Birmingham City playmaker Willum Willumsson made his first start of the Championship season against Oxford United
Birmingham City reporter for BirminghamLive and the Birmingham Mail
Role to play… Willum Willumsson
There was a theory inside Birmingham City’s camp last season that Willum Willumsson might actually be better suited to the Championship than League One.
Some people dismissed it, and it must be said that three games into the Championship season we can’t categorically say Willumsson has proven that theory to be correct.
But he has started to show that he can operate comfortably at this level.
Willumsson ended last season out-of-form but still in favour under Chris Davies, who refused to drop the Iceland international even when his level was below those around him.
Davies clearly felt it was important Willumsson was given the chance to play his way into form and flogged him in the final few weeks of the season.
Maybe that was intentional too. Willumsson let slip on more than one occasion that the grind of the EFL season had been a shock to his system, compared to the less demanding, less physical Dutch Eredivisie where he played previously.
Stepping up to the Championship was never going to lighten the load. Blues will play a minimum of 50 games this season, and it could be a fair few more.
But the quality of opposition has increased significantly and Willumsson will have chances to show his talent and technique, which is what we’ve seen in the first two weeks of the season.
Having been an unused substitute on the opening night against Ipswich, Willumsson reminded everyone of his ability with the assist for Jay Stansfield’s winner against Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup.
Then he made an impact as a substitute in the dramatic turnaround at Blackburn, before Davies started him against Oxford – a team who were expected to give Blues plenty of possession and play on the counter-attack.
Starting Willumsson made sense. He played on the right, drifting into a number 10 position when Blues were in possession, and his 6ft 4in frame proved useful on set pieces.
He showed his eye for a defence-splitting pass with a ball to set Kyogo Furuhashi away for a move that really should have resulted in a goal.
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Willumsson completed the 90 minutes against Oxford but there are no guarantees he will get another start at Leicester City in the next Championship match on Friday (8pm kick-off). Davies could quite easily opt for the athleticism and work-rate of Keshi Anderson in a game where Blues won’t have total monopoly of the ball.
Willumsson has, however, proved there is space for him in Blues’ Championship squad, and that wasn’t a given when the bodies piled in last month.
Kanya Fujimoto possesses a similar profile to Willumsson and was signed to occupy the same spaces. Willumsson has taken his chance with the Japanese playmaker an unused substitute in Blues’ last three matches.
Tommy Doyle and Lewis Koumas have also arrived to stock up Blues’ options in those positions meaning it won’t be easy for Willumsson to hold down a regular spot – but that isn’t what Davies would want anyway.
In a squad that is designed to compete near the top of the Championship, Willumsson is an option, not an undroppable. Due to the inconsistencies we saw last season, that is probably the best way to use him.
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