Key player Vs. Wigan

The games come thick and fast in the Sky Bet Championship and Blues are back in action once again tomorrow evening as they host relegation threatened Wigan Athletic at St Andrew`s.

There’s no doubting that Blues put in an excellent performance against Leeds last Friday but, ultimately, the result didn’t follow and we have been saying this far too often under Gianfranco Zola.

Tomorrow night really is a huge game and it’s crucial that we come away with three points as we are slowly dropping lower and lower down the league.

Wigan are fighting for their life and will come to St Andrew`s pumped up and ready for battle. If Blues play like they did against Leeds then we should come away with a win but we need to be clinical.

Craig Gardner got his first goal since returning to the club in the last game and I think that his qualities will prove to be key against the Latics.

Playing in that centre attacking midfield position, Gardner is given the licence to roam and support the lone striker whether that be Che Adams or Lukas Jutkiewicz.

It’s crucial that he does this effectively against Wigan because he can really cause them problems with his movement and runs into the box.

As we know, Cheick Keita and Emilio Nsue are extremely attacking wing backs and are always looking to get on the front foot and deliver into the box.

Gardner has a key role to play in supporting the attack and making those runs into the penalty area as and when the full backs get forward and deliver crosses.

If he can get on the end of those crosses then Blues could be in for a good night. We had 27 attempts at the Leeds goal on Friday and to only score one was disappointing.

The possession and shots counted for nothing so it’s crucial that we focus on keeping our shape, creating those chances and then making the most of them when they arrive.

Wigan will come with a game plan and that may be to sit back and frustrate Blues. They know that they will get their opportunities as we are very vulnerable at the back.

Our best chances may come from set pieces and Gardner`s deliveries into the box need to be right on the money.

In terms of quality on the ball, Gardner is up there as the best in the squad. If we can find him in little pockets of space then he could really hurt the Wigan back four and hopefully set us on our way to a win.

There’s no easy game in the Championship and Blues must be on the ball from the first minute to the last. Wigan have quality at their top end that can punish us so it’s crucial that we rise to the occasion and come away with the goods.