One To Watch: Kasey Palmer

After all the hype before and even after last weeks derby against Aston Villa, it seems as though the tide has settled as we focus on the next game. The Blues’ travel to the John Smith Stadium in order to face high flyers Huddersfield Town whom under Wagner seem to have really found their feet in this league.

Last season, I saw them against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park and they were terrific. They were very inconsistent however both in terms of results and performances but they did have a young and inexperienced squad that looked to have great potential and this year it seems that they are fulfilling this early promise.

Sometimes whilst choosing the oppositions player to watch, it is fairly straight forward as there is one or two stand out players. However, with the Terriers, it has proven to be much harder due to the fact that they play as a team. They have a healthy blend of youth and experienced players who all play a part. Some have pace whilst others don’t and they all compliment each other in this way. But I have to choose the player that will cause Birmingham City the most problems and having just discovered the potential injury list for the game; our defence is looking a bit weakened going against their strong attack.

The on loan man from Chelsea sometimes doesn’t grab the headlines. This is because the likes of Nahki Wells and La Parra take the plaudits with their goals and overall ability to out trick the opponent. Wells was a close call for this article as he seems to be able to find the net with relative ease and has a calm persona in front of the goal. But Palmer is much more unpredictable in terms of how he plays.

With Wells, it is obvious that he’ll try and run onto long balls and play on the last man. Hopefully, we can defend against this. But with Palmer, he has the ability to go past players on the inside, to go past players on the outside or to simply play one twos with those around him and get past his man that way. He has a footballing brain and is able to adapt his way of playing to the opposition.

He is also blessed with pace and none of our full backs (barring Shotton who may have to play as a centre back if injuries to Spector and Robinson persist) have much pace therefore he will have a field day down the side of the pitch if he is given any space at all. The young man is full of attacking flair but he is more direct than any of his team mates; he likes to drive at players and I think that this is the hardest kind of player to defend against.

He can play in the number 10 role quite happily as well, not just outwide. This is because he often picks a pass brilliantly but has the ability to get into the box to help support the front man. Despite not being a striker, he has contributed 2 goals in 14 appearances which actually is disappointing for a man of his quality.