Huddersfield Town midfielder David Kasumu has urged the Terriers to improve their concentration and put in a much-improved performance against League One leaders Birmingham City on Tuesday.
The Yorkshire side have made a disappointing start to life in League One following relegation from the Championship last season. In their opening eight matches, the Terriers have lost four and sit 10th in the table – seven points behind Birmingham.
A strong start under new manager Michael Duff gave Huddersfield hope for a promising 2024/25 campaign. They won their opening three league games with the Northern Irish manager at the helm. However, the early positivity has given way to four defeats in five.
Moreover, the Yorkshire outfit are on a three-match losing streak, which has seen them drift down the League One standings. Back-to-back home defeats to Northampton (3-1) and Blackpool (2-0) came before a 2-1 loss at Reading on Saturday afternoon.
Despite leading through Matty Pearson’s first-half header, Huffersfield allowed Reading to pull level before half time. The Royals then struck from a set-piece, handing the Terriers a fourth away loss in all competitions this season.
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Overall, Duff’s outfit had the better chances at Reading. The Yorkshire team controlled the contest with 19 shots to Reading’s six, with seven on target, per Whoscored. But Huddersfield were ultimately wasteful and couldn’t build on a fast start.
When speaking to the official Huddersfield Town media after the match, Kasumu believes the Terriers were punished for switching off at key moments. Looking ahead to the Birmingham trip, the midfielder feels his side needs to show better focus.
“A frustrating afternoon. We dominated the game, if you watched the game, it’s not a game that we should’ve lost.
“Going up 1-0, and then being in front, total control, concede. Second half, again dominating, and then we concede from a set-piece, just a lack of concentration.
“It is very frustrating, because we were the better side today, but we haven’t got any points from it. All the lads are obviously frustrated, but we’ve got to look to the next game. We’ve got a game on Tuesday, a big one, so we’ve all got to be focused and switched on for that one.”
Kasumu made his first League One start of the campaign on Saturday after missing out on the previous four games through injury, as reported by Transfermarkt. Although the midfielder has been in and out of the side recently, he wants to build momentum with Huddersfield facing seven fixtures between now and October 26.
“Games are coming in thick and fast against good opposition. We’ve got to quickly get ourselves out of the slump, the emotions that we’re in right now, and we’ve got to look towards the next game. The performance today was better than the last couple of games, so that’s a positive, but at the end of the day we’re here to win games, and that’s what we need to be doing.”
Writer’s View
Sometimes, a fresh face can bring new energy and determination when a team faces a slump. This is what Kasumu has offered with his desire for Huddersfield to show greater resilience against an in-form Birmingham side on Tuesday.
As the midfielder mentioned, the Terriers shouldn’t be concerned with their performance at Reading, which was largely commanding. Instead, it’s the vital, match-changing moments that require improvement, such as defending set pieces and sticking the ball in the net.
While Huddersfield may get fewer chances at Birmingham, they must be ready to dig in for large spells and be clinical when chances arrive. Whether Duff can motivate his side to produce such a performance with such a quick turnaround is the dilema.
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