Nigel Pearson hides it well, or at least masks the feeling of pride with a healthy dose of realism, but the more positive performances his Bristol City put in, the more he’s going to have to get used to people saying nice things about his team.
Chris Wilder was pretty much the lone complimentary voice last season when he declared that Pearson had, “sorted City out,” as he spoke in the wake of Boro’s 2-1 defeat at Ashton Gate in February, in which Antoine Semenyo and Alex Scott had delivered stellar displays.
But the Robins are developing beyond mere individuals standing out over the 90 minutes, and each game passes with a knowing feeling that, even in defeat - as was the case on Wednesday - these are performances of a true collective, with players operating together at an increasingly high level.
Pearson knows it’s a long season and he has to keep a lid on fanciful talk around things like “play-off potential” and so forth, but the manner in which City are going about their business is making people take notice.
Dean Smith highlighted City’s bravery at Carrow Road, in going man-for-man at the back and being purposeful in possession, forcing the recently Premier League side firmly onto the back foot.
Smith’s words were echoed by goalscorer Teemu Pukki, who was twice the beneficiary of Kal Naismith’s defensive malfunctions but was still very impressed by what he saw by the opposition in Norfolk.
“They’re probably the best team we’ve played so far and they made it hard for us,” Pukki said, albeit with Canaries yet to face any of the true favourites in the division. “It was not an easy game, we really had to fight for those three points. They did well, they’re a good team and they will be up there fighting for promotion as well.”
That promotion claim runs contrary to lots of the external pre-season predictions as to where the Robins might finish, as many have overlooked the attacking weapons within Pearson’s squad, admittedly tempered by the defensive issues they continue to face.
City are the Championship’s top scorers with 18 - only Manchester City have found the target more times among the 92 clubs in the Premier League and EFL - but that has ever so slightly been achieved despite only 11.7 shots per game, 13th best in the league, evidence of their efficiency in the final third.
Which explains why they also rank 13th in the division for expected goals per game at 1.37, raising some doubt as to whether this rate of goalscoring can be sustained.
That doesn’t, however, take away from how consistent City have looked in their build-up play and the intangible quality they have delivered for the supporters - the Robins are finally a fun team to watch again.
Another significant test looms at Turf Moor on Saturday against Burnley who lie fifth in the Championship and have a healthy number in the goals for column themselves with 15, albeit with Vincent Kompany’s side somewhat draw specialists with five from their first eight games.
The Manchester City legend has overseen considerable turnover with regards to his squad over the summer with notable mainstays Nick Pope, Ben Mee, James Tawrkoski and Dwight McNeil among those returning to the Premier League and 15 new players signed.
So, unlike the consistency Pearson has enjoyed with his City squad - nine of the starting XI at Norwich were at the club last season, the Burnley team they face on Saturday will probably look very different in the reverse fixture at Ashton Gate in April.
Kompany, though, like Pukki and Smith has been impressed by City although admits it presents possible weaknesses for his side to exploit.
"They have very clear strengths, they are good around the box and combine well," Kompany told Lancs Live. "They commit numbers forward and like any other manager I am looking at that and thinking 'yeah but the more numbers they commit, the more they are exposed to transition moments.'
"It is just weighing the balance on everything. I look at the strengths of our team and the fact that it is a home game and there is also a big emphasis on what we want to do.
"I think it’s in their DNA (City being an attacking side), it’s what they will be happy about with their start to the season. It’s good because I think we have the same ambitions in this game. It could be an entertaining game.”
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