Birmingham City start 2026 with a trip to Watford in search of just their third away win of the season<\/p>\n
At one end of the pitch Chris Davies will have zero decisions to make \u2013 at the other he must find an answer to Birmingham City<\/a>\u2019s most confounding riddle.<\/p>\n Blues take their wretched away form to Vicarage Road on New Year\u2019s Day, to face a Watford team that has won four of their six games since they were beaten at St Andrew\u2019s on December 1.<\/p>\n Indeed while Davies\u2019 side hasn\u2019t won since, Javi Gracia\u2019s hasn\u2019t lost and the clubs, so closely matched just a month ago, having been moving in opposite directions for the last few weeks.<\/a><\/p>\n Two things have remained constant though, Blues’ terrible results on their travels and the inability of their strikers to find the back of the net.<\/p>\n Blues have scored five goals since beating the Hornets 2-1, two by wingers and three by centre backs. Jay Stansfield hasn\u2019t scored in eight, Marvin Ducksch has been goalless since November 26th and Kyogo Furuhashi…well, what to say about that?<\/p>\n Speaking after Monday night\u2019s 1-1 draw with Southampton <\/a>assistant manager Ben Petty preferred to focus on the positives of the 30-year-old\u2019s performance \u2013 rather than two more howlers to add to what is becoming a Panini album\u2019s worth of Greatest Misses.<\/p>\n \u201cKyogo’s come in tonight, really re-energized the team,\u201d Petty said. \u201cYou can see that he’s desperate, like we all are for him, to score, I think that there is a lack of confidence there but you can see the way he presses, the way he works.<\/p>\n \u201cI think some of his link-up play was really good and there’s one thing about Kyogo \u2013 he always gets a chance \u2013 and when he does score, I think you’ll find they come in a cluster.\u201d<\/p>\n And therein lies the conundrum. In defence Davies will have little option but to ask Alfons Sampsted, Phil Neumann, Jack Robinson and Eiran Cashin to go again.<\/p>\n In attack he must choose between Kyogo, Ducksch and potentially even Lyndon Dykes, who could leave in the transfer window and who has not scored in his limited opportunities since September 20.<\/p>\n On one hand there is Kyogo\u2019s pace, movement, ability to find space, willingness to harry defenders and inability to trouble goalkeepers.<\/p>\n On the other there is the fact Ducksch scored as many in two games against Norwich and West Brom as Kyogo did in the whole of 2025.<\/p>\n The little Japanese striker has demonstrated nearly everything you\u2019d want, except the most important thing. The German has flashed that ability to put the ball in the onion bag \u2013 but in the matches when he hasn\u2019t done that, there has been little else.<\/p>\n It is a choice between the chance of a moment or two of magic from Ducksch and blind faith that karma will finally smile on the former Celtic hitman.<\/p>\n Away from home, against a side that tends to have the ball more often than not, Kyogo\u2019s industry seems the only real option. Ducksch\u2019s displays in away games have left too much to be desired to justify another start.<\/p>\n The only other questions are whether Davies takes Tomoki Iwata out of midfield and pops him at right back, which would be a surprise – and who to play at No. 10.<\/p>\n With Demarai Gray injured Jay Stansfield did well on the left \u2013 and we\u2019ll try not to be too critical of Willum Willumsson\u2019s first start in four months, behind the striker. Could it be time to indulge Ducksch as the No. 10? Not if he\u2019s not going to run.<\/p>\n Perhaps there could be a formation change to a 4-3-3, with Patrick Roberts and Stansfield either side<\/a> of Kyogo up top and Marc Leonard in to support Iwata and Paik Seung-ho.<\/p>\n Gaffer tape at the back, strength in the middle and movement up top. Time for a change? I\u2019ll predict it but without too much confidence.<\/p>\n