Chris Davies Defends Striker Luis Vazquez After Derby Miss
Chris Davies is not interested in the memes.
While social media replayed Luis Vazquez’s late miss at Derby County on a loop and filed it alongside some of football’s most infamous sitters, the Birmingham City head coach has already moved on – and wants his striker to do the same.
‘He could do that 100 times and score 100’
The Argentine forward, still waiting for his first league start and first goal for Blues, somehow failed to convert a golden chance in stoppage time of the 2-1 win at Pride Park. Within hours, the clip was being spliced next to Roger Davies, Ronny Rosenthal and a catalogue of other horror misses.
Davies, though, refused to join in the pile-on.
“It’s a freak,” he told BBC Radio WM. “He could do that 100 times and score 100 goals. It can only make him stronger.
“He’s a tough cookie. He’s shown no signs of fragility.”
Davies made a beeline for Vazquez straight after the final whistle at Derby, determined to protect a player whose confidence could easily have taken a hit.
“I made a point to talk to him straight after the game last Saturday,” he said. The response in training this week offered the reaction Davies wanted. When Vazquez hit the net with a tidy finish, the squad’s reaction was telling.
“When he scored a good goal in training this week, he got a big cheer from the lads.”
The message from the manager is clear: the dressing room is with him, even if the internet is not.
Desperate for the first one
Vazquez has so far been used only from the bench in the Championship. That Derby miss would have finally broken his duck. Instead, it added pressure.
Davies knows that weight will not lift until the ball hits the net for real.
“He’s so desperate to score,” he said. “And we so want him to score. As soon as that first one goes in, it will all be forgotten about.”
For now, the miss lives on in clips and jokes. Inside the club, it is being treated as a footnote.
Strong on the road, questions at home
While Vazquez’s chance grabbed the headlines, Birmingham’s broader start to the season tells a more complex story.
On the road, Davies’ side have been quietly efficient. Seven points from a possible 12 away – at Sheffield United, Wrexham, Norwich City (their only defeat so far) and Derby County – represents a solid return from a demanding run of fixtures.
Back at St Andrew’s, the picture is different. Birmingham have yet to win at home in the league, drawing 2-2 with Bristol City, 1-1 with Southampton and 2-2 with Wolves.
Now, with Middlesbrough visiting on Saturday, the home form is the next problem on Davies’ list.
He is not panicking. If anything, he sounds encouraged by what he has seen over the opening weeks.
“We’ve got the same amount of points as we did this time last season, but we’re a better team,” he said.
“We’re more of an attacking threat, but we also look a bit more solid and more of a team.
“There’s still room for improvement in a few areas, but we can’t say we’re not pleased with the start we’ve made, given the challenge we had.”
Built on commitment
Davies has been told repeatedly that Birmingham’s opening programme is as tough as anything in the Championship. He has leaned into that, building a side that takes as much pride in the ugly work as the highlight-reel moments.
“Our love of defending is clear to see. It’s as good as scoring a goal,” he said. “That takes you a long way. So much gets talked about systems but you can’t get away from commitment.”
Commitment, resilience, togetherness – the themes are deliberate. They frame Vazquez’s miss not as a defining moment, but as a test of character for player and team.
If the Argentine’s first goal finally arrives in front of the home crowd against Middlesbrough, the meme will vanish into the background and Birmingham’s season – already steady, already stubborn – might just find a new gear.
