Wayne Rooney makes key Birmingham City demand ahead of Hull City showdown

Wayne Rooney has urged Birmingham City to enhance their performance as they prepare to host Hull City in his inaugural home game as manager this Wednesday. Rooney’s debut as the Blues’ boss concluded with a defeat at Middlesbrough on Saturday, with Morgan Rogers securing a late win for the Riverside Stadium, and it was a day marked by the unfortunate news of Sir Bobby Charlton’s passing.

The former Manchester United star chose to deviate from the typical 4-2-3-1 system employed by the previous manager, John Eustace, opting for a more aggressive 4-3-3 formation that transformed into a 2-3-5 configuration when his team had possession. However, Birmingham encountered difficulties during the match in Teesside.

Rooney commented, “We need to step up our game. Our performance with the ball needs improvement. Defensively, we fared decently, but Middlesbrough is a team known for causing problems, and we are aware of that.

However, with ball possession, we need to raise our standards. We should be more comfortable receiving the ball under pressure and exhibit greater creativity. I thought Middlesbrough had some strong moments in the game, and then we gained some control over it. In the final third, there was a lack of precision and concentration. It will take some time to adapt. We are attempting to position our players effectively, but our primary focus is on becoming more at ease when handling the ball. The goal we conceded was disheartening, occurring in Middlesbrough’s final third from a long clearance. From our perspective, it was a rather careless goal to concede, especially when it’s in the late stages of the game.”

He added, “This represents a significant departure from Birmingham’s previous style of play. They were a transitional team, which is perfectly fine, and we will also incorporate elements of that approach. However, our system demands a lot more from our full-backs. The full-backs play a vital role in this setup, and we observed that both of them became fatigued towards the end of the match. It’s crucial that they maintain their fitness levels to be effective for the entire 90 minutes.”