Bristol City haven’t exactly impressed so far under Michael Skubala but are well set for improvements down the line.
Robins fans had a lot of expectation before the start of the season. The summer transfer window might have been their most expressive one in terms of investment and effort to strengthen the squad in recent years. Eleven new players joined the club between June and August.
| Player | From |
|---|---|
| Gibson Yah | Volerdam |
| Sam Tickle | Wigan |
| Sam Greenwood | Pogon Szczecin |
| Jed Wallace | West Brom |
| Lisav Eissat | Maccabi Haifa |
| Brad Collins | Coventry City |
| Lorent Tolaj | Plymouth Argyle |
| Dom Ballard | Leyton Orient |
| Rio Cardines | Crystal Palace |
| Elijah Adebayo | Luton Town |
| Brian De Keersmaecker | Oxford United |
It finally felt like the club were tired of finishing around the play-off spots/mid-table and ready to compete. Especially because the last time they did make the top six, Sheffield United handled them with ease, winning 3-0 both at home and away in 2024/25.
They also brought in Michael Skubala, fresh off a great stint at Lincoln City over the past two and a half years. And while he hasn’t exactly set the world alight at Ashton Gate, things are stable enough after a few months featuring a lot of squad and club turnover.
The upcoming international break could be useful for them to build on the good things, cut the bad ones out and solidify the team as a whole.
Why can Bristol City’s start to the season be considered a success?
Results vs performances
We have mentioned before, but Bristol City’s results have been better than the performances. Skubala’s tenure at Lincoln suggests the Robins will never play the most attractive style of football. This can make some stats look misleading at times.
They currently sit eighth in the table, occupying the final play-off spot for this year’s expanded post-regular season. Four wins, three losses and one draw from eight games, being the only play-off side with a negative goal difference (-1).
For perspective, Opta’s expected points model has Bristol City 13th in the ‘justice table’ with 11.4 xP rather than the actual 13 points won.
And their wins have all come against teams currently in the bottom five in the league table.
| Opponent defeated | Final result | Current league position |
|---|---|---|
| Watford | 1-0 | 20th |
| Burnley | 2-1 | 24th |
| Preston North End | 3-1 | 23rd |
| Portsmouth | 2-1 | 19th* |
Considering the many changes made over the summer — and the fact that they got off to a losing start in the season, with League Two side Walsall knocking them out of the Carabao Cup first round at Ashton Gate — it’s been somewhat of a comeback since then.
Four wins from the last six league games, despite the lower-level opposition, is no easy feat. The last time they managed that had been between March and April 2025.
New signings contributing
One could make an argument that Bristol City’s two best players so far this season have both been new signings. Full-back Rio Cardines and striker Dom Ballard have stood out despite having zero Championship experience.
Ballard has only started three of the Robins’ eight league games, but leads them in goals scored. The first one was an absolute beauty against Birmingham City, volleying in a backheel flick into the top corner. Fans have already made their case for it to be in Puskas Award contention later in the year.
His average of one goal every 104 minutes is the third best in the Championship among players to have played 300+ minutes so far.
Cardines, however, has been on another level. The Crystal Palace loanee has already provided six assists in eight games — the outright most of the division. Southampton‘s Finn Azaz is the closest with four.
The England born, Trinidad and Tobago international is a right-footed full-back who has spent most of his time at left-back in the current campaign. He has moved back to the right when Cameron Pring has been fully fit – which has been rare.
If Bristol City are top of the Championship in shots taken (51) and goals scored (6) from set-pieces, it’s thanks to Cardine.
He also leads the league in chances created overall (30) and from set pieces (22), as well as accurate crosses (29). Only Cardiff City‘s Joel Bagan (77) has attempted more crosses than Cardines (76), while only the Irishman and Jarrod Bowen have racked up more Expected Assists than the Robins’ versatile full-back (2.9 xA).
Skubala has balanced things out well in the squad to allow Cardines more freedom down the left while pinning the opposing full-back on the right. George Tanner and Noah Eile have spent time at right-back, both being more defensive-minded and even having more familiarity playing as centre-backs. This leaves the entire left flank for Cardine to run up and down and act as a creative hub.
Bristol City have used the right wing more in attacking plays (40% as opposed to 31% down the left). And yet, 35% of their chances have come from the left-hand side (as opposed to 32% down the right).
The Robins have plenty of room for improvement – and fans will certainly expect that given the investment level. But being able to win points and sit in the play-off spots despite unimpressive performance shows they have survived a tough period full of changes.
They will now hope that Skubala strengthens the team as a unit during the international break to live up to expectations throughout the rest of the season.