding just 20 per cent of the ball in the first period, City’s backs were firmly cemented regimental against the wall. Pearson admitted that getting anything from the match would be a big shock before the game, saying, “staying in matches is fundamental in any game. Whether we’re playing top of the league of bottom of the league you’ve still go to have that willingness to work and that desire to keep the ball out of the net and that’s not just individually.
“It’s a game for us which I don’t think people expect us to get anything out of but the players have been really positive all week, what we have to do is transfer that positivity into performances.”
In those circumstances and with the struggles of battling against a ball moving machine like Bournemouth, slowing play down, frustrating the crowd and buying extra time is key. For those situations they aren’t lacking in experience.
Starting with a mountain of Championship gametime - Chris Martin, Nahki Wells, Andi Weimann and Matty James - City had a setup to defend, counter and exploit the time and their opponents.
The first case of this appeared when Martin came together off the ball with Adam Smith. The right-back was treated by the physio but didn’t forget who it was that had bustled him when he got back up.
On the sideline he took his time to tell the fourth official and linesman that Martin wasn’t as innocent as he made to be and left no uncertainties when he eventually re-entered. First, exchanging some words with Martin, before then leaving a late tackle on the striker in the pairs first coming together since the original incident.
Martin, not one to lay down, gave as good as he got and leaned into Smith, not going as far as pushing his head in dangerously, but enough to catch the referees attention.
Bournemouth were still 1-0 down at the time which explains Smith’s anger, Martin’s wily grin was stashed away for the moment of the confrontation, but it was the sort of necessary nastiness that City needed to foster if they were to unsettle their opponents.
Although it didn’t help the outcome of the game for City, Martin’s expression of gamesmanship was something that City fans will want to see him pass onto those around him.
Cundy’s pat on the back
Another three goals conceded, not to get too repetitive, but that’s now 72 for the season. More than double that of City’s weekend hosts. It really is an astronomical amount, not something that "leaky" quite covers.
That being said, the three goals against Bournemouth weren’t watched in in the same inevitable vein that that they have been this year. The three man defence, accompanied but useful contributions from wing-back with Jay Dasilva and Cam Pring, were tight and limited Bournemouth before Lewis Cook’s long range goal opened the game up.
At the centre of this the best senior game from Robbie Cundy. The centre back did a largely good job of shutting down Zemura and Solanke on his right side of defence. He was imposing and eye-catching in all the right ways a defender should be, even with the goals against him.
He was also congratulated by his manager with a huge grin and a face that said, "I told you so." Pearson has been one of Cundy’s loudest supporters and biggest fans this season, consistently praising his new defensive cog.
City were already 2-1 down when Cundy went off and seeing Pearson smile at this stage was a shock, it’s also worth noting that as soon as he was substituted, Dembele proceeded to twist and turn the City defence inside and out.
The moment to look at was certainly Pearson private praise of Cundy though. The manager has been known to take time out to speak with his players and give some immediate feedback when they leave the field, but after Cundy’s continual stepping up in performances and his importance within the team at the moment given Tomas Kalas’ injury worries, it looked even more pertinent.
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