City returned from the international break having had three defeats on the bounce, writes Graham Ford.

It has no doubt given Lee Johnson , his management team and the players time to reflect on what has been inconsistent form since the start of the campaign. Excellent results against some of the highly-rated teams in the Championship have given way to some truly dismal ones lately especially against Preston.

Frankly, City were a shambles and unless they improve quickly the six-point gap between them and a relegation place will close quickly. I think it’s gone wrong for a number of reasons. We are clearly missing a leader on the pitch. Bailey Wright and Korey Smith have both been on the long term injury list and we miss their drive and intelligence. We have not got the 20 goal a season striker we have had in the last three years. There’s no Kodjia, Abraham or Reid this campaign and it really shows why teams pay huge sums for these types of scorers.

Diedhiou looks a shadow of the player he was last year and Matty Taylor has deserved a regular starting spot. Whenever he comes on late he looks lively and makes a difference so I suggest he has an extended run. Mo Eisa, a speculative signing from Cheltenham and another long term sick note is back in contention and if he does not get a chance upfront soon , he never will. Hakeeb Adelakun , another summer signing back from injury was highly-rated at Scunthorpe last year and it’s about time we saw him too. To be honest you could change the entire 11 from the Preston game and have a team more likely to win on that form. Against all that, we know there is a good team in there somewhere and Lee has to find it. It must be desperately frustrating and I am sure he has confidence in the players. Many of us think his tactics are too defensive, especially in home games.

This weekend we go to the once mighty Leeds. They got smashed at WBA in their last game and like us will be desperate to put that behind them. I expect City to put in a better performance and perhaps it may prove a chance for some of them to cement a place in the side. A draw would be a great result but this league is so tight anything is possible……