Bentley is in form
Another great post by Liam Blackburn. Liam has worked at The Sunday Times and The Manchester Evening News. Check out his blog at http://samenamedifferentgames.wordpress.com/. Look out for our Birmingham and Everton focused Weekend Preview column tomorrow morning.
The fallout from last weekend’s Carling Cup final centred on Arsenal’s failure to win a seemingly routine match against Birmingham City. But the victors were more than worthy winners and fantasy owners should be looking to ride the resulting wave of joy that Alex McLeish’s men are suddenly enjoying.
Birmingham are deep in the relegation zone but their recent form has been encouraging. They’ve only lost one of their last four in the league and they’re still in the F.A. Cup. But the most appealing news for fantasy owners is that Sunday’s Carling Cup triumph is followed by a double game week with two very winnable fixtures against West Brom and Everton.
If there’s one thing Birmingham are renowned for it’s a strong back line. Even without Scott Dann, the defence has been resolute under McLeish. They’ve conceded only 35 goals and goalkeeper Ben Foster, Birmingham’s highest points scorer, has kept eight clean sheets.
They are also, as Arsenal found out to their detriment, extremely dangerous at set pieces. Liam Ridgewell and Roger Johnson are two of the most potent in those situations so, along with their defensive stability, they represent a dual-threat.
Going forward has been a problem for Birmingham this year and it is ultimately the biggest reason for their lowly league standing. They are the league’s lowest scorers but things may be about to change. The towering Nikola Zigic, valued at a mere £5.4 million, has finally hit some form netting three in his last four league appearances.
In midfield; there are slim pickings. Last year, Lee Bowyer was a fantasy revelation with a spurt of goals making him a legitimate fantasy sleeper. But he’s not been able to rekindle that form. The tenacious duo of Barry Ferguson and Craig Gardner are partial to the odd yellow card so they should be treated with trepidation. Set-piece maestro Sebastian Larsson may be worth some consideration. Although he doesn’t weigh in with goals he has recorded six assists. But Larsson’s stock has been damaged by the arrival of David Bentley. Not only is Bentley likely to throw his hat into the ring when free kicks and corners become available, he’s also more likely to stay on the pitch.
As Birmingham pose a big threat at set-pieces Bentley may be worth picking up. He got three bonus points against Manchester City recently and got a goal in his last outing against Coventry City in the F.A. Cup. The only downside of Bentley is that his £5.7 million price tag reflects his status as a Spurs player. He is easily the most expensive Birmingham midfielder but in terms of midfielders in general, he is good value for money.
Confidence can’t be much higher in the Birmingham camp right now and with their players indulging in a double game week, the time to capitalise is now.
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I have heard the statistic….cant put my finger on where, maybe press pass…that carling cup winners have a 10%ish goal increase after the success, also. only more good birmingham news
I read somewhere that Craig Gardner had dead leg…..