We’ve got options, but do we perhaps have too many options?
That’s the question that Birmingham City need to be asking themselves now as the transfer window dies down and things start slipping into place.
Brian Dick recently penned an article in which he looked into the many options that Blues have at their disposal this season given the new signings we’ve made. He goes into a number of formations and personnel matchups and I couldn’t do it justice to shrink it down to fit here, so I recommend you read it there to get the full scope of things.
But in short, he laid out five formations and line-ups that Aitor Karanka has at his fingertips.
Personally, whilst it’s great that the club do have a lot of options, I think that the club needs to have its main philosophy, and use that option as much as possible.
We know how important it is when teams can keep things the same for a long stretch of time, it’s one of the reasons that Leicester City were able to win the Premier League title back in 2015-16, it’s not a great look when the club keeps chopping and changing meaning players aren’t used to playing in one position and the partnerships that can help create, such as Scott Hogan and Lukas Jutkiewicz’s last season.
It’s OK to make minor tweaks to that when necessary, due to injuries and suspensions for instance, but I think a pattern of familiarity, especially given we’re still getting to grips with things under the new management. It’s OK to tinker now to find it, but the sooner we can get an established eleven that knows their roles and duties, the better.
What about you? What is your preferred formation and line-up for Birmingham City?