Gary Rowett: ‘Birmingham struggled to deal with Millwall attacker’

Millwall boss Gary Rowett believed that Birmingham City struggled to deal with Oliver Burke on Tuesday night.

The Lions fell to a 1-0 defeat at The Den, with Lukas Jutkiewicz’s 27th-minute strike the difference in South London.

Burke rejoined Millwall in the winter window on loan from German side Werder Bremen until the end of the 2022/23 season.

The Scottish attacker has made 14 appearances under Rowett since returning.

“I’m not sure why he’s been criticised – he’s been really good,” said Rowett of Burke.

“He’s been one of our better players in the last three of four games. Creatively, he has beat people and had some good moments.

“It’s hard. As a player, he’s creating chances on his own, and then if he doesn’t score them, of course, he’s going to face a little bit of criticism.

“But I would rather someone like that who is trying everything he can to play and get his way into the final third. 

“He has looked bright and come up with some really good moments for us.

“There were a couple of really good save from the keepers today [against Birmingham] off his runs. I thought they struggled to deal with him.

“It doesn’t matter who does it at the moment. I’m not going to sit here and go through who needs to score more and who needs to do this or that.

“But in games like this, when you have had 20 odd shots, against Huddersfield and Hull, we had 20 odd shots – we have had quite a lot of good opportunities. We have to take them.

“It’s no different in any game of football at any level.”