Birmingham City's impressive start to the season has been the culmination of many factors, but above all else, a shift in Chris Davies' tactical philosophy.

Despite playing several teams off the park in League One, Blues struggled to do exactly the same in to the Championship, even though St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park remained a fortress as only three visiting sides left with maximum points.

That said, the 41-year-old opted to make such adjustments in the final weeks of 2025/26, which coincided with a five-game unbeaten run despite an underwhelming 10th-placed finish.

Less has clearly been more in terms of how Davies has since enhanced his squad with seven additions after several high-profile names failed to make their mark last term when it came to output and overall performance levels.

As such, Birmingham have become much more well-rounded and efficient in their attacking play, which has allowed for the likes of Liam Millar, Jay Stansfield and August Priske to grab plenty of the recent headlines.

However, Patrick Roberts has continued to be his own consistent self on the right-wing despite not perhaps being the 'flashiest' of names, and such feats have seen him overtake big-money signing, Carlos Vicente, in the pecking order.

Patrick Roberts' quality at Championship level is nothing new

Roberts' career progress has often been monitored closely, particularly after his high-profile switch from Fulham to Manchester City 12 years ago, as well as an impressive spell at Celtic, during which Davies was assistant to Brendan Rodgers.

Having begun to make a name for himself in Glasgow with 44 goal contributions in 78 matches, the 5"6 winger's current qualities at Championship level aren't exactly new, even if three loan spells at Norwich City, Derby County and Middlesbrough were slightly underwhelming in terms of numbers.

A three-and-a-half year spell at Sunderland clearly set Roberts up for his current upward trajectory, having been instrumental for the Black Cats in their League One play-off-winning season and two play-off campaigns in the Championship, the latter of which saw him post seven assists as Regis Le Bris side were promoted back to the top-flight after an eight-year exile.

Patrick Roberts has shone at Birmingham City despite summer exit talk

It was then apparent that Roberts' minutes on Wearside were to diminish, opening the door for Roberts to reunite with Davies, initially on loan before a permanent agreement was swiftly struck in January, such was his initial impact.

The right-winger certainly added extra spark, flair and creativity to Blues' right side in the season's early weeks and months, particularly starring in a 3-2 success over eventual champions, Coventry City, on January 4th.

However, the chances of building on such a positive start were somewhat hampered by Vicente's £7m arrival from Deportivo Alaves in the same transfer window, with high-profile European clubs also courting the Spaniard's signature.

It was then claimed that Roberts was the subject of interest from his former Sunderland boss, Tony Mowbray, at Blackburn Rovers this summer, before Davies reaffirmed just how critical the 29-year-old is at St. Andrew's.

“Patrick is a fantastic player. He was fantastic for us in the early part of last season and he’s a player that I value, and he’s absolutely part of the plans," said the Blues boss.

“I’m sure with the amount of games that we’ve got coming up there will be plenty of game-time for him.”

Patrick Roberts is the Championship's best in key attacking metric

Roberts hasn't started, or even been involved in all 11 of Birmingham's outings so far this season, but like many of his colleagues at St. Andrew's, the wide man's influence cannot be understated.

As well as four goals and as many assists in just 35 appearances last season, Roberts created a further nine big chances and 1.4 key passes per 90 minutes, further demonstrating his ability to create chances at will.

Davies' aforementioned stance has also been vindicated this term, as he is by far the Championship's best when it comes to open play xA (expected assists) across the division this season, and it is not just the volume of chances the England youth international is creating, but the quality, emphasised in his three assists for Priske, Stansfield and Millar against Southampton, Wolves and Preston North End.

Carlos Vicente has to step up after underwhelming Birmingham City start

Vicente's numbers for Alaves in La Liga, again, garnered plenty of attention at the time of his move to the West Midlands, with there being an expectancy that the 27-year-old could produce similar in the Championship.

It's fair to say that it took some time for the winger to adapt to the division's rigours, and he has shown in spells what he is capable of producing.

This includes goals in successive games against Norwich City and Derby County this season, but it is fair to say that he hasn't been as consistent as Roberts, resulting in a drop to the bench after the 1-0 success over West Bromwich Albion.

Blues fans, has Carlos Vicente underwhelmed you after his big-money switch? Comment below!

In comparison to his colleague's numbers, Vicente has only amassed an xA of 0.69 so far this term, a figure which needs to massively increase before further question marks are raised.