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Tactical tweak backfires as Birmingham City’s Achilles heel flares up at Shrewsbury
Birmingham City are fourth in League One after Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to relegation battlers Shrewsbury Town.
Chris Davies’ side were deservedly beaten at The Croud Meadow and results elsewhere went against them to compound a miserable afternoon. Wycombe Wanderers won at Lincoln to extend their lead at the top and Wrexham and Stockport leapfrogged Blues with victories.
Blues have games-in-hand on those above them but this wasn’t the Saturday in Shropshire Bluenoses had anticipated. The costliest team in League One wasn’t supposed to lose to the team that started the day at the foot of the table.
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But they did and Blues are facing up to their first real shock of the season. Here are our talking points…
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Blues are fallible
After a near-faultless opening eight games, the last six have shown us that Blues are fallible at this level – even with the embarrassment of riches available to Davies. Blues have now taken just eight points from their last six matches.
While that is by no means a crisis, League One teams have found ways to disrupt and, in the cases of Charlton and Shrewsbury, defeat Blues. Blues didn’t cope with Shrewsbury’s rough and ready approach.
Shrewsbury were statistically the worst team in League One when Blues arrived at The Croud Meadow, which gives every team hope of beating them.
Another 80 percent possession, which takes Blues’ average in League One above 70, amounted to very few chances. That can’t keep happening, otherwise supporters are well within their rights to question whether it is possession with a purpose after all.
Set piece woes continue
I bemoaned the cheap goals Blues have given away in League One in my last post-match analysis piece so I have decided to shine a light on set pieces this week. Blues had issues with set pieces last season and the change of personnel hasn’t solved the problem.
A set piece mishap started Blues’ demise in Shropshire. Aaron Pierre had acres of space to volley home John Marquis’ knockdown from a wide free-kick.
Only Burton Albion have scored fewer set piece goals than Blues and their six goals against on set pieces is the ninth worst in the third tier. Blues have a minus four goal difference on dead balls and Davies isn’t happy about it.
He said: “We don’t score enough from set pieces ourselves and obviously we have conceded from a set piece, so that’s disappointing.”
Laird tweak didn’t work
Davies has toyed with different tactics within his quite rigid framework throughout this season in a bid to make Blues unpredictable. When Blues were in possession at Shrewsbury, Ethan Laird occupied a central position just behind, sometimes even alongside, striker Jay Stansfield. It meant Willum Willumsson hugged the right touchline to maintain the width.
“It was just to try and be flexible with their positions,” explained Davies. “We have a lot of Ethan wide trying to cross it and other times Willum in the pocket space. They were just flexible in their positions to try and disrupt and it wasn't something that was hugely effective but it gave a slightly different feel to the attack.”
This switch quite clearly didn’t work and it would be a surprise to see it repeated. Laird’s one-v-one ability and movements in behind make him an asset out wide and Willumsson is at his best in the central pockets of space behind the striker. It felt like Laird and Willumsson were the wrong way round.
Strong rotation required
Blues have a game against Exeter City on Tuesday to right the wrongs of Shrewsbury and the schedule is relentless from hereon. Davies now has to rotate his line-up.
How well Davies rotates will probably determine where Blues finish in League One. This squad has the quality to pull away during this period if utilised well.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Ben Davies, Marc Leonard and Alfie May will be at the forefront of Davies’ thinking going into Tuesday. Leonard surely has to start his first League One game since August having made an impact as a substitute on Saturday.
Davies might have got away with resting Paik Seung-ho following his hectic international window with South Korea and playing Leonard at Shrewsbury, but Blues’ manager never wants to break up the Paik-Iwata midfield axis. He might have to now.
