‘Lee Johnson will soon have all his key players back and available’

When you consider the ability of this team 12 months ago it is in stark contrast to the majestic attacking side we see now. When he first arrived as head coach, Lee Johnson remarked that he needed three transfer windows to implement his ideal footballing side; we are currently seeing the fruits of our collective patience. Despite this transformation from relegation candidates to promotion hopefuls, there is still a sense that if we do not gain promotion it would constitute somewhat of a failure.

You realise how far we’ve fallen when you think back to us leading against Wolves. It was strengthening our grip on a top-two spot and at the time we seemed unplayable. Naturally, the joy and ecstasy of the cup-run will last long in the memory, but if we aren’t in the Premier League next season then will it have been worth it? You get a feeling that in some senses we have been unlucky to fall this far away from the league’s top few teams. Especially when you contemplate that for the majority of the season we’ve seen players playing out of position and important individuals unavailable.  The long injury layoffs to the likes of Famara Diedhiou, Callum O’Dowda and Eros Pisano have almost certainly had a negative impact on results.

Interestingly, the suspensions for Aden Flint and Joe Bryan, two and three games respectively, have coincided with more injuries, meaning that in recent weeks the back four has been somewhat unfamiliar. Dropping into the left-back slot in the last two games has been young starlet Lloyd Kelly. As someone who has watched him play many times for the youth teams, I am delighted he has been fast-tracked into the first team. Back-to-back man of the match performances against Burton and Ipswich prove that sometimes our young academy players can be called upon when needed. With his recent regular inclusion in the England u20 team, I am sure he can go to the very top.

With Joe Bryan’s suspension now over, the coaching staff have a decision to make. Many deem him the best left-back in the division, so surely he must go straight back in? Lee Johnson seemed to downplay the positive displays from Kelly in his press conference, so we may see Bryan playing at left-back on Friday at Oakwell. Interestingly there are those who believe Bryan’s best position is at left-midfield. I for one would happily see him and Kelly be our left side. With Bryan’s departure from Bristol City a realistic possibility, we should surely be giving Kelly as much exposure to the division as possible.

On the other flank the decisions are different. The return of Eros Pisano has balanced out our team going forward and he certainly seems more comfortable than Bailey Wright. The dilemma of who plays ahead of him is one that splits opinion. Josh Brownhill and Callum O’Dowda have played the most games there and have both done very well considering their young age. I’m sure that, had he not suffered that serious ankle injury, O’Dowda would’ve established himself as our best traditional wide man.

Jamie Paterson prefers the left-hand side, so for me he is out of the question. Ryan Kent’s signing – although met with plenty of optimism – has turned out to be fairly unsuccessful, at times disrupting the structure of our attacking force for little reward in return. These two games may come too soon for O’dowda but Brownhill has excelled at times in recent games. Sheffield Wednesday at home was a tremendous display by someone who would probably consider himself a more central player by trade.

With our flanks seemingly full of options, you would hope that there would be extra pressure to play well. Now they have a true target man to aim for in the middle. The return of Milan Djuric was met with instant joy once we remembered how effortless it seems for him. The header against Ipswich is the kind of goal you need when you aren’t playing at your best. With the likes of Djuric and O’Dowda nearing full fitness we will have a squad full of options and that will allow us to play in many different ways. With the final run-in approaching, Lee Johnson will soon have all his key players back and available.