Get safe... then Blues must point way ahead
Believes the final eight games will be hugely significant in shaping the club’s future
BIRMINGHAM City enter the final phase of their season on Saturday when they take on Ipswich in the first of eight matches in little more than five weeks.
Just as they were on the fringes of the top six this time last season, they find themselves on the fringes of the bottom six this – yet, just as there was 12 months ago, there is not too much prospect of leaving the division.
However, there is still work to do and Gianfranco Zola knows there must be no switching off until Championship status is secured.
There are several questions that need answering in the final month of the campaign. be fine. Then will be the time to ask ‘How and why did it come to this?’
A run of just two wins in 17 league games has not only seen a play-off challenge melt away, it has meant Blues have had to resort to tactics more defensive than when the management change was made.
Five at the back and a stodgy midfield diamond have left them with just one out-and-out attacker on the field. Once safety is reached it will be about piecing the attacking side of the game back together again because only 13 goals have been scored in the last 17 league games.
In his first couple of outings the Turkey international looked skilful, direct and purposeful – an upgrade on Diego Fabbrini.
However, he has not started any of the last five games and, to an extent, has been sacrificed because of the need to set up so defensively.
That said, if he’d have torn it up against Reading, Norwich or Preston he’d have forced Zola to play him. There’s a lot of money and belief invested in the £2.2million former Besiktas attacker, some measure of repayment before the summer would make everyone feel happier.
The 33-year-old has had more birthdays since Zola arrived than games started. A bad Achilles injury has limited him to just three minutes so far this year.
However, Zola believes Donaldson combines some of Che Adams’ pace with some of Lukas Jutkiewicz’s power and penalty-box presence. Half-a-dozen starts and two or three goals would tell Zola a lot about what the Jamaica international can offer going forward.
If the jury remains out on whether Zola is the man to take Blues into the TTA future, the same can be said of several players, too.
If the owners are as serious about making a success of their time in charge as those inside say they are, then the final eight games can be seen as an extended audition to secure roles for next season.
If Blues can win half of their remaining fixtures that will give the manager currency to take into the summer. If players perform well then they, too, can be around to expedite a lasting change of style. When it comes to drawing up plans for next term there is an unusual amount of significance on these last few games.