Birmingham City: Christian Benitez in with a shout - like everyone else, says Alex McLeish

Apr 24 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

ALEX McLeish says Christian Benitez has as good a chance as anybody starting at Villa tomorrow.

Blues fans have been clamouring for his reintroduction after a five-game stint among the substitutes.

“I’ve not made my mind up,” says the Blues boss.

“I’ll be shaping up the team in the last training session before the game but everyone has got a chance of playing.

“Chucho has as good a chance as everyone else.

“He hasn’t started recently, I’ve got to be fair to the rest of the players.

“If someone has been doing all right, it is difficult to drop them.

“It’s never cast in stone that if a player plays well and the team wins he stays in because sometimes it will change tactically.

“But Chucho went off the boil a bit, like one or two others, and the guys who have taken their place have done all right.

“We haven’t set things on fire but we were never free-scorers with Chucho in the team either.”

Blues have lost six of their last seven away games in the Premier League but it’s been a demanding schedule, says McLeish – and the bigger picture should be viewed.

“They have been tough games. Overall, our away form has been magnificent, taking 17 points in our first season up,’’ he added.

“It is a phenomenal record for a team who, let’s face it, although we are in the top ten, we are way down the pecking order in terms of the finance in that top ten, probably the lowest wage bill, probably the lowest spending, without a doubt.”

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