Alex Neil took heart from the Potters’ performance against Premier League opponents but highlighted lapses in concentration and naivety in City’s game management as his side exited the Carabao Cup at AFC Bournemouth.
The Potters more than matched their hosts in the first-half but two quickfire goals from set-pieces early in the second half provided critical in the game’s outcome.
“I thought we competed well throughout the game,” Neil explained. “There wasn’t much in the game and I think the fact they bring [Dominic] Solanke and [Ryan] Christie on the pitch at half-time, showed how the first-half went.
“They upped the tempo at the start of the second-half and we then gave a cheap free-kick away for the first goal.
“The first goal is the most frustrating because we give the free-kick away, we are in possession of the ball and we need to understand that we need to get ourselves set in the middle of the box but, naively for us, we kick the ball back to them, they then get on it quickly, play a quick free-kick, and we’re not set as the ball comes into the box where Solanke scores.
“They got a lift from that, moved the ball really quickly and they score another set play. The difficulty you have the minute the first defender doesn’t make first contact with the ball, the keeper has no time to react to the next one and it ends up in the back of the net.
“For all our effort, endeavour and good appetite and attitude we showed, the game got taken away from us in those few minutes.
“From their onwards, I thought we rallied in the game and in the last ten minutes, put some fresh legs on, the two young lads [Sol Sidibe and Nathan Lowe] did well when they came on and we had a couple of good opportunities on the edge of the box but just didn’t test the goalkeeper enough when we had good chances to hit the target.”
While clearly disappointed his side ultimately lost the game in the space of five second half minutes, Neil highlighted that the positive aspects of the Potters’ performance in open play add to his belief that results are not far away.
“We need to manage the game better and that comes with experience, comes with being more difficult to beat, understanding when to slow the game down and when to pick the tempo up,” he continued.
“They’re the bits that are hurting us because our general play is good, our effort and organisation is fine but the moments of naivety and lapses in concentration – that sometimes you get away with – at the moment for us, we are not getting away with.
“The effort and endeavour was there but the first goal was the most important because it changes the way the game was being played.
“You can see how hard the players are trying, I don’t think that is in question and the organisation of the team today was very good, I thought they understood their roles, carried out the gameplan well and limited a good Premier League team to very little in the game.
“It’s just the little moments now that we need to make sure do better on and understand the importance of crucial times in the game and that will come the more the lads play together.
“We are going to improve, I have no doubts about that, there are too many signs for us not to improve but we just need that sooner rather than later.”
