Gerhard Struber sheds light on half-time message as Bristol City boss 'proud' of Southampton win

Gerhard Struber saw his Bristol City side come from behind to beat Southampton 3-1 at Ashton Gate on Tuesday eveningBristol City boss Gerhard Struber celebrates after the Robins’ win over Southampton(Image: EFL)

Gerhard Struber has shed light on his half-time message to his Bristol City players during their win over Southampton, with the Reds boss revealing he asked his squad to press from a deeper position after the break.

The Robins came from behind thanks to Anis Mehmeti’s first-half strike and a second-half Scott Twine brace to run out 3-1 winners in what was their first Ashton Gate win in four games on Tuesday evening.

Adam Armstrong chipped the Saints into the lead after 30 minutes when he calmly lifted the ball past Radek Vitek and into the City net, having been picked out by Shea Charles. Just moments later, however, Mehmeti pulled Struber’s side level when he drove a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner from just inside the box.

OPINION

Southampton had chances to restore their advantage after the break, but it was City who pulled ahead as Twine twice chipped past Alex McCarthy to score his fourth and fifth goals of the term and secure all three points for the Reds.

Although Struber wasn’t particularly happy with the manner in which his side dealt with the Saints in the opening half an hour, he was delighted with their response after the break when he had been able to pass on his messaging in the changing room.

“I would say in the first half, especially the first 30 minutes, we struggle in our direction,” the head coach explained post-match. “We find not the right trigger to press the backline, to come in pressing moments, and with our backline we were too far away, so our distances were not good, and this was half-pregnant pressing.

“They’d play between and we were always too late, they recycle and we were too late in how we release, so this was, in more directions, in the first 30 minutes, this works not in our way. But, at the same time, we bounce back with Anis’ goal – this was very, very important in this direction; a hit for them.

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“Then, we start to be a little bit more compact and find a little bit better moments on the ball. We lose the ball also too easily in the first 30 minutes, but then we change in the second half. At half-time we spoke about how we go deeper, we go a little bit deeper and the pressing line was deeper.

“I told the boys, wait for it, the moment will come. They go crazy when there are not the spaces that they think they will get in the second half, the chaos is ongoing, and then they take more risks. In the risky moments, we win the ball and we do it really good. Our transition moments today were on a really good level, and our finishing was better.

“I am very, very proud of the boys, how we deal with an opponent on this level, in the second half,” Struber added. “The boys are so disciplined.

“We changed the shape a little bit into a 5-3-2, and this works against them, really, really well.”

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With back-to-back wins over Will Still’s Saints and Liam Manning’s Norwich City after the October international break, the Robins have climbed back into the Championship play-off places and sit fourth ahead of Birmingham City’s visit to BS3 this weekend.

Depending on results on both Wednesday and over the weekend, the Reds could climb as high as second in the table after 12 matches with a win over Chris Davies’ side. Understandably, that positive start has excited supporters, but Struber is remaining level-headed.

“I would say the season is, right now, young,” the City boss admitted. “But of course, we can see a little bit more branding from us: how is our identity, how are things working, and when you win away in Norwich and win at home against Southampton, I would say we are on the right way, but nothing more.

“We know we have a lot of things for our chest that we have to improve, but how we deal today with this quality from them shows me the boys are really ready for more.”

Gerhard Struber sheds light on half-time message as Bristol City boss ‘proud’ of Southampton win

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