Willum Willumsson made his third Birmingham City start of the preseason against Walsall on Saturday afternoon.
“He is different to most number tens you will find in the game really,” Chris Davies says after witnessing Willum Willumsson’s third appearance for Birmingham City against Walsall.
Willumsson’s performance was undoubtedly the least impressive of the three, but Walsall’s defenders were always on guard. Even when Willumsson isn’t at his peak, his long, muscular physique will keep opposing defenses honest.
In reality, he was on the sidelines of the game at the Poundland Bescot Stadium. The Iceland international struggled to find space against a well-drilled Walsall team geared up for transition, and there were some poor passes.
There were also some quality moments. He grabbed onto a through ball from Siriki Dembele midway through the second half and played with his marker before zipping a pass to Jordan James. James couldn’t connect, but Willumsson’s concept and execution were bang on.
He does not always want the ball at his feet. He is content to make runs past the striker and even into the channels. In the first half, an intelligent run down the left caught Walsall off guard, and a slightly higher pass would have provided Alfie May with a goal-scoring opportunity.
Davies has number tens who will get to their feet and play in front of opponents. Everything about Willumsson is more straightforward.
The Blues manager added: “Being 6ft 3ins and playing that position is extremely unique. He appears to be a centre-back or a target man, but he is highly technical, cerebral, and adept at finding open space. He makes good use of the ball.
“He is distinctive, but he has adapted extremely well to what we want to do. He has a great football brain, so I didn’t believe it would take him long to figure out what we were doing. I’ve been quite pleased with him.
“All of the gamers that have come in have the correct character, and the first question I ask about a new player is, ‘What’s their character like? “What kind of person are they?” – and he fits right in.
Willumsson is expected to open the season behind May, who scored the game’s only goal against Walsall. May is a striker who enjoys roaming, and Willumsson is content to play the number nine role when he does.
Davies stated, “I want the nine to be able to overload midfield at times, stretch and move in behind, be unpredictable, and not just stand between the goalposts and wait for the ball. Alfie is fantastic when he dives deep and connects the game.”
And Willumsson, who scored 15 goals in 58 Eredivisie games for former employers Go Ahead Eagles, will undoubtedly gain from the openings May leaves.
