Match Report: Birmingham City 3-0 Coventry City

Gary Rowett got his big changes right as Blues picked up deserved, well timed and much needed victory against Coventry City.

Birmingham City’s survival hopes were given a shot in the arm as they put former tenants Coventry City to the sword in style. 

An open encounter saw Blues take an early lead when Bobby Thomas put into his own net and the lead was doubled by Ivan Sunjic before half-time. 

The visitors came out firing in the second half until Jay Stansfield made it three to send a disbelieving, partisan Blues crowd into raptures as their side won a match by more than one goal for the first time since John Eustace’s final match in charge. 

Gary Rowett knew change was required and made three changes, bringing Keshi Anderson into the starting XI for the first time since September 22^nd along with Ivan Sunjic and Tyler Roberts. Krystian Bielik moved to centre-half with Emmanuel Aiwu joining Jordan James and Juninho Bacuna on the bench. Siriki Dembele and George Hall also returned to the squad in place of Cody Drameh and Alex Pritchard. Options aplenty. 

Both sides started on the front foot making for an entertaining affair early doors with Milan Van Ewijk twice firing wide with low, well struck efforts while Koji Miyoshi hit the side netting and Paik Seung-Ho tested Bradley Collins’ handling from distance.  

The opener came on 12 minutes when Lee Buchanan and Tyler Roberts worked a quick throw-in,  

Kasey Palmer showed his strength and quality to find Milan Van Ewijk to fire wide before Anderson’s cross just evaded Stansfield and Roberts. Koji Miyoshi hit the side netting and Van Ewijk had another low effort prior to Paik Seung-Ho firing straight at Bradley Collins.  

The first major moment came on 12 minutes when Lee Buchanan and Tyler Roberts worked a quick throw-in. Coventry didn’t organise sufficiently and an unmarked Anderson was found in behind Victor Torp and Joel Latibeaudiere. His first time cross hit the knee of a sliding Thomas and squirmed into the far corner.  

Blues’ confidence rose from that moment with a brilliant move ending with Stansfield teeing up Miyoshi to stab over the bar. Roberts headed over from Ethan Laird’s cross and Coventry almost scored a second own goal when Stansfield’s cross looped wide. There was a nervy moment in between, John Ruddy stepping out and misjudging the flight of the ball, his header landing kindly for Haji Wright to volley first time – thankfully it bounced up and hit the top of the crossbar.  

Otherwise, it was almost all Blues. Two first-time Stansfield efforts weren’t far away, the first after good work from Anderson and Miyoshi, the second after Sunjic bundled his way forward. The youngster then turned provider to set up Anderson who was denied by a good block.  

The resulting corner was attacked well by Bielik and Dion Sanderson and the loose ball fell to Ivan Sunjic on the edge of the box who fired home through Liam Kitching’s legs. It was his first goal for two years and his emotions were there for all to see. 

The visitors came out second half on the front foot with a change of shape helping them. Blues had little time to work things out as Palmer forced a low stop from Ruddy, Ellis Simms was denied by a last-ditch Laird challenge and Ben Sheaf drilled over first time.  

Blues took their time with restarts and reorganised. It worked well and Blues made it three just before the hour. Bielik bravely stepped out of defence, gave the ball to Buchanan and continued his run. It opened the space up for Tyler Roberts to receive, cut inside of Tavares and play a perfectly weighted pass for Stansfield to finish first time through the legs of Collins. The stadium erupted as the England U21 international stood on the hoardings, arms aloft.  

And that was about that. Cov saw plenty of the ball following that goal (82.6% according to Whoscored) but did little to break Blues down, mustering just three shots and none of any note. Blues kept their shape and almost added gloss when Scott Hogan turned Paik’s cross goalwards, but the effort was straight at Collins.  

A day that Blues fans have long deserved and thoroughly enjoyed.  

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Lineups 

Blues: Ruddy; Laird Sanderson Bielik Buchanan; Sunjic Paik (Gardner 89); Miyoshi (Bacuna 83) Roberts (Hall 76) Anderson (JJ 76); Stansfield (Hogan 83). Unused: Etheridge; Aiwu Dozzell Dembele.  

Coventry: Collins; Latibeaudiere Thomas (Tavares 46) Kitching Bidwell (Dasilva 46); Sheaf; Van Ewijk Torp (Eccles 46) Palmer (O’Hare 72) Wright; Simms. Unused: Wilson; Binks Kelly Andrews Godden.  

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Tactics 

Blues switched from 4-1-4-1 to more of a 4-4-2 here and it worked. Extra presence at both ends of the pitch certainly helped.  

It was all about width for Blues with the ball, looking to move quickly into wide positions and get bodies in and around the box, helped by Stansfield having additional support in the form of Tyler Roberts and two wingers getting into the area. With Laird sharp to support, Blues often have Stansfield central, Laird & Miyoshi down the right and Roberts & Anderson down the left. Partnerships forming all over the pitch.  

In deeper possession, Laird and Buchanan would show on touchline with Miyoshi, Roberts and Anderson dropping into positions to receive. When Blues were moving the ball higher up, Sunjic and Paik usually had Laird or Buchanan available in more central positions, which allowed them to turn out and find Miyoshi or Anderson wide. It ensured we always had an option wide and one central.  

What Coventry did look to do was play on Sanderson, who was a right-footer on the left-side of defence and uncomfortable stepping out. Cov played a 4-1-4-1 with the attacking midfield four man-for-man against Blues full-backs and deep midfielders, which forced Sanderson and Bielik into getting their passes right. Bielik was generally blocked off. Sanderson would occasionally go back to Ruddy to play long but showed a willingness to trust his team-mates under pressure or play the switch.  

In possession, Coventry stuck to the 4-1-4-1, Sheaf and the two centre-backs looking to move the ball into a better position further forward. However, they had two problems. On the right, Latibeaudiere and Van Ewijk regularly found themselves on the touchline, making it difficult for them to open up avenues to play. Secondly, Bidwell was less comfortable leading the play down the left. And with Blues having strong numbers in the middle, Coventry were either forcing the ball in the middle or giving it to full-backs with fewer options.  

It helped that Blues were so aggressive off the ball. Sanderson and Bielik generally stayed tight to Simms when he dropped off. Paik and Sunjic won their battles. Roberts and Stansfield were happy to sit off and pick their moments to move from the 4-4-2, mid-block shape and help force the ball to one side. It was pretty simple stuff.  

Cov were clearly having issues and made a triple half-time substitution. Thomas, Bidwell and Torp were replaced by Eccles, Tavares and Dasilva. They moved to a 4-2-3-1 which quickly became a 3-2-4-1 in possession. Dasilva and Tavares held the line on both flanks, Latibeaudiere sat between Van Ewijk and Kitching at the back with Eccles alongside Sheaf. Wright could then drift inside and link with Palmer and Simms. They now had more numbers in the centre of the pitch and clear outlets, as well as players at the back happy to step forward and draw Blues bodies back.  

Blues took a few minutes but responded well. The strikers again sat on the toes of the defensive midfielders, stepping out when they needed to, while Anderson watched the lane between Tavares and Van Ewijk. Paik or Sunjic would then step up to support the front two with Sheaf and Eccles, providing a 4v5 situation. To ensure Wright and Palmer had less space to operate in, Miyoshi and Laird would cover centrally, dovetailing in relation to who would close Dasilva when the ball transferred to the left. Blues had reorganised themselves and got back on top of the game, especially after the third.  

In possession, Blues saw a lot less of the ball (17%) but did have avenues to get out, namely because Roberts and Stansfield started showing wide of Van Ewijk and Kitching, giving Blues an avenue to receive the ball higher with support arriving from the wingers.  

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Players 

We have to look at the men that came in. 

Krystian Bielik stepped in at centre-half and provides presence and assurance. He read the play, wanted the ball and him stepping out with it led to the third, but he also won his battles. And in front of him, Ivan Sunjic was excellent, supported by Paik Seung-Ho who barely gave the ball away across 90 minutes.  

Keshi Anderson came in on the left and showed what he showed early in the campaign, that what he may lack in pace, he makes up for with hard work and intelligence – his movement away from Torp and burst in behind for the first was excellent.  

And then there is Tyler Roberts. The fee and contract length are much discussed but he is undeniably a very good player on his day, showcasing that here with two assists and providing presence in attack. His link up with Anderson was key to the ball sticking up top and hopefully we will see a similar standard in these final few games. 

While Anderson and Roberts performed well on the left, Laird and Miyoshi showcased their partnership on the right, dovetailing nicely. Laird looked sharper than in midweek and more proactive in his running, suggesting confidence and fitness concerns are as much about his state of mind than serious problems.  

Sanderson and Buchanan had one or two moments early on but won their battles thereon. And Stansfield's work rate and composure brought a well-deserved goal and acclaim as he stood in front of the Tilton, arms outstretched.  

Coventry had a poor day and one they will want to write off. It wasn’t entirely surprising that Thomas and Bidwell were brought off at half-time having endured issues first half. Van Ewijk has a bit about him. Others simply didn’t get into the game.  

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Conclusions 

It’s so, so hard to draw conclusions at the moment. 

It’s been a long, horrible campaign and we should absolutely be allowed to enjoy a 3-0 home win in front of a sell-out. It was the first time we had won a game by more than one goal since John Eustace’s final game in charge in early October and for it to come at this stage of the season, when so many, including myself, were writing the campaign off and preparing for League One football, was special.  

It hooks you back in. Not just the result but the performance. All 11 players looked up for it, the football was sharp, the players looked confident and set out to win the game. It was night and day compared to Wednesday.  

Where did it come from? A couple of things, perhaps.  

Firstly, the crowd. Our last three victories have come in front of sell-outs and as Gary Rowett eluded to, we have had five sell-outs and won five matches this season. The fans have done their bit, turned up and helped the players to victory.  

Secondly, a squad with limited experience brought back three of its most experienced players: Tyler Roberts, Ivan Sunjic and Keshi Anderson. When you factor in Krystian Bielik returning to centre-back, you had guys in their mid-to-late 20’s in each part of the pitch, which is about as experienced as we have at the moment. They brought presence to the team, and allowed the likes of Miyoshi, Paik and Stansfield to play their game with some protection, rather than trying to do everything. You need people to stand up in these moments and they did that.  

I don’t think it should be seen as too much of a slight on Aiwu, James and Bacuna that they dropped out and we won. Bacuna and James have carried us at times under various managers – both are in double figures for goal contributions. We just needed something different. As for Aiwu, again, it was just presence. He looked nervy, shaky, had gotten away with a couple of things. Bielik provided the assurance with a proactive, dominant display. It’s small things. Confidence breeds confidence.  

We should also acknowledge where Coventry City are. They had just played Leeds United and Southampton. They have a semi-final against Manchester United at the weekend. Tired legs, a second away game of the week and perhaps not wanting to be injured or miss the game of a lifetime next week, it was no surprise they weren’t at it. Mark Robins won’t want any of that to be an excuse, but these things happen in football.  

The big question now is whether we can continue it into Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town. Two completely different games to this one.  

We won’t have a full St.Andrews @ Knighthead Park crowd behind the team. We haven’t won away from home since Stoke City in mid-January. And Coventry set up to attack us, leaving space in behind to exploit, something Rotherham and Huddersfield are less likely to do – even at home.  

Rotherham will be awkward. The crowd are apathetic, desperate for the season to be over. They will sit in a deep block, offer little going the other way and ask Blues to break them down. We have to stay patient, do the right things and take our opportunities when they come, while remaining motivated in a stadium that will make the game feel more akin to a friendly than a competitive league game with a lot riding on it for one side. Make no bones about it, the pressure will be on us to win and it’s the kind of pressure we haven’t always dealt well with.  

Huddersfield Town will provide a similar test, albeit with more attacking threat. They will block spaces and look to pounce on errors while being backed by a final home crowd of the season. They will need the result as much as us and it will be played on tight margins – we have to quieten the crowd, stay compact, organised, avoid making mistakes while remaining positive in and out of possession to win the game.  

Two victories keeps us in the Championship next season. Anything less will likely take it to the final day at home against Norwich City. Ideally, we avoid that.