Would you rather play a rotated team tonight against a strong Ipswich side, or play one against the Villa?
That’s the conundrum facing Gary Rowett at the moment; it’s clear that fatigue is a slight issue, as the side looked tired and drained on Tuesday against Forest, and that is to be expected.
However, Ipswich away is not an un-winnable fixture. They’ve showed signs of weakness, especially last week against Reading, and Blues have been very good away from home so far this year.
Going into the game against Villa on the back of two defeats would be a nightmare, too, so a win tonight or even a draw is key – so would playing a full strength team be the right idea?
The league is nearly always priority – and rightly so – so the away game at Ipswich should, in theory, be more important.
However, anyone born or who has lived in Birmingham will know that this cup game is huge. It’s the first derby for four years, and there is genuine hatred between the two sets of fans.
If Rowett were to play a rotated, or weakened, side against the Villa, and we rolled over and lost comfortably, he would have hell to pay from fans who, currently, idolise him.
But what if he plays a full strength team, and it still isn’t enough?
What if he rests a few players tonight, and we lose both games?
It’s a horrible position to be in, really. The alternative to both is to play a full team in both games, but the last thing we need is fatigue in what will be a tough, energetic game.
One positive of a rotated side tonight would be that we’ll be able to see what Brock-Madsen can do. The Danish striker has not had a full game to show us what he’s about yet, and maybe tonight, with less pressure, is the night to do that.
It also gives players like Andrew Shinnie and David Davis a chance to show us what we’re missing. The two players may feel aggrieved to have not been given a chance yet, and will be desperate to prove what they can do.
Rowett has spoken about blooding youngsters in the week, and should he be desperate to play a full strength team against the Villa, as the fans are, then maybe giving places to Viv Solomon and Reece Brown wouldn’t be an awful idea.
I think we all want to play a full strength team against the Villa, and I do too, but it will be difficult to. He may sub Donaldson, Gray and one other fairly early against Ipswich if he does play a full team, which may be a happy medium.
If I were Rowett, I would play this side tonight, against Ipswich:
Kuszczak
Eardley – Morrison – Spector – Hancox
Gleeson – Davis
Solomon – Shinnie – Gray
Brock-Madsen
Maghoma was, by all accounts, disappointing in midweek, but I think Cotterill might need a bit of a rest, so I think it’s a great opportunity for young Solomon-Otabor to show his talent. Hancox and Eardley are controversial, but I think the full backs struggled on Tuesday and this might be a chance to rest them and see what these two can do. Eardley was poor under Clark, but didn’t put a foot wrong in the cup game against Gillingham and maybe Rowett has seen something he likes in him.
I don’t for one minute think Rowett will play that team, but I think he has to trust the players he has deemed good enough.
What do other Blues fans think? Would you rest players tonight? Does the Villa game take priority?
Let us know on Twitter at @72_Blues.
