Birmingham City defender Ethan Laird has admitted his frustration at opposition teams operating with a low block following their 1-1 draw with Northampton Town yesterday.
After looking like they were going to romp to the League One title, the Blues have struggled in recent weeks, drawing their last two fixtures. They have also won just two of their last five league outings and have surrendered the lead at the top of the table to Wycombe Wanderers.
The West Midlanders dominated against Northampton yesterday. They had almost 80% possession and had 25 shots on goal but only managed to score once through record signing Jay Stansfield. Chris Davies’ side were left to rue those missed opportunities when Mitch Pinnock levelled deep into added time.
Ethan Laird Admits Frustration
Right-back Laird believes teams are resorting to a low block due to the quality which Birmingham possess. Speaking after the game, via Birmingham Live, the 23-year-old said:
“It is very frustrating, I’m not going to sit here and lie, but we know what’s going to come.
“Unfortunately, because we are that good, teams are trying to stop Birmingham and they resort to a low block. It’s our job to learn how to get through low blocks.
“You see it in all flights of football. Jose Mourinho… you know all these managers’ styles and it’s hard to break down.”
Birmingham’s fixture against Stevenage next week has been postponed due to international call-ups. Their next outing is a trip to Shrewsbury Town later this month, by which time they could have fallen out of the automatic promotion places. Third-placed Wrexham are currently two points behind the Blues but wil play next weekend.
Writer’s View
Yes, it is frustrating when teams set up in a way that is tough to break down, but this is part and parcel with being one of the best teams in the league. Birmingham play some excellent football when they are allowed to dictate the play so it makes sense for any opposition to try and limit that. Northampton and Mansfield have done that successfully over the past week, whilst Charlton Athletic went one better when they secured a 1-0 win at The Valley last month. This is one problem that Birmingham will need to figure out because they are going to face this issue a lot over the coming months.
Head of Writing
