We need to tough it out on road to redemption – Ivan
RECORD signing Ivan Sunjic has challenged his team-mates to show more grit to halt Birmingham City’s woes on the road.
After the opening-weekend win at Brentford, Blues have capitulated in their last two away games, losing 3-0 to both Swansea, last Sunday, and Nottingham Forest.
In each match they were undone by a flurry of goals from their hosts. At the Liberty Stadium, Pep Clotet’s side were floored by three in 12 second-half minutes. Two goals in seven first-half minutes gave Forest a platform to canter to victory at the City Ground.
The manner of those defeats shines a spotlight, Sunjic claimed, on the players’ mental toughness and resilience.
“When we lose 1-0 we fall down a little bit,” the Croatia international admitted. “I don’t know why.
“In that space we need much
better.
I When we lose 1-0 we must push even harder because after five minutes (at Swansea) we conceded a second goal. It’s hard. We need in that area much more progress.
“We need to stay focused, keep working hard and the results will come.”
Clotet is attempting to develop a new brand of possession-based football after Blues had been so direct under former boss Garry Monk last season.
Only relegated Rotherham completed fewer passes than Monk’s Blues last season. On the flip side, only Leeds played more passes and enjoyed more possession last term than Swansea, under the tutelage of ex-Blues defender Graham Potter.
Even with a new manager at the helm in Steve Cooper, Swansea was never likely to be the place where Blues’ new vision would begin to take shape.
So the statistics proved as the hosts enjoyed 74 per cent possession and boasted nearly three times as many passes as the visitors.
And Sunjic, a £6.25 million summer signing from Dinamo Zagreb, conceded a lack of possession really hurt Blues.
“It would be easier for us if we were keeping possession so we are resting on the ball,” he said. “We need that space. We need to make progress. It’s not coming easy so we need to work hard on it.
“We have a lot of games so we need to push forward and learn from this.”
One of nine new players to join over the summer, Sunjic has featured in all five Championship fixtures since he swapped Croatia for England.
And the 22-year-old, who is likely to retain his place against Stoke on Saturday at St Andrew’s, feels he is slowly beginning to bed in and acclimatise in his first season in English football.
“With every game and every training I push harder,” he said. “I feel like I’m a long time here so everything is fine. Of course, it takes time. Not just two or three games. But I think with a lot of games we’ll be better, especially away, so I think we’ll be fine.”