Fally Mayulu still very much work in progress after ‘tough’ first league start for Bristol City
Liam Manning described Fally Mayulu’s full Championship debut as “tough” after the 22-year-old was handed his first for Bristol City in the league.
The striker was given the nod to lead the line against Blackburn Rovers on the weekend, in place of regular starter Sinclair Armstrong.
Although he started lively, making his presence and power known to the Blackburn defence in the opening stages, the Frenchman’s impact was nullified after Rovers took the lead on 17 minutes. This saw Mayulu withdrawn at the break, with Manning opting to bring Armstrong on for the second half.
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Mayulu had impressed off the bench in the league in City’s opening four games of the campaign, where he netted on two occasions against Hull City and Millwall respectively.
Despite being rewarded with his first start in the Championship since his £2.5m summer move from Rapid Vienna, it was a difficult outing with limited chances at Ewood Park as the Robins fell to a 3-0 defeat.
While Manning described the striker’s full league debut as “challenging,” the City boss knows the significant impact Mayulu will make in the long term.
“It was challenging for him, the Robins head coach told Bristol Live. "It was a tough game probably because of his age and it was his first start in Championship football.
“We know he’s going to need a bit of time but I thought he showed some good moments. He was a handful physically and in the air and he linked play really well.
“It’s the out of possession stuff for me that we need to work on with him, understanding how we stay in block and how we go from block to press and do that side of the game. I know Fally’s going to be a good player for the club but it’s just going to need some time.”
Mayulu has two goals to his name since his summer switch from Austrian side Rapid Vienna, with both of his goals coming off the bench in the league. The frontman had started the Robins’ Carabao Cup defeat to Coventry, where played 80 minutes.
Despite Armstrong being Manning’s first-choice striker in the Championship and scoring while away on international duty for the Republic of Ireland under-21s, the Robins boss believes Mayulu deserved his place in the starting XI against Blackburn on the weekend.
He added: “He’s shown some good glimpses of quality in the league when he’s come on. If you look at the goals he’s scored, he does it consistently in training as well.
“It’s going to take time for him to adapt and adjust. Sinc’s (Sinclair Armstrong) is the same. We were really pleased to get them and we’ve seen the best and worst of both of them in the first five games.
“That’s the bit I'm quite clear on is that everyone needs work on. We need time to get them to understand how we play and then in terms of what you need to do to be successful in the Championship. They’ve both shown some really high-level moments which excites us and that’s the bit we want to make more consistent.”
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