Mark Venus praises star and reveals the ‘worst aspect’ of Birmingham City’s job

Mark Venus has praised Emanuel Aiwu for stepping up during Birmingham City’s moment of need.

The Austrian defender has been drafted into the starting lineup due to injuries to Krystian Bielik and Marc Roberts, both of whom could return to Millwall on Saturday after training. With Dion Sanderson banned, Aiwu was the Blues’ sole fit centre-back for the midweek encounter against Hull City, and he put in perhaps his greatest performance since joining Cremonese on loan.

Aiwu made several crucial tackles and stood up well to deny Hull star Jaden Philogene from forcing a one-on-one with goalkeeper John Ruddy in the second half. He also completed 94 percent of his passes and remained focused from the first to the last minute to guarantee that Ozan Tufan only penetrated the Blues’ net once, which was disputed.

After being forced to wait his turn under Tony Mowbray and Venus, Aiwu finally has the opportunity to stake his claim. Venus believes that Aiwu is being rewarded for his patience and professionalism.

“We tried to give everyone a game at first, but when he was supposed to play, he wasn’t feeling well and had to sit out,” added Venus, alluding to Aiwu’s withdrawal from the FA Cup replay against Hull in January due to sickness. “During that period, we had a few solid results, and Krystian became an essential player in the kind of game we played, making it more difficult for him to break through.

“He has been extremely hardworking. He’s been fantastic on the practice field and is eager to get an opportunity to show us what he’s capable of. Circumstances have put it in front of him, and he hasn’t disappointed anyone, so he must persevere.”

Aiwu is an example for individuals on the outskirts of the Blues’ bloated squad. Since January, Manny Longelo, Gary Gardner, Keshi Anderson, Oliver Burke, and Scott Hogan have all been absent at times. Burke, a Werder Bremen loanee, has not appeared in any of the Blues’ last seven squads.

Mowbray would generally deliver the bad news to individuals who did not make the team, but Venus has taken on that responsibility in the manager’s absence. “It’s been the worst part of the job,” he said.

“I was a football player, and the disappointment of not being a part of the team on the day you really go to work, rather than practicing, is the most emotional and devastating disappointment.

“The players handled it brilliantly.” We attempted to rotate the people who were left out of the team to some extent. They’ve all embraced it, worked extremely hard, and no one has sulked on the training ground. Obviously, we have discussions and talk about it, but in terms of workload, they have done an excellent job.”