Birmingham City are enjoying a solid preseason, with Chris Davies’ new regime and his backroom team showing real indications of growth.
Birmingham City’s 2-1 victory over Rangers was memorable for a number of reasons, including a large crowd, a truly magnificent spectacle, a pyrotechnic display more appropriate for early November, and a sensational first-half performance by Chris Davies’ squad.
A rare goal from a corner routine stood out as well, with Krystian Bielik applying a near-post flick-on to Koji Miyoshi’s delivery and James Tavernier deflecting the ball into the visitors’ net. It wasn’t a thundering header from a towering centre back or an innovative routine that caught Rangers off guard, but it did put Blues ahead 1-0 and in control.
Ethan Laird set up Alfie May to make it 2-0, and Davies’ team was on its way to another impressive victory. Speaking after the game, Laird indicated how much attention is being placed on set-play situations, with Ashley Cole aiming to do better in such situations next season than he did last season, when the Blues were unusually unproductive.
“Ash has been adamant,” said Laird on Blues TV. I believe that when it comes to set-pieces, willingness is more important than size. Don’t get me wrong, size helps, but you must also be willing to head the ball and have good timing. That is something Ash has been very interested in. Last year, we weren’t horrible, but I don’t recall scoring many set pieces.
“Ash constantly encourages us to improve. He came in at the start of the season and said, ‘Listen fellas, this is what we are going to do,’ and we got a set-piece goal, albeit from a flick on. So it’s simply risky in certain areas. Set pieces are as vital as in-play goals because you may nick one, get on the front foot, and score again.”
This is exactly what happened on Wednesday night, shortly before Laird provided his second assist in as many games by following up Jordan James’ cross on Saturday with a tenacious pull-back for Alfie May. However, he emphasizes that he is not pursuing a specific target.
“Actually, no, assists are a plus for me because I get into a lot of positions, and if I obsess over assists, I’ll probably become frustrated. It’s about getting in the proper position to make a pass that allows someone to score. If they don’t score, that’s fine, as long as I create opportunities.
“Of course, it’s good to earn assists, but I’ve moved on from that; I simply want to create as many chances as possible because that’s what I do best. As I make connections with other individuals, while I’m running in behind, we can get early crossings in and have specific movements because I know where you’re going. That will happen while we are in season.”
