“ There Is No Need For That!”- Another Blues Star Fires Warning To Birmingham City Teammates & Lifts Lid On Career Ambition And Vows To…

Birmingham City defender Christoph Klarer spoke to Birmingham World ahead of the international break

Christoph Klarer has confessed Birmingham’s performance away at Northampton Town wasn’t up to standard as Blues dropped points in a 1-1 draw.

Blues’ vice-captain has fired a warning to his teammates that more aggression and combativeness must be shown in tough matches, especially when facing adversity.

Klarer was the first to admit Birmingham were very poor in the first half at Sixfields and didn’t deserve to score before the break. As it was, Keshi Anderson’s header – assisted by Klarer’s pinpoint cross – rescued a point, but on another day Northampton could have inflicted Blues’ fourth League One defeat of the season.

“I don’t think we did our job well enough in the first half,” Klarer told the media post-match. “We didn’t have the right aggression that you need when you come to places like this when they thrive off long throws and set plays.

The gaffer was pretty honest with what he thought about that first half performance. We had the conditions of the pitch and the wind against us but that shouldn’t be an excuse for us not showing the right level of aggression.

“We need to be better, especially away from home. If those are the stats (no wins in three away games), we need to improve on that form and we have the chance to do that after the international break. Look, it’s not easy but it’s not supposed to be easy. We’re all getting paid to do a job, we have a big aim and we want to achieve that

“I expect that from our players to not fall over when the wind’s against you and things don’t go your way. We’ve got enough character and experience among the group of players on the pitch strong enough to overcome the obstacles.”

Birmingham might well be cruising 12 points clear at the top of League One but that doesn’t mean they’ve been perfect and Klarer is well aware of that. Perfectionism is strived for in the Blues camp and better performances will be needed to succeed upon the expected return to the Championship.

On a more positive note, Klarer has revealed his aspirations to be called up to the Austria national team for the first time and hopes promotion with Blues will help his chances. The 24-year-old played 12 times for the Austria under-21 setup but is yet to appear as a senior international due to hefty competition at centre-back.

“It’s always been an ambition of mine,” Klarer said. “I knew it was going to be tough for me when I came here that obviously we’ve got players in the position playing for world-class clubs, playing in the Bundesliga, abroad and in the Champions League.