Alex McLeish has admitted he had no idea how good midfielder Sebastian Larsson actually was when he took over as manager of Birmingham City.
The former Rangers and Scotland boss said he knew Larsson was a decent player when he took on the challenge at St Andrew’s nearly a year ago but he has been impressed with how the Sweden international has rapidly become one of Blues’ most important players.
Larsson scored a stunning winner at Tottenham Hotspur during McLeish’s first game in charge and the versatile star is a key ingredient in Birmingham’s promotion bid.
“Seb has surprised me since I came here,” McLeish said. “I was not aware of how good he could be.
“He has been a specialist wide man for us but I have asked him to do a job for us in central midfield, as have Sweden, and while I am not looking for him to be Zidane or a really creative midfielder, his energy and his team work is one of the reasons why we are in a strong position.”
Since arriving from Arsenal, initially on loan two seasons ago, Larsson’s career has really taken off and he has become a regular in the Sweden squad. He has been named again in the national team for the World Cup qualifier against Portugal next Saturday and McLeish said it was just rewards for the hard work the 23-year-old has put in since he arrived.
“He has been selected again for the Sweden squad and that is a measure of how well he has done in the last year,” McLeish said.
“He is becoming an integral part of the Sweden squad. He has played in the last two games and they have had success, getting four points out of six with Seb in there. I hope he gets picked again.”
Meanwhile, McLeish said he was not worried that he hasn’t had the return in goals he might have expected from his star-studded strikers.
QPR’s Dexter Blackstock has scored six so far this season, while of Blues’ Championship rivals, Wolves’ Chris Iwelumo and Kevin Doyle of Reading both top the charts with eight each.
But for Blues, Kevin Phillips, Cameron Jerome and Quincy Owusie-Abeyie are the top marksmen with just three each. Garry O’Connor has two, James McFadden one and Marcus Bent is yet to open his account.
“I think the goals will come,” McLeish said. “I am not concerned about it because I think they have far too much quality in their finishing. O’Connor and Phillips are two finishers, Cameron is more instinctive and Bent is a big player who will upset defences and make goals for others.
“It would be nice to see one of them catch up with Kevin Doyle in the charts, someone who is popping up and banging them in every week, but these guys will all make a big contribution throughout the season.”
