Birmingham City has to show a crucial component to ward off relegation.

Birmingham City’s 1-0 loss to Millwall at The Den yesterday plunged them deeper into the Championship mud.

In the ninetieth minute, Japhet Tanganga headed in George Saville’s corner, condemning the Blues to their 13th league away loss. As of right now, Blues have dropped three of their last four games without manager Tony Mowbray.

To be fair, Blues lost against Millwall due to another contentious decision. In the second half, Jay Stansfield ought to have been given a penalty long before Tanganga defeated John Ruddy in the opposite end.

After dropping to 21st in the table, interim manager Mark Venus and his team are now facing a crucial week in their battle to stay in the league. These are the topics we discussed at The Den.

Blues have imposed pressure on themselves.

If Blues don’t win one of their two games against Middlesbrough and Watford next week, they most likely will spend the international break in the relegation zone. If they win both, the Blues might be seated nicely.

Before their trip to St Andrew’s, Middlesbrough usually breaks out of their slump and defeats Norwich and Queens Park Rangers in back-to-back games. Watford has dropped three of its past four games, same like Blues.

There will be a lot of pressure on us to do well in the final ten games, Venus adds. “We have to try to stay up because we are in a dogfight right now.”

Set piece problems

The Blues aren’t among the worst clubs in the league when it comes to defensive set pieces, statistically speaking. According to Who Scored, they have given up 10 goals from set pieces, which is five less than Blackburn Rovers and QPR.

But during the past week, they have made it a habit to give up from close range. Set pieces allowed Southampton, Hull, and Millwall to penetrate the Blues.

After the game, Venus called his players out on it. “To be honest, as far as we’re concerned, I don’t think it’s just Millwall that pose a threat from set pieces,” he stated. There have been threats from every team, and we haven’t been able to handle them.

“We must pick things up rapidly. Though we’re already in difficulty, it will only get worse. We need to find a solution, and both the staff and the players need to accept accountability for the circumstances.”

The Blues have suffered without their most aerially powerful player, Krystian Bielik. While he’s not awful in the air either, Kevin Long is now guarding Toronto’s box.

Do Blues have what it takes to fight?

There is no doubting the caliber of the Blues team. Relegation is nothing to be afraid of for a team that has Ethan Laird, Paik Seung-ho, Koji Miyoshi, Juninho Bacuna, and Stansfield.

However, it has happened, and we’re all wondering if they’ll be able to handle the drama. There aren’t many players left at Blues who have faced relegation, which seems like a drawback in many aspects.

Venus remarked, “I think they have the stomach for the fight; they showed that in the second half.” All they need to do is get a little better at the fundamentals and decision-making. Everyone is suffering greatly as a result of our set piece aspirations being given up.

Alex Pritchard is among the Blues players who has the quality. One of the team’s artists when he has the ball, the January signing also showed tenacity and passion when Millwall was playing without the ball.

Pritchard is shrewd enough to understand the requirements in a relegation struggle. Following the game, he made a good impression on the media by saying all the right things.

“We have ten cup finals left to play,” he declared. “That is the situation as it is; each person must understand it and do their share.” Now it’s the team’s turn.