can the bluebirds take flight? By Craig Muncey
There has been a lot of turmoil at Cardiff City this season. We have seen the changing of the guard with Neil Warnock leaving, his coaching team and the under 23 manager all leaving the capital city club. The new manager, Neil Harris came into the club in November, so inherited the squad but with a transfer window in January (which at the time of writing this is still open), can Cardiff City advance with the existing squad or some new recruits make some positive steps in the league and try to attain a playoff place. Is this possible, or just a pipe dream?
under him and the culture and the way Swansea try to play football has aided their recruitment. In Guehi, Brewster and Gallagher they have acquired three players with real potential in areas of the team they needed strengthening. Does Cardiff have the same tools to be able to attract young Premier League players? I fear not. Going back to the pre-season, Neil Warnock brought into the club, goalkeeper Joe Day, defenders Curtis Nelson and Aden Flint, Marlon Pack, a midfielder, also came into the club, as did Robert Glatzel a striker. In terms of Flint and Glatzel, they both came at a fee together of around £12 million, which for Cardiff City is a massive outlay. Flint is a big, physical defender in aerial situations, which seemed a lot of money at the time and even more so now. Cardiff have in their ranks at centre-half, Sean Morrison (a very similar player to Flint), Sol Bamba and Curtis Nelson, so to pay out a figure of £6 million for a defender who struggles with pace and movement a correct decision?
Neil Harris. Picture Credit: bbc.co.uk
Anyone who has watched Cardiff City this season can see the team is struggling. Creation is a major issue, and defensively they are conceding sloppy goals, which is a real surprise as previous City teams over the last few years have been strong defensively. Harris is struggling to ascertain his best starting eleven and even his best formation for the players he has at his disposal. It is not all doom and gloom, though. As set out Cardiff have not had a strong first half of the season, yet only find themselves four points from the play-off positions, so have not been cut adrift and very much with a push can put themselves in real contention. Cardiff City have only lost one game at home in the league all season to date, which was in November against Bristol City. The question is, do Cardiff have the players that are tactically aware enough who can support a tilt at the playoffs?
Aden Flint. Picture Credit: Dailymail.co.uk
Glatzel has struggled to date as well for Cardiff. From what I have seen of the player, he appears to be a player who wants balls played in behind defenders for him to run onto, so he requires to get the best out of him a side who are accurate and creative passers of a football – not by any means a strength of Cardiff City. So, you have to ask, was due diligence completed with the player?
If you look down the M4 motorway, Swansea City the serial rivals are also right in the mix for a playoff spot, four points ahead of Cardiff City, and they have recruited already in January, three young players with real potential, in Liverpool’s striker, Rhian Brewster and Chelsea defender Marc Guehi and midfielder, Conor Gallagher. Swansea has Steve Cooper as their manager, who managed England under 17’s to a World Cup and his knowledge of English football in terms of youth coming through who have played
The goalkeeper, Joe Day is a competent goalkeeper, but Cardiff already had two goalkeepers on their books in Neil Etheridge and Alex Smithies who are proven keepers at this level so why bring in Day? I have a belief that Cardiff believed that Etheridge was leaving in the summer to a club in the Premier League but this never materialised. One keeper surely will be
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Article - Craig Muncey - February ... page 2
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