Davies must now sell failed Birmingham, which Eustace thinks is “brilliant”.

City of Birmingham They will head into a Boxing Day clash with Burton Albion sitting nicely at the top of the table First League table, where Blues fans are already starting to dream of winning the title.

It has been a flawless December for those with loyalties to the leaders, with six wins out of six in all competitions, which included a narrow win over Crawley Town who were clinched last time out.

No one watching the game would have been surprised to see Jay Stansfield score another goal, but the score was 1-0 only to come to full-time as a surprise, with the Blues' defense having to stand firm throughout to avoid any unwanted error. .

Birmingham's most prominent defenders this season

Birmingham will know that no team can be underestimated in the tough division, even with Crawley sitting near the foot of the League One table.

In the end, the narrow three points were secured, but the likes of Christian Bielic and Christophe Clarer had to remain on their toes throughout the 90 minutes to ensure no goals were missed, as the pair cruised to an impressive win. 21 duels combined.

With Ben Davies also having to complete seven clearances, it was certainly not a classic Birmingham performance all over the pitch, but at least the defense did its job at Broadfield.

Just leak 16 goals From their 19 league encounters so far, Chris Davies will be hoping his back four continue to fight valiantly, especially with more tense fixtures on the horizon in 2025.

Unfortunately, while the survival of the Blues' solid defense will please Davies, this could signal the departure of a forgotten figure at St Andrews next January, who has barely featured this season despite being an integral part of the first team.

Dion Sanderson's future at Birmingham

Reports have now surfaced Dion Sanderson could leave for Coventry City in the next transfer window, with the reserve defender finding it difficult to get game time recently.

However, these links with a move to the Championship show how talented Sanderson was at centre-back in his day, with the Blues' No.5 wearing the club's badge last season in the Championship.

He will impress for Birmingham on an initial loan during the 2022/23 season, before leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers to permanently succeed St Andrews the following season, having been rated as ''amazing” Pick-up made by then Blues boss John Eustace.

Eustace could have felt vindicated by his words – even when he was eventually fired – as Sanderson continued to fundraise. Ten clean sheets For the club in the league last season, all while Birmingham fell disastrously to the third tier.

The towering 6-foot-2 defender must have been hoping the shake-up in the division would make him a more important part of the mix, but many of the new recruits at the back after Davies arrived on the scene saw him slide down the pecking order.

Not helped by injuries or suspensions, the former Wolves man is just getting started One trivial game In the first league so far, which returned on the opening day of the season versus Reading as Davies continued to build his new-look side.

Looking at the table above, it's also clear that Davies would prefer to use both Bilic and Klarer over Sanderson due to their distinct qualities, with the duo achieving far more touches and accurate passes this season than the reserve defender last season, along with also winning a greater amount of duels. .

Birmingham fans will be sad to see Sanderson leave, but with the defense the Blues can now boast, it is inevitable that the 25-year-old will have to leave to get more minutes elsewhere.

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