Birmingham City have opted against playing League One fixtures during the international breaks this season.
Chris Davies will continue to postpone games during international breaks because he would not forgive himself if an underperforming Birmingham City team lost points.
Blues’ game against Stevenage this weekend has been canceled after five of the club’s players got international call-ups. League One clubs, unlike those in the Premier League and Championship, do not have automatic international breaks; however, if they receive three call-ups, they may postpone a fixture.
Davies has cancelled the Blues’ games against Exeter City (which will now be contested on Tuesday, November 26), Cambridge United, and Stevenage. Blues are already catching up with some of their League One rivals and are expected to fall farther behind.
The likelihood of a protracted Bristol Street Motors Trophy run will only add to the Blues’ fixture congestion, and some have questioned why Davies does not use his strong squad and continue playing. Blues trounced Shrewsbury Town 4-0 during the recent international break despite missing a significant portion of their first team owing to international commitments and injuries.
However, Davies is unwilling to take the chance in a League One encounter with the Blues’ season on the line.
He stated, “If we lost four or five players and played a game and it didn’t go our way, so we drew or lost, you’d be wondering, ‘Why on earth did we do that?'”
“We take every precaution to avoid injuries and other problems. And going into a game understrength, when every game is so crucial, just doesn’t make sense to me.
“For example, one of our goalkeepers is on international duty. Yes, we have Brad Mayo, but we’re talking about two experienced goalkeepers there.
“I just don’t see the value. It means we lag behind in games, but there is a significant psychological gain when we return due to freshness. After this one, there won’t be another until March, so you’re looking at four or five months of cold weather and a lot of games, which I think are wonderful opportunities for us to rejuvenate.
“Typically, when we returned from them, we looked better. I would maintain that stance, and based on conversations, the Premier League and Championship are interested in them, as are other League One managers.
The Blues’ packed roster is getting closer to full strength, with Krystian Bielik back and Lee Buchanan on the mend. The only confirmed absences for Davies before the international break were wingers Scott Wright and Emil Hansson.
Davies will need to use that squad after the international break, as the Blues will play 12 games in six weeks, including their first BSM Trophy quarterfinal game. If the Blues advance in the BSM Trophy again, they will play 18 games in 70 days until February 1 – omitting matches with Cambridge and Stevenage, which may be rescheduled within that period.
“We’ve had a couple of high volume periods but I can sense December and January is going to be busy,” replied Davies. “I want us to advance as far as possible in all tournaments because it is about winning football games, and we want to do as well as we can in the end. Thankfully, we only have a couple of injuries right now, and long may that continue.”
