Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has clarified that new signing Max Bird is viewed primarily as part of the midfield two, though he could occasionally be deployed in the number 10 position. The 25-year-old joined Blues from Championship rivals Bristol City last week and made a brief debut in the 0-0 draw with Sheffield United on Saturday.
Bird replaced Paik Seung-ho in the advanced midfield role for the final 10 minutes at Bramall Lane to help Blues see out the game, but Davies sees him as a playmaker from deep. Having made his name as a midfielder orchestrator with Derby County, Bird played plenty of football higher up the pitch for Bristol City and started their season opener in the number 10 position ahead of Scott Twine.
Davies explains Bird's best position
Davies has moved to clear up the confusion over what Bird’s best position is. “He’s a central midfielder, that’s the best way to describe it,” Davies told BirminghamLive. “I first came across him when he was at Derby and he was a pure six really who would control the game. He can advance and play as the eight and then he can be a 10.”
“With the 10 position, as people call it… if you look at Paik playing that role he’s really playing it as an eight – a third midfield player. A 10 in the purest sense is someone who is going to play between lines and be a second striker. We’ve got players in that position who are more like eights and Max came on and did that role.”
“Any of those three positions. We know his A1 position is in that controlling position as a six/eight type, but he can push further forward and gives you good quality. He’s a really important player because I want players who are versatile as well.”
Paik's role and tactical flexibility
Paik has played the number 10 position in the first two matches of this season, with Jay Stansfield operating out wide on the left. Davies switched between Stansfield and Marvin Ducksch – both of whom are strikers by trade – in the position last season but now has reservations over doing that again this term.
When Blues are looking for a more solid base, particularly away from home, it won’t come as a surprise to see Davies opt for Paik or Bird in the 10 position rather than a more attack-minded player. Asked whether he still favours a more attacking profile of player in the role, Davies explained: “There’s a time and a place for it, I would say.”
“The danger when you do that is unless they are really able to participate in their midfield duties you can become a little bit 4-2-4ish and that’s a concern for me. Sometimes we didn’t get to grips with that well enough last season.”
Horses for courses approach
Davies indicated that his selection will depend on the opposition. “You can see what I’ve looked at in the last few weeks with Paik and I think it might be more horses for courses. What’s the team we’re up against? What do we need?”
This season, Blues have started with Paik in the advanced midfield role, while Stansfield has been used on the left. Bird’s versatility offers Davies additional options in the middle of the park, allowing the team to adapt to different opponents and match situations.
