Birmingham City midfielder Ivan Sunjic has admitted that he didn't join the club to take part in a relegation battle and has insisted that he wants to help his side push on in the Championship.

The Blues initially made a relatively positive start to the 2021/22 campaign as they secured eye-catching victories over the likes of Sheffield United and Luton Town.

However, a drop-off in performance levels in recent weeks has resulted in Birmingham falling down the Championship standings.

After picking up a point in their showdown with Preston North End last month, the Blues would have been hoping to produce positive performances in their recent clashes with Queens Park Rangers and Nottingham Forest.

However, Birmingham were ultimately unable to deliver the goods in these two fixtures as they suffered back-to-back defeats.

Although the 2021/22 campaign is still in its infancy, the Blues know that they will need to step up their performance levels if they are to achieve a relative amount of success in the Championship.

Making reference to the club's current situation, Sunjic has revealed that he believes the club can reach new heights in the second-tier this season.

Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, the midfielder said: "I don't like to talk about myself too much but the reason why I came here is not to be in a relegation battle all the time.

"I have more ambition than that.

"I think this season we can do something better than the last previous months.

"It feels [like] a positive change, new energy, new staff, we stayed up and I think this season is a lot better.

 

 

"We started well, now a couple of games didn't go well but we made a lot of improvements.

"It's to keep one consistent level and not oscillation, that's most important in this league in my opinion."

The Verdict

Whilst Birmingham have recently hit a stumbling block, there is no reason why they cannot push on in the Championship under the guidance of manager Lee Bowyer.

In order to keep his place in the Blues' starting eleven for the foreseeable future, Sunjic will need to step up to the mark when his side face West Bromwich Albion on October 15th.

Currently averaging a relatively underwhelming WhoScored match rating of 6.48 in the second-tier, the 24-year-old could potentially fall down the pecking order at St Andrew's if he is unable to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Providing that Birmingham are able to produce a positive performance against the Baggies, they could potentially move up the Championship standings later this year by using the momentum gained from this display to their advantage.