One To Watch: Albert Adomah

Albert Adomah will be a familiar name to most people who have an interest in English football and to those of you who haven’t heard of him, I can guarantee he will be a menace on Saturday.

Our full backs are having a less than impressive few games, mainly due to fatigue in my opinion, and therefore the last thing they need is a winger who is quick. The Middlesbrough winger could run through water without getting his socks wet, he is that fast. I’m sure Grounds is tired just looking at a photo of Albert Adomah.

So how can we stop him? He is one of those players who will play with his heart on his sleeve. You can tell just by looking at him, what he is thinking and what he is feeling. Fans often like this type of player but it is also good for the opposition. Albert Adomah often gets frustrated if a few of his shots have not come off, and therefore will openly express his anger at every given opportunity.

If Birmingham City can surround him and make it hard for him to play in the opening exchanges, then I believe that Adomah will not be mentally strong enough to play at his best. It is just a simple observation that I have made. If we allow him time to run at the back line, then has has the ability to make us pay.

As a footballer, having the skill to pass using both feet is rare but also very useful. Adomah does have this talent and therefore can either cut inside or shape on the outside to cross into the area. This means that the fullback will always have to be switched on and have full concentration throughout. I would personally play Lowry against him. A fast runner, he has the strength to out muscle Adomah and produce a fine defensive display.

I have also noticed that Albert Adomah works very hard defensively. He will often track runners and is always sprinting up and down the line. His effort is second to none. We need to match this work rate but also have a very quick tempo when attacking in order to drag players backwards and get crosses into the opposition penalty box.

If we can stifle their creativity by hard tackling and be structural sound, we can certainly get points from this game. I think our attacking options are limited and I don’t think that we are quite able to pose a threat for the full 90 minutes but on set pieces and through Gray’s pace, I am quietly optimistic.