Birmingham City’s Boss Revealed A “Shocking” Thing That He Has Only One Undroppable Player With Premier League Potential

It was telling that when Birmingham City fell behind against Walsall last week the first substitute Chris Davies turned to was Krystian Bielik. Ordinarily, a manager would look to more forward thinking players but Blues captain Bielik was summoned in the 55th minute at the expense of debutant Ben Davies.

Chris Davies did so because he wasn’t happy with the speed at which Blues were playing out from the back. Ben Davies wasn’t able to replicate what Bielik has been doing

That is no slight on Davies, there are few, if any League One centre-backs capable of doing the job Bielik does. When Bielik was permanently moved to defence in the summer he received a clear message from his manager: “I want you to control the tempo from the back.”

The statistics tell us Bielik is doing just that. According to Opta, Bielik has completed 318 successful passes in League One this season – at least 55 more than any other player

Bielik, a 6ft 3in colossus who played in defence throughout his youth career, hasn’t shirked the fundamentals of his position either. With five blocks, 12 interceptions and 41 duels won, Bielik ranks second in each of those categories.

Given the way the game is going, with the vast majority of top-level teams going down the possession-based route, Bielik’s skillset is better utilised at the back than in midfield. Tony Mowbray and Davies have both recognised that.

It might be premature to talk about the Premier League four games into a League One season but that is where Blues are aiming and their captain is one of a few players with the potential to grow alongside the club.

Bielik was a solid Championship midfielder when used correctly, but he proved at the tail-end of last season that he is an outstanding second tier defender for the way Blues now play. Blues’ record with Bielik at the back in the Championship last season: five wins, two draws, two defeats. That trend has unsurprisingly continued down in League One.

When we talk about the strength of Davies’ squad and the likelihood of rotation throughout the season, Bielik’s name is ring-fenced. The 26-year-old is the fulcrum of Davies’ team and sits in his own category: undroppable.