MATCH REPORT: BIRMINGHAM 0, CITY 0

05/05/2024 07:49

As far as final days of the season go when there is something at stake, this was undramatic as it gets for City fans. 

An unlikely but not impossible sequence of results were needed to deny a place in the playoffs.  City did the absolute bare minimum by avoiding a heavy defeat. For once, other results largely went the Canaries’ way.

No Christian Fassnacht meant another re-juggle for David Wagner. Jacob Sorensen made a rare start in his supposedly preferred position and Marcelino Nunez moved into the number 10 position – a stark contrast to Ashley Barnes it must be said.

The crowd were at fever pitch as the game kicked off, desperate to do all they could to help the home team in its quest to remain in the division. The excitement raised further when within the first 30 seconds, Sanderson put a tricky curling ball in from the left, bouncing just before the far post.  City cleared it and as they moved out from the back, a couple of 'enthusiastic' challenges reminded the City players of the mood that the home team were in.

Task one for City was. therefore. to take the sting out of the game.  To do this, they moved the ball across the back four at walking pace.  There was little appetite to take risks and as a result, little offensive progress was made. 

When they did come out of their shells, the passing was woeful. Player of the Season Kenny Mclean was playing with the wrong-shaped ball, so many balls did he hit into touch in an attempt at the long diagonal ball behind the full-back. Nunez, forced to come from deep and receive the ball on the half-turn, was nowhere near as effective as he is with the ball in front of him further back. Gabriel Sara was anonymous and Josh Sargent barely got a sniff of the ball.

When City lost the ball, Birmingham attacked with intent. Anderson played another dangerous ball from the left and Miyoshi hit the ball within easy grasp of Angus Gunn.

On the quarter hour, Buchanan put the ball behind Jack Stacey for Anderson to chase. The City fullback did a great job to chase back and win the ball at the expense of a corner.

There was then a break in the game for a medical emergency which lasted fully eight minutes until play resumed.  Hopefully, the speedy intervention of the various medical teams meant that the outcome was positive. A reminder if ever one was needed, that there are more important things than 22 players chasing a ball.

By the time the game restarted with a John Ruddy free kick, the atmosphere in the ground had become more subdued.

Not so the intensity of the home side. City nearly got Borja Sainz through on the left but when he lost possession, the home side moved swiftly forward culminating in Paik putting a poor effort well wide. Then Stansfield had a shot that was deflected for a corner. The set piece was eventually cleared only for the ball to come back in with a weak goalwards header.

On 43, a long ball found Stansfield, but Ben Gibson did superbly well to hold him up and conceded a corner.

Minutes later, Miyoshi delivered a great ball into the box, which bounced into Bielik only for a grateful Gunn to grab the goal-bound ball.

Bizarrely, only five minutes were added after the long delay, and as this time drew to a close, Miyoshi beat Sam McCallum and bore down on goal. As he drifted wide, he dived to the ground theatrically. Referee Oliver Langford saw through it and awarded a goal kick to City before bringing the half to a close.

The second half continued in the same manner as the first. City were in no hurry to move the ball forward, showing little ambition beyond the occasional long diagonal ball forward, that continued to drift out of play without troubling anyone.

Five minutes into the half, Anderson exchanged a 1-2 to get into the area before a great block by Shane Duffy denied him a shot on goal. Gunn punched the subsequent corner away and City broke. Sainz touched the ball to Stacey who powered forward on the left. In a manner typical of the afternoon, the ball eventually ran out of play for a Birmingham throw.

City showed a little more ambition a few minutes later. This time Sara broke. He played the ball to Sargent in the box but the American was forced to turn back, ending up wide. Sorensen then hit a cross into the area but Ruddy was out to claim the ball easily.

Moments later, Anderson crossed from the left again. The ball took a deflection and ballooned onto the head of Paik who guided the ball into the net.

The home crowd erupted, despite the news that Plymouth were winning. Wagner responded by withdrawing Sorensen and McCallum for the returning Dimi Giannoulis and Jonathan Rowe.

The trouble with playing the game at a walking pace is that when you want to up the tempo, it is difficult to establish a rhythm. Despite the metronomic Nunez dropping to his more familiar deep role, City failed to break the torpor in their play.

I think a fair argument may be that they didn't want to, or even need to. This impression was reinforced by the substitutions made by Wagner.

Duffy went off with a concussion to be replaced by Danny Batth. Then Kellen Fisher and Grant Hanley replaced Stacey and Gibson – preserving legs for the play-offs, surely. Sydney van Hooijdonk was even given an uncharacteristically long 10 minutes to make his mark in place of Sargent.

Of these, Giannoulis reminded us what we had been missing on the left, despite the generally good performances from Sam McCallum. Other than that, City continued to play in a manner that I feel charitable describing as 'within themselves'

The last kick of the game came from a speculative Sara shot from distance that even the Birmingham players just sat off and watched.

So sixth place it is and an appointment with Daniel Farke next Sunday. My fear is that City have looked a pale shadow of their best since Ashley Barnes was injured. Wagner has some magic to work at Colney if he is to find the formula to unleash City's potential without the talismanic front man.