Kai Wagner became Birmingham City’s first signing of the January transfer window when he joined from MLS side Philadelphia Union
Kai Wagner in action on his Birmingham City debut against Coventry City
Birmingham City’s acquisition of Kai Wagner hints at a change in Chris Davies’ tactical thinking.
The left-back only trained once before his brilliant debut against Coventry City so Davies simplified things for him. Instead of asking Wagner to learn what he describes as ‘the Alex Cochrane role’, Davies changed Blues’ system to operate with two more orthodox full-backs.
If anything, Tomoki Iwata – who has been so adventurous from right-back on occasions that he has played centre-forward – operated slightly deeper than Wagner.
Wagner was given permission to play the way he would have for Philadelphia Union and six minutes in Blues reaped the rewards of his party piece.
A first-time cross from the marauding Wagner landed perfectly for Marvin Ducksch to volley home the opening goal.
It was no surprise to those watching in Philadelphia because Wagner has recorded 29 assists in his last three MLS seasons.
“That left foot is magical,” says Philadelphia Union reporter José Nuñez. “It’s an unbelievable left foot. The coaches here are probably scrambling to think how they replace the amount of goals they scored from set pieces.
“Last year it neared 20 goals from set pieces where he was either taking a corner or it was a cross (free-kick) from outside the 18-yard box.
“It was night and day with and without Kai. You could see the difference in the way that they would approach games. It was always difficult to replace him and it wasn’t just that left foot, it was the heart, what he brings as a fighter, as a contender, as a competitor. When he was on the pitch Philadelphia didn’t lose a lot.”
Cochrane has been without competition for the last 18 months and it has made Blues predictable. Their left-back has tucked inside to form a defensive three in possession, with the right-back bombing on.
Wagner doesn’t appear to be a replacement for Cochrane, more like the polar opposite, and he arrives from a team that, despite topping the MLS Eastern Conference last season, doesn’t prioritise possession.
Philadelphia Union averaged 48.2 percent possession last season which suggests Wagner has been used to a different style of football to Davies-ball. Maybe this is a signing to make Blues more direct.
Explaining Wagner’s role, Nuñez said: “Philadelphia run this system where they want to get the ball up as fast as possible, force the opposition to make a mistake and win the ball back high so they can have someone like Kai pump a first-time ball in.
“They don’t lead or care about possession, they care about what they do with it when they have possession. Kai had free roam and was often given help in terms of cover from others tactically.”
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto of Coventry City is tackled by Kai Wagner of Birmingham City
Whilst Wagner brought something different to the table tactically against Coventry, the tenacity the German showed in and out of possession immediately endeared him to a sold-out St Andrew’s.
There are similarities between Philadelphia and Blues. Both are blue-collar clubs whose supporters demand hard-work.
Wagner’s will to work made him a favourite in Philadelphia.
“He has an incredible work-rate up and down that left flank. Is he the greatest defender? Not by a long shot. Is he gritty and going to run to the last minute? Absolutely.
“He’s very much an Ironman type of guy. Frankly, for the amount of minutes he’s played in Philadelphia, he’s had very few injuries. His record is very good.”
The 28-year-old’s will to win will help him in Birmingham.
Nuñez added: “If there was a loss you would never see him smiling. For the right reason. He was frustrated with his own performance, always, and wanting more from his teammates, wanting more from coaches, wanting more from ownership.
“It’s no secret that Philadelphia is one of the lowest spending teams in the league, but that’s because they find unknowns and turn them into gems.
“It’s very much like Football Manager in a way, scouting leagues and plucking diamonds out of the rough. Kai was one of them, coming over from the (German) third division to Philadelphia and becoming what he is.
“He always challenged ownership in terms of, ‘We need more tools if we’re going to compete in four different competitions’.
“I think he is the ultimate competitor because there is not a day that goes by where he doesn’t want to win.”
Do you think Wagner should start ahead of Cochrane? Have your say in the commentsGet the latest Blues headlines sent straight to your phone
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