Gary Rowett has a number of selection dilemmas to ponder before the first game of his second stint in charge of Birmingham City, but none are more crucial or pressing than the make-up of his midfield.
The 50-year-old has been appointed interim Blues manager until Tony Mowbray is well enough to return in the summer. Rowett has been handed the reins by Mark Venus, who has also temporarily stepped aside, and will take charge of Blues against Queens Park Rangers on Friday.
Due to injuries and internationals, Rowett has an enormous selection headache where his midfield is concerned. Jordan James and Paik Seung-ho haven’t met Rowett yet due to their international exertions with Wales and South Korea respectively.
James is set to anchor Wales’ midfield in their European Championships play-off with Poland on Tuesday, while Paik will hope to feature in Korea’s World Cup qualifier against Thailand. BirminghamLive has been told Paik is due to arrive back in Birmingham on Wednesday, by which time James should also have landed at Blues’ base in Henley-in-Arden.
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However, with the QPR game a 3pm kick-off on Good Friday, James and Paik might only be able to train once under Rowett beforehand. Thursday's session is likely to be a light one, too. And that isn’t where the problems end.
Andre Dozzell is on loan from QPR and will therefore not be able to take part at Loftus Road. Juninho Bacuna is an alternative solution but his international jaunt to Turkey with Curacao for friendlies against club sides Hull City and Alanyaspor puts him in the same boat as James and Paik.
Rowett has previously commented on how impressed he was with the Krystian Bielik/Ivan Sunjic midfield axis that Blues deployed in the early weeks of the season. He might not be able to call on Bielik due to a torn stomach muscle.
Sunjic is one of two senior midfielders Rowett has been able to use in training during the international break, the other being Gary Gardner who has only started one game in the Championship this season. Croatian enforcer Sunjic seems certain to play.
The question is who will play next to him. If Rowett wants to drill his XI relentlessly this week, Sunjic and Gardner could be the only option if Blues retain their 4-2-3-1 shape.
It’s a choice which backfired on Wayne Rooney after the international break in October. A midfield trio of Sunjic, Bielik and Gardner struggled to adapt to Rooney’s methods and Middlesbrough wreaked havoc at The Riverside. James and Bacuna arrived back from international duty too late for Rooney to include them.
Paik has started seven of Blues’ last eight games and has been the stand-out midfielder in those matches. James has been a close second. One of them surely has to start if Bielik isn’t fit to give Rowett the partnership he admired during his time as Millwall manager.
