Exploring Bristol City’s 2024/25 Play Style for Smart Betting

In recent years, Bristol City have been at best a mid-table EFL Championship club. Unable to invest money into players like other teams in the second tier, the Robins have decided to make their bet on efficient coaching and player development, thus inviting new manager Liam Manning in November 2023.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing under Manning last season as the Robins had both good and bad stretches. Nevertheless, the team finished the campaign in 11th spot, their best result since 2018/19.
It remains to be seen whether Bristol City will improve on that result in 2024/25. The page with prediction on ClubSport would be one resource to keep track of the team’s performance and expectations throughout the season. Right now, though, there are several reasons to be optimistic.
It mostly has to do with Manning’s progressive tactics and his flexibility, which brought the club some important victories last term. But before making any forecasts, it is worth understanding what kind of football the Robins are expected to play this year.

Bristol City Under Manning: Work in Progress
Building a team with a comprehensive attacking playstyle takes time, and Liam Manning, who came to Ashton Gate mid-season, has not had this time.
An adept of intense press and possession, Bristol City showed glimpses of this attack-minded style, although they had to be more flexible on certain occasions. The coach himself revealed that he had to adapt to the team’s realities, but the intention to progress remained.
Depending on the opponent or the resources available, the Robins played with a 3-4-3, 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 formation under Manning. Based on the need for a particular match or the strength of the opponent, which can be checked on ClubSport, the experiments with the formation may continue this year. Similarly, the betting opportunities on Bristol City may change from match to match.

Corner Kicks Depending on Possession
Although Manning will continue trying to implement his playing style at Ashton Gate, a coach is responsible not only for good football, but also for results. No matter how much the Robins will try to dominate possession against weaker sides, they will have to give the ball away against those that have a better squad or a more consolidated playing philosophy.

If the trend from the previous year continues, then Bristol City will register more corner kicks in matches in which they control the ball, and fewer in those matches where they are mostly out of possession. Thus, by analysing the opponent and predicting the general picture of a match, one can bet on a higher or lower number of total corners in a Bristol City game.

Over 2.5 Goals Against Attack-Oriented Opponents
What is certain is that the Robins will not be an overly-careful team under Manning. Against those rivals which attempt to play attacking football, Bristol City will respond with the same. And not park the bus and play for a 0-0 like some teams do.
There were over 2.5 goals in matches against Ipswich Town, Southampton or Blackburn Rovers last term. Bristol won some of these games, they also lost some, but they did not back down from the fight. It was always an entertaining watch with plenty of goals, and the same thing is to be expected in 2024/25.

More Yellow Cards Against Bigger Opponents
Since Manning wants his team to be a pressing machine, he will demand that the Robins win the ball high up the pitch. Typically, this implies recovering the ball right after being dispossessed. Of course, this can also lead to a high number of fouls and thus a high number of bookings.
In the last campaign, the Robins got three yellow cards in league matches against the likes of Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town, and in the FA Cup encounter with Premier League side Nottingham Forest.
If Bristol City will be facing a team with a similarly-proactive style, the boys will likely be booked twice or thrice during the 90 minutes. And with an opponent that tends to use tactical fouls in the same way, the total number of cards shown in the match can stack up to a significant amount.