Birmingham City can count themselves unfortunate to not be in the fifth round of the FA Cup after they lost to Premier League side Leeds United on Sunday.
The Blues had positive momentum throughout the game at St. Andrew’s but were unable to convert enough of their chances to win the game in normal time.
They, of course, also needed Patrick Roberts to equalise from distance, via a deflection, in the 89th minute to send the game to extra time.
Misses from Tommy Doyle and Roberts in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, after a goalless extra time, mean that Birmingham only have the Championship to worry about for the rest of the season.
Why Birmingham should be happy to be out of the FA Cup
The Blues are out of the FA Cup and will not play another match in any cup competition before the end of the 2025/26 campaign, which should be seen as a positive.
Whilst a cup run can be enjoyable, especially if you reach the quarter-finals or further, the reality is that Birmingham are incredibly unlikely to win the competition, as no second division side has won the FA Cup since West Ham did it in 1980.
Birmingham’s number one goal for this season was always getting promoted to the Premier League. They are only two points off the play-off positions, with 14 games left to play, and that means that they still have a chance to seal back-to-back promotions.
With this in mind, the Blues should be happy that they do not have the added distraction and fixture congestion that comes with a late run in the FA Cup, because it could have impacted their league form if they had more games to contend with at the business end of the campaign.
Whilst Davies should not be too disappointed with the outcome of the match, for the reasons listed above, the manager will be frustrated with some of the individual performances that were on display against Leeds.
There was one player, in particular, whose performance now makes him look like the weakest link in the squad heading into the hunt for a play-off place in the league.
The weakest link in Birmingham’s squad
Bright Osayi-Samuel was brought in from Fenerbahce last summer on a permanent deal to bolster the manager’s options down the right flank, as he can play out wide or as a right-back.
He has mainly played at right-back for the Blues, starting 11 of his 17 appearances for the club in the Championship, but his form has left a lot to be desired.
His performance against Leeds at right-back was, unfortunately, a disappointing one that makes him look like the weakest link in the squad, as he struggled in and out of possession.
Depending on the game and the style of play, you typically want your full-backs to excel at defending or attacking, both in an ideal world, but Osayi-Samuel failed to impress on either side of the ball.
The Nigeria international did not win a single tackle or aerial battle in 83 minutes on the pitch for the Blues, whilst he also failed to create a single chance for his teammates and only completed 69% of his attempted passes.
|
Vs Leeds |
Osayi-Samuel |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
83 |
|
Touches |
54 |
|
Ground duels won |
4/9 |
|
Aerial duels won |
0/2 |
|
Tackles won |
0/2 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Pass accuracy |
69% |
|
Dribbles completed |
1/3 |
The experienced full-back did not provide any creativity to make up for his lack of defensive strength, having lost 64% of his duels, and he did not offer enough defensive quality to make up for his lack of creativity, taking fewer touches (54) than his goalkeeper Ryan Allsop (72).
The fact that Davies’ goalkeeper had more touches than the right-back illustrates his lack of impact in possession, as he did not take the game to Leeds on the ball, demanding touches to make things happen offensively.
This meant that the Blues full-back was a liability on the pitch for the side because he was not doing enough in or out of possession against Leeds, which has also been an issue in his league performances.
In the Championship, Osayi-Samuel has lost 51% of his ground duels and 53% of his aerial duels in 17 appearances, showing that he has been weak in his physical battles on the deck and in the air.
On top of that, the former QPR star has created one ‘big chance’, averaged 0.3 key passes per game, and is yet to deliver a single goal or assist from right-back.
These statistics show that the Birmingham flop is a weak link when he plays because he does not offer much of a threat offensively, whilst he can sometimes be a lightweight off the ball, allowing opposition players to win too many duels.
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