Wayne Rooney’s issues and the two Birmingham City players he cannot overlook

After Birmingham City’s 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough in Wayne Rooney’s debut game as manager, Alex Dicken outlines his talking points.

In his debut game as manager of Birmingham City on Saturday, Wayne Rooney experienced defeat when Middlesbrough’s Morgan Rogers scored a late goal.

At The Riverside, substitute Rogers made sure Boro manager Michael Carrick defeated former Manchester United and England teammate Rooney.

Ironically, Rogers’ sucker punch in the 88th minute came about through a quick change in style, despite all the discussion about the Blues becoming a possession-based team instead of a counterattacking one.

Blues just lost one spot in the crowded Championship standings. Seventeenth-placed Blues are only three points ahead of seventeenth-place Swansea City.

Next week, Blues have two matches against Hull City, who are led by Rooney’s former Derby County assistant Liam Rosenior, and Southampton. These are the main issues we discussed from Blues’ first match under Rooney.

Blues’ teething issues

Rooney’s choice of his team took everyone by surprise. Under Eustace, who used Gary Gardner and Scott Hogan sparingly in his last week on the job, they most likely wouldn’t have started that game.

Hogan and Gardner fit into the tactical scheme that Rooney had devised on the Henley-in-Arden training field. It was also a very different plan from what we’ve grown used to.

When Blues possessed the ball, the aggressive 4-3-3 formation changed to a 2-3-5. Rooney is asking his center backs to play with bravery on the ball, his full-backs to put in a lot of physical effort, and his midfielders to fill gaps they wouldn’t typically go into.

The full-backs have a lot more work to do, according to Rooney. The full-backs are crucial players in this scheme. The fatigue of both full-backs was evident as the game came to a close. Their ability to perform for ninety minutes is crucial.

After their full-backs sprinted forward to join the attack, Blues lost the ball in defensive positions multiple times in the first half, leaving them exposed. Fortunately, Boro’s careless strikers failed to take advantage of the gaps that existed behind Cody Drameh and Manny Longelo.

Do Blues have the players to play this way?

Most of us thought about this after leaving The Riverside yesterday. Ivan Sunjic and Kevin Long, among other players, were asked to play in a way they may not have in the past.

Long was expected to take risks with the ball, carry the ball out of defense, and go one-on-one with quick forwards. He was, to his credit, one of Blues’ finer acts that day.

In an interview with BirminghamLive just a month ago, Sunjic said he was happy to be playing in his preferred defensive midfield position. In Rooney’s debut, the Croatian shown remarkable adaptability to a role on the right of a three-man midfield.

The Blues’ roster was assembled by a manager with the intention of playing a different style of football than what they will play moving forward. If these players don’t perform at the level Rooney is hoping for, we will undoubtedly see alterations in the lineup.

Blues need more of Dembele and Miyoshi

The most skilled strikers for the Blues are Siriki Dembele and Koji Miyoshi, but one of them was left out of a lineup meant to increase the team’s offensive output in the future. With only twenty minutes left, Miyoshi was introduced, and he was used in an unusual left wing configuration.

Even though Dembele was mostly in the sidelines for the most of the match, it was unexpected to see him replaced at the hour. Who knows, maybe Rooney’s decision to start Dembele and Miyoshi in his debut game as manager was motivated by mitigating circumstances.

However, Rooney believes that the little duo is essential to Blues becoming the exciting, attacking squad he envisions them as. Rooney must get them all onto the field.

Rooney is aware that the Blues must produce while they adjust to his coaching style. The Blues can’t afford to have the kind of losing streak that ends a season full of promise.

Before the next international break, Blues have games against Hull City, Southampton, Ipswich Town, and Sunderland. They may need to grind out a few wins to stay in touch with the other play-off contenders.

To start his managerial career at St Andrew’s, Rooney hasn’t had the simplest schedule. He must position the Blues to win points rather than accolades.