Birmingham City suffered another damaging defeat on Tuesday night.
That came with a 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough at St Andrew’s. It was a stunning strike from former Blues loanee Riley McGree 17 minutes into the game, that secured all three points for the visitors.
It now means that the Midlands club have taken just one point from their last five games. That run began when Tony Mowbray temporarily stepped back from his managerial role with the club for medical reasons.
As a result of that run, Birmingham City remain 21st in the Championship table, just a point clear of the relegation zone.
There will have been plenty of concerns therefore from this match. One of those arguably came in the form of Koji Miyoshi, and a below-par performance from the winger.
Koji Miyoshi struggles vs Middlesbrough
Miyoshi kept his place in the Birmingham City starting lineup for that clash with Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.
However, the winger did find himself unable to make much of an impact in that game, which did not go unnoticed.
Writing about the 26-year-old’s performance against Middlesbrough, Birmingham Live said:
“The Japanese playmaker didn’t live up to his billing as the cover star of Blues’ programme. Miyoshi’s touch wasn’t what we’ve come to expect and he also made way after a disappointing first 45 minutes.”
As a result, Miyoshi was given a rating of 5/10 for his performance in that defeat on Tuesday night.
According to the stats from SofaScore, Miyoshi did struggle to pose an attacking threat for Birmingham City against Middlesbrough. The Japan international failed to produce any shots or even attempt any dribbles during the course of the match.
Meanwhile, he also failed to win any of the three duels he was involved in. However, the winger’s passing was at least better, with Miyoshi recording a 91% pass success rate.
Birmingham City need more from Koji Miyoshi
It will be a concern for Blues that they did not get more from Miyoshi on Tuesday night.
The winger has been one of Birmingham City’s most effective creative forces at times this season. He has so far scored five goals and provided five assists in 34 Championship games.
As a result, he is someone who Blues will likely look to for some important contributions as they look to get out of trouble between now and the end of the season.
However, during his time on the pitch in the first half, he was unable to really put much pressure on the Middlesbrough defence, in the times when Birmingham City did get forward.
Indeed, it was telling when it came to his performance, that he was withdrawn so early in the game.
There is no doubt that Miyoshi can make an impact at this level, as he has shown so far this season.
That was not the case on Tuesday night. Given the position they find themselves in, that could be a problem for Birmingham City if it continues between now and the end of the season.