Opinion: One game in, and still a long way off working out how Blues will start the season

They say you should always lead with your best foot forward.

Not lead with your best foot sort of dangling out there whilst you balance on the other one.

Because that was my main takeaway from yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Charlton as Aitor Karanka took his first game in charge of Birmingham. Don’t worry, this isn’t a criticism, or at least not a major one, just an observation. I might be tough, but even I know not to start calling for a head coach’s job after one pre-season friendly.

I’m talking of course about the team selection for the game as the Spaniard opted for two teams, one in the first half and one in the second. Now whilst this isn’t necessarily anything out of the ordinary for a pre-season game, I’m just more concerned with the way that we went about it.

Actually, scrap the phrase concerned, call it ‘curious’ instead.

With players who were regular first-teamers last season essentially split up, for instance Marc Roberts and Harlee Dean at the heart of the defence and putting the former alongside academy graduate Geraldo Bajrami.

Now don’t get me wrong, having been an advocate of promoting young players for some time I’m glad that they get some game time, however I don’t think that essentially splitting the team in two like that and throwing them all over the place is the way to go about it.

I’d much rather Karanka go with the ‘first-team’ to start the game off and have the youngsters take over the second. And before anybody gets smart and suggests that’s exactly what he did, I seriously don’t believe that captain Dean and new signing George Friend are going to be playing second string next season.

What about you? What do you make of Karanka’s team selection for the game?