Bristol Live’s stand-out talking points from Bristol City’s Anis Mehmeti-inspired 3-0 Championship win over Swansea at Ashton GateRob Dickie and his Bristol City teammates celebrate against Swansea City(Image: Photo by Rogan/Bristol City)

In the lead-up to Swansea City’s trip to Ashton Gate, Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber was positive and upbeat, urging supporters to bring “the biggest noise” to BS3 on Saturday lunchtime and insisting that his side would provide “fire” from the first whistle.

By the time referee Joshua Smith blew for full-time at around 2:20pm, that red and white fire had proven to be destructive. Not only had Struber’s boys curtailed their three-match winless run at the first time of asking after the international break, but they had done so in style as they brushed aside a Swansea side that, for much of the contest, were second best.

Often this term, the final whistle has brought a release of emotion – whether it be positive or negative – from the City support. On this occasion, the upbeat feeling had already spilt out of the stands and onto the pitch long before the referee’s signal, as from minute one, the Robins, and Anis Mehmeti in particular, had been on top.

Twice in the first three minutes, the Albanian international came close. Before anyone could begin to be concerned that such missed opportunities would come back to bite the Reds, Rob Dickie had headed City into the lead with the clock still yet to click over into the fourth minute.

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Swansea had their moments from there on in as the affair settled down after a frenetic start, but it was Struber’s side that landed the next blow. With less than 15 minutes remaining of the first period, Mehmeti again turned provider, landing a deep cross onto the foot of Emil Riis, who volleyed home his fifth of the campaign.

Again, the Swans did what they could to rally on either side of the break and forced smart saves out of “the wall” – Struber’s description – Radek Vitek.

As had been the case in the first half, however, the Reds put the game beyond doubt before any fears of a very, very late comeback could creep into the mind. Another smart piece of play from Mehmeti had substitute Yu Hirakawa away, and the Japanese international’s composure wrapped up the points.

Was it a case of one-way traffic? No, but it still felt almost routine. The Robins weren’t completely in command for the entirety of the contest, but they never looked at any real risk of slipping up. This was a professional display from the better side on the day.

Of course, the beauty of the Championship means that Struber and his players don’t have to wait too long until they get to do this all over again. Before we turn our attention to Wrexham, however, here are the stand-out talking points from City’s 3-0 win over Swansea City…

Gerhard Struber and Zak Vyner bring Bristol City unpredictable edge

After Bristol City’s final game prior to the November international break, the workmanlike draw away to Watford, I was quick to pay credit to Gerhard Struber for the manner in which he flexed his tactical muscles. That day, the head coach surprised everyone inside Vicarage Road and those watching at home by starting two strikes, as well as Anis Mehmeti and Scott Twine in deeper roles.

With Jason Knight once again fit and available, I – and most supporters – expected the Robins head coach to revert to type against Swansea. Instead, he doubled down on that change of shape and arguably tweaked things a little bit further as he moved Zak Vyner into an incredibly dynamic role.

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The 28-year-old was, at times, stationed on the left of the Reds’ back three, but was afforded the freedom to step in and add an extra body in midfield when he saw fit. Sometimes, he was the closest in red and white to Radek Vitek, and on other occasions, he was the player just behind Emil Riis and Sinclair Armstrong.

It was an alteration that not even the most apt of ‘Football Manager’ players would have anticipated, and something Swansea certainly won’t have been expecting to face; exactly the outcome Struber was hoping for.

“All the things that we do in this way make us more unpredictable,” the head coach explained in his post-match press conference. “Different shape, different movements, different pressing triggers are all the things that should be on a level that the boys can take it and have a benefit from them – that we had today with a 3-0.

“This works today, in a successful way, and it helps us to have more different options.”

At this moment, it seems as though teams are preparing to face City without knowing what exactly will be waiting for them.

Bristol City and Gerhard Struber have made a positive start to the Championship campaign(Image: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)

In recent weeks, Struber has played a strike partnership – and mixed up the combination of players while doing so – a front three with a two-man midfield, a back three that rolls into a back four in possession, a back four that turns into a back three with the ball, two eights alongside a six and likely countless other changes that a mere tactical mortal like you or I won’t have noticed.

It is incredibly hard to plot a plan to stop a team when you don’t know how they’ll try and get the better of you. In the two matches since the Robins’ back-to-back defeats to Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers, Struber has certainly earned his corn by setting up his side to both get the best out of the players at his disposal and surprise the Reds’ opposition.

Of course, it is moments produced by those on the field that truly win football matches, but the nous of the man in the dugout is certainly giving the City squad more than a bit of a helping hand at this moment in time. He deserves plenty of credit, as does Vyner who thrived in the hybrid position.

Different side of Anis Mehmeti proves decisive for Bristol City

No one in Bristol City colours on Saturday lunchtime produced more of those aforementioned decisive moments than Anis Mehmeti. I’ve already spent countless column inches waxing lyrical about the 24-year-old’s performance this weekend, but I think he is more than deserving of a couple more.

Mehmeti’s showing against Swansea City was definitive and showcased a side of the Albanian international that the City faithful haven’t seen all too often in the near three years he has plied his trade at Ashton Gate. Prior to this campaign, the winger had registered just three assists in two and a half seasons in the West Country; he matched that tally in the space of just 78 minutes against the Swans.

The corner for Rob Dickie’s opener was perfectly flighted towards the front post, the ball to the back post for Emil Riis’ volley landed exactly where the Dane would have wanted it, and the turn and pass that fed Yu Hirakawa through late on was simply superb. These weren’t just three assists; they were three assists that were arguably better than the goals they created.

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“Of course, he has an outstanding leg and technical power,” Gerhard Struber explained after the full-time whistle. “Twiney and Anis have special creativity, and this is very difficult to read, to anticipate what is coming.

“They have the power, so it’s not a coincidence. He scores many times, he assists again and again and also, his own standard is so high to deliver.”

What was perhaps even more encouraging, however, was the fact that he should have left the field with another one or two to his name. In total, Mehmeti created six scoring chances in the contest, one more than the rest of the Robins’ starting line-up combined.

Although he didn’t get on the scoresheet himself against the Swans, the 24-year-old already has five goals to his name this term. With just a third of the campaign in the rear-view mirror, he is a goal and assist away from matching his goal involvement tally from last season – the most productive of his career.

It perhaps goes under the radar at times, because boy, he can be frustrating, but Mehmeti has quickly become a serious performer at this level. Only Coventry City’s Brandon Thomas-Asante has contributed to more goals in England’s second tier this season, and he is part of the team sitting pretty at the top of the Championship.

Anis Mehmeti celebrates scoring for Bristol City at Ashton Gate(Image: Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Question marks will remain around his long-term future, and it feels unlikely that they will be banished anytime soon. For now, though, Gerhard Struber and City have an animal – or should I say, a monster – at their disposal.

It would be wrong not to give him his flowers on this occasion. Mehmeti’s individual display this weekend was probably the best of any Robins player this term, and that deserves to be celebrated.

Injury boost offers signs of Gerhard Struber’s real Bristol City

Away from the tactical aspects of Bristol City’s display against Swansea City, there was something noticeably different about the way in which the Robins performed on Saturday lunchtime when compared to the final three games prior to the November international break.

Having had two weeks to rest, recover and re-energise, the Robins looked sharper. The press was more effective, the speed in transition was eye-catching, and the ability to funnel back in defensive action – from those all over the field – was closer to the level fans saw at the start of the campaign, when ‘Struberball’ was all the rage.

The fact that the Reds met that standard for one game, after an extended break, alone isn’t worth celebrating. What should come as a positive, however, is that reaching such a bar consistently should now be much easier with the likes of Neto Borges, Jason Knight, Mark Sykes, and Cam Pring fit again.

The Robins’ bench on Saturday, which had been reduced to two goalkeepers and primarily a host of academy players at Vicarage Road, contained last term’s Player of the Season, an Ireland international, a Japanese international, a play-off securing defender and an internationally capped goalkeeper, as well as a sprinkling of youth prospects.

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The introduction of Knight, Sykes and Hirakawa in the second half ensured that Struber’s side were able to generate a second wind late in the contest. When some of those on the field began to tire, they were replaced by players who were not only chomping at the bit, but also possessed genuine quality to ensure the standard didn’t slip.

You cannot perform to your best in this gegenpressing system whilst tired – that was made clear prior to the international break. With a handful of the injured pack now fit and available again, City should be able to rest and rotate more efficiently to remain as close to their top level as consistently as possible. Hopefully, things will only continue to improve when the likes of Max Bird, Josh Stokes and Rob Atkinson also return to the fold.

The Robins also appear to have taken steps to ensure those returning from injury don’t suffer setbacks as had been the case earlier in the campaign.

Struber noted such an approach after the full-time whistle, and while it may seem like a fairly straightforward call to make, it isn’t easy to start players of the quality of Knight and Pring on the bench when they’re at your disposal.

Perfect start to what can be a decisive block

It is often said that this long, long period between the November international break and the festive period, and then the run from the turn of the new year through to the March interval, is the point at which teams showcase their play-off or promotion credentials.

With 33 points up for grabs between this weekend and the first week of January, an awful lot can change very quickly in the Championship. With both their win and their performance against Swansea City on Saturday lunchtime, Bristol City have kicked off this block on the perfect note and provided themselves with a platform from which they can build.

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A defeat or poor performance against a managerless Swans side would have likely dampened the mood in and around Ashton Gate. Such a result would have stretched the Robins’ winless run to four matches, have left City outside of the play-off places, and no doubt started conversations in some circles about this current cohort’s ability to challenge for the top six.

Instead, supporters – as well as Struber and those inside the changing room – will be buoyant. With a third of the campaign played, the Reds are fourth in the Championship, just four points off second, are playing some really entertaining football and appear to be edging away from the injury bunker they had found themselves stranded in.

“In more directions: players back from injuries, good result and performance,” the City boss smiled when asked if this was the perfect start to the festive run-in. “We can always do better, but I would say this was a really good step with a little bit of new things.

“Now, it’s Wrexham”

Rather than feeling like a daunting slog, two away trips to Wrexham and Portsmouth next week – as well as the eight other games that will follow in the next month and a half – will now be viewed as an opportunity to make a real statement in the race for the play-off places.

Of course, football is a results business, and such a mood will likely only remain as long as Struber and his boys keep picking up points. For now, though, things feel rather upbeat in and around south Bristol, and it will remain so… until Wednesday at least.

OPINION

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