Birmingham City are facing an unexpected threat in League One | OneFootball

Wycombe Wanderers are beginning to prove a nuisance for Birmingham City.

Having acquired a significant stake in Birmingham City in the summer of 2023, Knighthead wouldn't have expected relegation to League One within their first 12 months in charge.

However, following a dreadful 2023-24, they have been forced to rebuild from the third tier of English football.

So far, you would argue they have done a superb job with the signings of players like Jay Stansfield and Tomoki Iwata already proving worthwhile.

A promising start to the season has seen Birmingham collect an impressive 30 points from their first 13 matches. However, they don't sit in first place as yet, with Matt Bloomfield's Wycombe Wanderers currently occupying that spot.

The Chairboys have been the story of the season in League One. Presently, they have won 10 out of their last 12 games and are averaging 2.29 goals per game, the best figure in the league.

This is a genuine concern for Birmingham fans, as Wycombe's impressive form could derail the Blues' hopes of dominating League One.

Wycombe continue to surprise Birmingham and League One

Benji Walker (@benjiwalkerphoto)

While Wycombe have been a constant feature at the top end of League One in recent years, even the most optimistic Chairboys fan wouldn't have expected the start they have made to this campaign.

Despite an unsteady beginning, with back-to-back 3-2 losses to Wrexham and Birmingham, they have quickly found their stride. Their resurgence was emphatically highlighted by a commanding 5-0 victory over Stockport County, a result that sends a clear message to their promotion rivals.

Another concern for Birmingham will be that the Chairboys always manage to find the back of the net. Since the beginning of 2024-25, only Manchester City and Wycombe have scored in every league game across England's top four divisions.

Many will argue they are just overperforming, but the statistics tell a different story. Bloomfield's side consistently ranks among the top six across nearly all attacking metrics, suggesting they will still be around the promotion spots come May.

This is unwelcome news for Birmingham, who now realise they’ll need to step up their game if they are to dominate the league as many had anticipated in July.

Birmingham City have been quietly underperforming

While three draws and one defeat in 13 matches is nothing to be disappointed with, Blues fans have a certain level of expectation when it comes to this season.

Having forked out an initial £20-25 million pounds for players in the summer, it is no understatement to say they expect to win every week.

The defeat against Charlton was incredibly disappointing, but the dropped points to Northampton Town just wasn't acceptable.

Creating a total expected goals of 2.72 against the Cobblers, they only managed to find the back of the net once and this needs to be rectified if they are to take the league title.

Although they have generally outperformed their expected goals this season, failing to capitalise on chances like those against Northampton will only play into the hands of Wycombe and other promotion rivals.

In addition, they have kept just three clean sheets in all their games, so shutting the door for the full 90 is of paramount importance.

Nonetheless, Birmingham are still well positioned and if Chris Davies can rectify these minor issues, they will be well on their way to Championship football again.