Birmingham City are flying high in League One this season, but one vital part of their well-oiled machine has now sustained a lengthy injury.
Following last season’s relegation from the Championship, a summer rebuild has culminated in a record-breaking League One expenditure for the Blues. Undoubtedly, heading into the second International break of the season, Chris Davies’ side find themselves at the summit of the table.
However, with teams like Wrexham and Mansfield Town breathing down their neck, as well as a trip to fourth-placed Lincoln City at the weekend, this pretty position could be dented following the news of Krystian Bielik’s injury. The Birmingham captain has featured eight times this campaign, providing a goal against Peterborough United in a 3-2 win.
This unfortunate news is a result of a sustained ankle injury that saw Bielik exit the field during half-time, in a 1-0 loss to Charlton Athletic. An update has since emerged which suggests that the 26-year-old could expect to be absent for a much longer period.
Speaking to Birmingham Live, Davies gave the most likely timeframe in which they can expect the former Polish international to return:
“He got a bit of a nasty ankle knock at the weekend, so he looks like he will be a few weeks at the very least.”
Another situation that had initially worried City fans, was also addressed by the 39-year-old. This was regarding Tomoki Iwata and his half-time disappearance from the lineup, as well as Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s injury update:
“Tomoki got a knock on the ankle that he felt he couldn’t run off in the end. I’m not sure on the extent of it, I don’t think it looks too bad on first look.
“He’s (Peacock-Farrell) come back to us and we’re looking at it and assessing where he is. He’s had this knock since the Peterborough game. He came out and got clattered in that game. They’ve looked at it and he needs more treatment so we will assess him in the next few days.”
In this case, Bielik will almost definitely be sidelined for some important matches like Lincoln, Bolton Wanderers and Mansfield Town – all of which will test the resolve of the current table-toppers.
Fortunately for the Blues, a timely international break will allow their captain to begin rehabilitation without the worry of being absent from the immediately. Davies will have time to mould his side around this unfortunate situation and will also hope to bring out leadership qualities in his squad to temporarily replace that of Bielik’s.
City’s EFL Trophy hunt is still in good stead however, as a 4-0 victory against Shrewsbury Town proved that the 26-year-old’s non-appearance hadn’t affected the group too much. With that said, if Birmingham can get through some crucial matches in League One unscathed, they can expect to welcome him back for a clash with Fulham’s Under-21s in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy on 29th October. But, if this is too optimistic of a return date, a home tie with Northampton Town will likely mark Bielik’s reintroduction.
Writer’s View
With the squad that Davies has amassed during the transfer window, depth shouldn’t even be considered a problem for the Blues. The amount of money that has been splashed on reinforcements, has allowed Birmingham to pick up some of the most exceptional players to grace the third division.
A midfield department of Iwata, Seung-Ho Paik, Marc Leonard, Willum Willumsson, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, including other fringe players, is enough to make any other League One outfit jealous – as well as some Championship ones.
Although, with Bielik being utilised in a central defensive role along the back line often this season, it will be important for some of the new recruits to fill that gap adequately too. Ben Davies seems to be the most likely addition, if the Blues manager wants to continue with the same formation in the meantime.
While it is inevitably a big miss for Birmingham, their title chances certainly won’t rest on this untimely news. As aforementioned, the back-up players that can fill this void would likely waltz into most third-tier sides. Three tough fixtures against some unlikely promotion hopefuls will be the ultimate test of the character in the squad or highlight the reliance on Bielik in the bigger fixtures.
