Birmingham must mourn the star losers who now outshine Paik Seung-ho

Birmingham City they will be no fools going into the busy December fixture schedule that awaits them, knowing full well that these games will be crucial when it comes to achieving promotion.

They have shown they are prone to slip ups here and there, with a 3-2 defeat away to Shrewsbury Town towards the end of November somewhat damaging to their egos, with the Shrews deep in the relegation battle at the opposite end First league.

But Chris Davies will believe his troops are made of some stern stuff and will pounce on promotion as 2025 looms on the horizon, with many individuals deserving praise in his talented camp.

Birmingham’s standout performers this season

Birmingham managed to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Gareth Ainsworth’s men with plenty of wins in December.

Jay Stansfield unsurprisingly stood out in Birmingham’s last win away at Barnsley as the former Fulham jewel scored two more league strikes to lead his side to a hard-fought three points in South Yorkshire. He then also scored in the 2-0 win over Bristol Rovers on Saturday, making it his league goal in a very impressive ten.

However, the forwards at Davies’ disposal are not the only stars worthy of a glowing mention, as the defenders have also had to dig deep to ensure the Blues continue to rack up win after win.

The recent 2-0 win over a struggling Stockport County side saw Christian Bielik display his aerial prowess with eight duels successfully wonas a clear goal came to his team with three points.

Furthermore, the calm and composed presence of Tomoki Iwata and Paik Seung-Ho in the middle of the park ensured Birmingham also kept their heads when the games were stressful, with the South Korean particularly impressive against the Tykes when he assisted Stansfield’s crucial match. the winning goal.

But there is a former Blues man who currently tops the uniform number 13 in midfield in the Netherlands, who has never been able to settle down at St. Andrew’s for a short period.

Halilovic’s record since leaving Birmingham

Formerly hailed as a “a true natural talent” Dutch great Rafael Van De Vaart, it’s fair to say that Alen Halilovic’s career didn’t exactly go to plan after his early football education in Barcelona.

The forgotten Croat would just do it one first team appearance at the Camp Nou before becoming a nomad away from Spain, which even led to him joining Birmingham City in a surprise deal in 2020.

The diminutive attacking midfielder would thrive in flashes in his new location, with 17 games in the first team comes his way, which has even seen him score one goal against Queens Park Rangers.

But it would be a short stay for Halilović at St Andrew’s, given that the ten-time senior Croatian international is leaving the Blues at the end of the 2020/21 season, having failed to agree a new extended contract.

Although his temporary stint in England wasn’t the most memorable part of his active playing days, Halilovic has managed to make a name for himself for Fortuna Sittard this season so far, with two assists coming his way recently in the Eredivisie. action.

That took his overall league total – in terms of goals and assists two goals and three assistswhich surprisingly betters Pike’s own League 1 haul of just two assists with zero goals scored.

These numbers are somewhat skewed by the fact that Halilovic operates as a midfielder who is much more content joining attacks, but Birmingham would not say no to the return of their former man if the opportunity presented itself.

The “phenomenal” star – as ex-footballer Miroslav Bićanić once described him – would be another sparkling option available to Davies, but with ace Fortune Sittard out of the picture, the Birmingham boss will continue to try to steer his star-studded squad towards an immediate return to the Championship.