Luke Turner picks a key player for the big game…
Four more sleeps.
The Second City derby is edging ever closer and, in preparation for Sunday`s huge clash, it’s time for me to pick my key player.
Of course, in these games the whole team really needs to be at its best if we are going to stand any chance of getting maximum points but one particular player stands out for me.
That man is David Davis.
He knows all about rivalry in this part of England and his style of play is perfect for that of a derby fixture.
His hunger, his energy, his strength and his will to win. As a central midfielder, he has all the components that you would like in a player going into such an intense game.
The St Andrews crowd won’t need any geeing up but Davis is the type of player that can help with raising the volume levels even more.
Winning second balls, intercepting, chasing players down, crunching into challenges and showing 110% effort. This is what Davis does best and it`s crucial that we see him doing these things against Villa.
He might not be the greatest technically but I’m not expecting the game to be full of quality. It could become scrappy in large parts and this is when Davis becomes most effective.
If we can start dominating the midfield then we will already be halfway to stopping Villa`s attacks. Davis will play a vital role in breaking up play and forcing players into mistakes.
If Rowett opts to go with three central midfielders, then Davis is likely to have the most freedom out of the trio.
He will be given license to hunt the ball down, block up space and, when given the opportunity, try to capitalise on mistakes higher up the pitch.
It is important, though, that he keeps disciplined and also keeps his passing game simple. We could get caught out and there’s no doubting that Villa have the quality to punish us.
Every player in our squad will be chomping at the bit to be involved in this game but, for me, Davis has to be one of the first names on the team sheet and I think he will play a crucial part for us.