Christoph Klarer has expressed his pride in Phil Neumann for stepping up to fill the void alongside him in Birmingham City's defence. Neumann experienced an inconsistent first season at St Andrew's, being dropped three times by manager Chris Davies, but finished the campaign in strong form and is now expected to be Klarer's preferred partner heading into pre-season.
Defensive Partnership Proves Effective
The results when Klarer and Neumann have played together are notably better than any other defensive combination Davies has tried. Neumann, who turns 29 this summer, is now seen by the club as having fully grasped the demands of being a Championship centre-back.
Speaking about the adjustment, Klarer said: "With all the new boys, I think getting to know the Championship is difficult. It's unique, it's so physical, so brutal. You don't get fouls. Especially with the foreign boys, you can see that it takes a bit of time to adjust."
Neumann's Resilience Praised
Klarer highlighted Neumann's professionalism throughout the season: "Phil has always applied himself in the best manner if he was out of the team or in the team. For him to get that reward now and play the way he's played in the last few weeks, he's really happy and I'm very proud of what he's done this year. It's not easy coming over from abroad and I'm sure he'll want to kick on next year."
Klarer's Positional Flexibility
Davies' frequent changes at centre-back were partly driven by his desire to play Klarer on his preferred right side. However, Klarer spent most of his first Championship season on the left to accommodate Neumann. When asked about the switch, Klarer responded: "I've always said to him (manager) I'm going to play where you need me to play. Wherever is going to help the team the most. It is different playing on the left than on the right but that gives me something to improve. It doesn't make a difference to me playing on the left or the right, I only want the team to win and if the team wins then I'm happy."
Player of the Year and Season Reflection
Klarer made these comments shortly after retaining his Player of the Year award at Blues' end-of-season dinner. The 6ft 4in centre-back adapted seamlessly to the Championship and believes the club's 10th-place finish will benefit them next season. "The physicality was the same in League One, I think this year there's just better individual players and that's been the biggest difference," Klarer added. "For me, you've got really good attacking players. The gaffer has said about how good the wingers are in this league. The physicality has always been there, that's just the nature of the English game. This year what we've seen is there are some real, real high quality players playing in this league. We've got the same. I think we've got some really good players at this level and it's just about adjusting to the league."
