Birmingham City host Liverpool this weekend and although Birmingham manager Alex McLeish’s men have only one win in their last six matches in all competitions, they’re 13 games unbeaten at home.
The Blues did well to preserve their impressive home record last weekend against Arsenal, but they had to come from behind to salvage a point from the encounter. And in truth, Birmingham’s equalizer was a stroke of luck.
Goalscorer Kevin Phillips probably knew nothing about the goal attributed to him--the 250th of his career--until the ball, having deflected off his head, found its way through the hapless hands of Arsenal ‘keeper Pedro Almunia, and dropped inside the goalmouth.
Still, McLeish thought the final result a fair one. "I think we deserved it. It was a kick in the guts when they went ahead with ten minutes to go, but again we showed that never say die attitude and Kevin came up trumps again.”
How does Birmingham spell success? P-R-E-M-I-E-R L-E-A-G-U-E
Mired in ninth place on 45 points and with only six games remaining, the Blues have little chance of progressing up the league table to any significant degree. And yet, though mired in ninth and with only six games remaining, McLeish and his men are assured that Premier League participation is a certainty for them next year.
This, according to Alex McLeish, was the main objective he was given, and by that measure there is no doubt that Birmingham’s season has been successful.
Indeed, McLeish has already begun planning his recruitment activities for next year, having been promised plenty of spending money by club owner Carson Yeung.
Perhaps McLeish is forward thinking now due to his failure to bring in all the players he wanted during the January transfer window. There was an element of last ditch desperation in McLeish’s January purchase efforts as that month was coming to a close. In the end Birmingham made no significant transfers despite a war chest rumored to be bountiful.
The only names of note that McLeish captured in January were Craig Gardner from Aston Villa and Michel from Sporting Gijon.
So with Premier League survival assured and no opportunities for silverware remaining, McLeish’s men will now simply play for position and for pride. Sunday’s match with Liverpool falls into the latter category, as a Liverpool scalp would be a delightful achievement for Birmingham City as this season winds down.
Liverpool’s away record a poor one
In contrast to Birmingham’s home record, Liverpool’s away record is very poor indeed. They haven’t won a league game away since they beat Aston Villa on December 29. They’ve now gone six away games without a win and so their visit to St. Andrews this weekend is unlikely to be a stroll in the park.
The two clubs last met in November at Anfield and the Reds were fortunate to achieve a 2-2 draw with Alex McLeish’s men. A controversial penalty gave Liverpool the equalizer.
Liverpool’s ambitions are not so lofty at this juncture
Liverpool’s Premier League ambitions for this season have diminished in comparison with past years due to their celebrated season-long poor form.
Silverware is still a possibility for them if they manage to get past Benfica in the Europa League. The Reds lost 2-1 to Benfica on Thursday, however, further contributing to their poor away game form. To their credit, though, they did get an away goal, and that could prove valuable in the return leg at Anfield.
In their English campaign, however, the Reds aspire to nothing more than a fourth place finish.
With just three wins from their last seven league games, sixth-place Liverpool’s chances of overtaking fifth-place Manchester City and current fourth-place Spurs is looking more remote with each passing week.
Riera has a change of heart
Spanish midfielder Albert Riera, who recently lambasted manager Rafa Benitez, had hoped a
transfer to CSKA Moscow would be the result of his verbal volleys. But that deal fell through and now Riera, who has been suspended since blabbing out of school, has undergone a metamorphosis, and has reaffirmed his commitment to the club!
His mea culpa uttered, what are the chances of Riera getting a game for Liverpool in upcoming weeks? To coin a quaint English term,…Not bloody likely!
A man who might get a game were he not injured is Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who was unable to make the squad for the Europa Cup tie against Benfica on Thursday because of an ankle injury. He may be out for the season.
Aquilani joins Martin Skrtel and Fabio Aurelio on the injury list heading into the Birmingham match.
Birmingham City have taken points against all of the big four clubs this season. They will likely fancy themselves to do the same against Liverpool a second time come Sunday. For Liverpool Sunday’s match is a must win if they are to keep pace with or gain against Spurs and have any chance at all of finishing in fourth.
Given Birmingham’s home record and Liverpool’s away record, no one could be blamed for placing their money on the Blues to steal a point.
