Tomas Kalas underlines variety Bristol City have in a specific area | OneFootball

Tomas Kalas is fast becoming one of the senior heads at Bristol City in his fourth season at the club.

The 28-year-old stands out when looking at Nigel Pearson’s defensive personnel with the experience he has in the Championship.

Kalas explained how he compliments his defensive team-mates when he spoke to BristolLive.

He said: “Zak (Vyner) is quite a modern centre-half. You have the olds like me, who’s going into challenges, or Bakes (Nathan Baker), who’s a great example – we’re not messing about. Zak likes the ball, and so does Rob (Atkinson). That doesn’t mean they’re not good at tackling or intercepting but I think it suits us.

“Zak and Rob like the ball, and to step in and I’m giving them the security. Even if they lose it, I’m always there for them.”

The Robins have stamped out any immediate relegation concerns with two wins in their last three and travel to an in form Hull City on Saturday hoping to further distance themselves from the bottom three. Both of the victories have come at Ashton Gate accompanied by a clean sheet with Kalas taking his place in the centre of the back three.

The emergence of three at the back systems has been a key theme of the EFL in recent years and the Robins are one of the latest teams to execute one successfully.

The Verdict

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If it was not for the points deductions imposed on Reading and Derby County, Bristol City would have been precariously looking over their shoulders earlier on in the campaign. However, since the upturn in home form the Robins do not look like a side threatened by the drop at all and will instead be looking at an opportunity to break into the top half with a win at the MKM Stadium.

In a team that lacks senior pros outside Andreas Weimann and Chris Martin, Kalas has an important role to play particularly in marshalling the backline. The Robins have come close to finishing in the play-offs in his time at the club, and that is still very much an ambition from the board. With Vyner and Atkinson improving week on week, the significance of Kalas’ composed figure at the heart of defence cannot be underestimated.