The Championship season has only just got underway, but Birmingham City’s season already feels as though it is at an important crossroads. The Blues are the clear favourites to suffer relegation with the best EFL Championship betting sites, and fans’ fears could soon be realised if performances on the pitch don’t improve before the end of the summer transfer window.
It has been a rocky start to the new campaign for John Eustace, and there will be pressure on the new boss to turn things around quickly at St Andrew’s before things look even bleaker.
Lack Of Goalscoring Options
One of the main areas that Eustace will be looking to address before the end of the transfer window is in the forward line. The Blues have already looked weak in the final third of the pitch, as they have scored just three goals in five league fixtures. They have failed to score in three Championship fixtures already this season, which includes the fact that they are yet to register a goal away from home in the league.
Furthermore, Birmingham has scored just once in their previous three games, and are yet to register a second win since their first home game of the new season. Scott Hogan once again appears to be their best attacking outlet, while Troy Deeney and Lukas Jutkiewicz can also offer something slightly different.
Recent Wigan Defeat Highlights Issues
Wigan Athletic are also among the front-runners to suffer relegation this term, and the issues that the Blues have this term were evident in the meeting between the two sides in the Championship on matchday five. Blues managed to register 14 shots in that game, but they only hit the target on four occasions. Despite dominating the possession against the Latics, they failed to create many chances in clear goalscoring areas, which was even more concerning given that the visitors to St Andrew’s were playing with ten men from the tenth minute.
It was a suckerpunch that ultimately cost the Blues a point in the game, as a lapse of concentration enabled Nathan Broadhead to break the deadlock with just eight minutes remaining. Addressing issues at both ends of the field will be integral for their chances of getting some points between now and the World Cup break in November.
What’s To Come?
The recent defeat against Wigan will now see the Blues go into their upcoming fixtures with more pressure on their shoulders. An upcoming fixture on the road against Rotherham looks a massive fixture in the contest of both teams seasons, and Birmingham can’t afford to drop points against a relegation rival this early in the campaign.
Their run of fixtures after that match looks tough, as the Blues host Norwich, before facing off against Preston and Swansea. The Blues also face local rivals West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City in a three-day period in the middle of September, before traveling to Sheffield United and Middlesbrough at the start of October.
In order to help their survival chances, they will need to pick up points at St Andrew’s. Otherwise, their position in the league standings could be daunting by the time that the fixtures come thick and fast towards the middle of October.