They say don’t change a winning team and Gary Rowett has been reluctant to play tinkerman during his brief tenure as Birmingham City interim manager.
That would therefore suggest Rowett will try to field the same XI that dismantled Coventry City when Blues visit Rotherham United on Saturday. But football is rarely that simple.
By now we can tell that Rowett has ringfenced a group of 15 players that he trusts to start matches. Others, such as the experienced Gary Gardner, have been earmarked for closing out games.
Juninho Bacuna started Rowett’s first four matches in charge and starred in them before losing his place for Coventry. Rowett went for a more structured XI that didn’t include space for Bacuna’s flamboyance in attack.
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However, a game against a Rotherham side already relegated to League One might require a more unpredictable approach. The Millers have averaged just 36.1 percent possession this season, which is the lowest of any Championship side, and they have failed to score in eight of their last nine matches.
On Wednesday Rotherham sacked manager Leam Richardson and re-hired Steve Evans. Evans will take charge of the Millers' final three games before leading them in League One next term.
Bacuna is the most obvious candidate to bring an element of unpredictability to Blues’ attack but there is an alternative option: Siriki Dembele. Granted, Dembele isn’t exactly in Rowett’s good books at the moment having only played 10 minutes across his five games at the helm, but we know he has quality in abundance. Just ask next weekend’s opponents, Huddersfield.
A more likely but altogether different option than Dembele is Jordan James, who was among those to drop out of the XI for the Coventry match. James, 19, is a better ball-playing option than Ivan Sunjic in midfield but how can Rowett leave the Croatian out?
Bacuna, who let’s not forget has recorded 15 goal contributions this season, is the best and most obvious option if Rowett wants to make a switch. After such a faultless display, however, it is hard to imagine Rowett rushing to change things.
Predicted Blues XI to face Rotherham (4-2-3-1): Ruddy; Laird, Bielik, Sanderson, Buchanan; Sunjic, Paik; Miyoshi, T Roberts, Anderson; Stansfield
