It is telling that when asked about his changing role this season, Bristol City’s creative fulcrum Scott Twine highlights his work off the ball more than his attacking output.
Under Gerhard Struber’s high-octane approach the 26-year-old has surged up the Championship ranks for goal contributions, and only three players in the division have created more chances in open play. A year earlier, under Liam Manning’s more patient, possession-based system, Twine’s final goal contribution had come in mid-January and he ranked far lower for chances created.
Beyond Twine’s numbers, City’s style has shifted markedly. Struber’s team plays vertical, fast football and has reduced the number of final-third passes needed to produce a shot more than any other Championship side between seasons. The Austrian’s philosophy, forged in the Red Bull system, prizes high pressing and quick transitions — a clear departure from Manning’s Guardiola-influenced build-up play.
Twine has adapted. City’s team pressures per game have edged up only slightly, but Twine’s individual pressures have risen by nearly a quarter since last season. “A big thing this season has been about the off-the-ball pressing, high up, fast, and then looking to win the ball and score as quickly as possible,” he told Sky Sports. “I’ve adapted my game a bit over the years… I feel like I’ve got smarter with my pressing. I’m definitely more switched on than I used to be five years ago.”
City’s late rally under Manning — 26 points from their final 15 games last season — proved they can hit form, and there remains hope Struber can engineer another push. But 14 points from 11 games since Boxing Day have cooled expectations of ending a 46-year hiatus from the top flight. A win over Watford would bring back-to-back victories for the first time since mid-December and offer a timely boost.
Part of City’s dip can be traced to Struber’s physical demands and limited rotation. The head coach complained openly about the club’s lack of depth after using very few different line-ups in the first half of the season. Several players were loaned out in January to avoid sitting on the bench, and while the window brought some reinforcements, the departures of Anis Mehmeti and Zak Vyner — both approaching free agency — were setbacks. Struber suggested losing last season’s top scorer Mehmeti affected the dressing room after a heavy defeat by Derby.
Twine, though, downplays the disruption. “I’ve been in enough teams to realise that players are going to get bought and sold, I don’t think it had much of an impact,” he says. He does acknowledge the positive impact of new arrivals once they settled. Tomi Horvat, signed from Sturm Graz where he led the Austrian Bundesliga in chances created, has contributed two assists in his first four games and appears to be forging a partnership with Twine. The pair occupy similar attacking roles, sharing creative responsibilities and developing an understanding of each other’s movements. “We have a lot of chats together and I know where he wants me to be when he’s got the ball and vice versa,” Twine says.
Horvat is also a left-footed set-piece specialist, and while Twine remains dominant from dead balls — no EFL player has matched his 17 free-kick goals since December 2020 — competition for free-kick duty may grow. Twine jokes that he’s still practicing and hopes to add another free-kick soon; his last came in November in the reverse fixture with Watford.
Twine’s evolution — from a more static creative number 10 under Manning to a high-energy, pressing playmaker under Struber — has mirrored the club’s tactical shift. His increased defensive work, combined with continued attacking returns, makes him central to City’s hopes of mounting a late surge up the table and ending their long wait for top-flight football.
Watch Bristol City vs Watford live on Sky Sports Football from 7.30pm on Friday, kick-off 8pm.