'Leeds United have got Elland Road on toast' - Birmingham City have their work cut out tonight
The Yorkshire Evening Post's Phil Hay provides an insight into what BCFC will encounter at Elland Road tonight
Birmingham City travel to Leeds United this evening looking to end a run of four successive defeats against one of the Championship’s early leaders.
Thomas Christiansen’s side have hit the ground running thanks to strong recruitment early in the transfer window, while Blues did their business at the death and are playing catch up as a result.
Keen to gain an insight into what Blues will encounter at Elland Road tonight, the Birmingham Mail caught up with Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post.
What has the change of manager done for Leeds and what are they doing differently under Thomas Christiansen?
On the evidence of six games you’d be tempted to call Garry Monk’s resignation a blessing in disguise. He was well-liked last season and for all that his decision to walk out in May damaged his reputation in these parts, there’s no denying that he and his squad punched well above their weight.
In theory Monk’s year in charge was a hard act to follow but Christiansen has settled at Leeds with astonishing ease, answering the question of whether a largely unknown head coach was up to the job. We’re at an early stage of the season so it’s risky to draw conclusions but what we’re seeing is a complete break from Monk’s effective but conservative tactics.
There’s no caution in Christiansen’s approach and no attempt to play the percentages - yet despite that, the club are sitting on five consecutive clean sheets in the league. If Leeds play well against Birmingham you’ll see pace and fluidity up front and genuine intent from the start.
Burton seemed baffled by it all and were absolutely murdered at Elland Road on Saturday; they had one shot on goal to Leeds’ 30. Nottingham Forest were also outplayed before the international break, producing five efforts on goal to Leeds’ 18 at their own ground.
Statistics can be used to prove almost anything but those matches were as one-sided as the numbers. The only similarity between Monk and Christiansen at this stage is a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Did you expect Leeds to start this season in the way they have and can they sustain it this year?
This is one season where I had no definite gut feeling about it. Christiansen did well in two jobs in Cyprus, doing as much as he could have at either club, but he was an unknown quantity and Leeds have seen unknown quantities blow up before. On top of that, the system of recruitment at Elland Road has changed completely since Andrea Radrizzani bought the club in May.
We’ve seen more signings from the continent and a trend of avoiding that traditional method of buying players who “know the Championshipâ€. Can they sustain this form? Beyond anything else, the club have got - give or take - two players or more for every position.
The key targets they pursued over the summer (Samuel Saiz, Gjanni Alioski, Pierre-Michel Lasogga and others) have shown ample class and look well within their depth. I don’t think talent is an issue. It’s more a case of whether the imports have the stamina to survive the slog. Time will tell.
Who are the Leeds players Birmingham City should fear most?
Saiz is a lovely number 10; good vision, a nice touch, a finish on him and the ability to spark counter-attacks quickly. Give him space and he’ll punish you. Alioski is a quick and dangerous winger, a Macedonia international with the sort of good looks which make you want to avoid being photographed next to him.
As for Lasogga, he was once on the verge of a call-up to the German national squad but lost his way with Hamburg. On his debut on Saturday he scored twice against, hit a post, was narrowly denied with two more efforts and looked every bit a quality number nine. He’s not quick but he can link and he can finish. Suddenly the sale of Chris Wood to Burnley doesn’t feel so risky.
What sort of atmosphere can the BCFC players expect at Elland Road and what's the mood like around the club this season?
Leeds have got Elland Road on toast at the moment. There’ll be 30,000-plus there tomorrow, something the club haven’t seen at a midweek league game in well over a decade.
Elland Road has always been a feisty ground but the crowd and atmosphere have put up with plenty of hard, stagnant years and the mood was often one of defiance more than anything else.
What you’re seeing now is hardcore optimism, helped by the sort of form Leeds rarely show in the first month of a season. This time last year they had four points and five goals. As it stands, they’ve got 14 and 12. We’ll only know with hindsight if it’s indicative of the season ahead but it’s nothing less than a great start.
