Birmingham City manager Chris Davies believes his side's new-found prowess from set pieces will prove crucial in the Championship this season after two Phil Neumann headers secured a 2-1 win at Wrexham on Friday night.
Blues claimed their first league win of the campaign at the Racecourse Ground thanks to two goals from dead-ball situations, both converted by the head of German centre-back Phil Neumann. Including Demarai Gray's penalty against Bristol City, five of Blues' six goals this season have come from set pieces.
Set piece specialist hired in summer
Blues hired Scott Fry to lead on set pieces during the summer, and all those hours on the training ground are paying off. Davies acknowledged the club had targeted this area in recruitment and reflected on last season's tight away games.
“I know that we’ve targeted it as an area in terms of recruitment and stuff,” said Davies. “It just makes me think about all those games last season that were so tight away from home where I thought we’re in this game and then we’d lose it – that’s when you need a set piece goal out of nothing.”
Davies wants a complete team
Davies described set pieces as a “really good weapon to have” and said he was pleased with the progress, but stressed the need for balance. “I want to be a complete team. I want to be a team that can play football and create chances and I thought we did that at times. I want to be a team that’s solid but you can use your set pieces,” he said.
Neumann was not a mainstay in the XI during his first season at Blues, but the centre-back has made himself indispensable in recent months. He met Alex Cochrane's first-half corner to score his first before glancing in August Priske's cross after Wrexham failed to clear a throw-in.
Neumann praised for defensive display
Davies praised Neumann's overall contribution, particularly his defensive work against Wrexham striker Kieffer Moore. “He’s been brilliant,” Davies commented. “The first thing is you’re up against Kieffer Moore so forget about scoring goals, defend because he’s a big strong boy and there’s no one as hard as him to play against in terms of the duels, and he did it really well.”
“And then to pluck a few goals out, as a centre-back you have to be looking to do that so I’m really pleased,” he added. The win gives Blues their first three points of the Championship season, with set pieces already proving a decisive factor in their early fixtures.
