Thu Dec 08, 2016 9:10 am
Hmmmmm? ?
The breakdown of what Cardiff City need from December’s fixtures
By Joshua Slack
Thursday 8th December 2016
Cardiff moved up a place in the table following a goalless draw with high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday but what do they need from December to get out of trouble?
An impressive draw against Brighton last time out meant the Bluebirds moved closer to safety but it wasn’t enough to get them out of the bottom three.
The Bluebirds now need to find a way of turning these performances into wins, they have been much improved under the influence of Neil Warnock but they can’t seem to pick up vital points which would see them climb out of the relegation zone.
Cardiff now face five massive games in a busy December schedule. They first face Ipswich away this Saturday, before hosting fellow strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Bluebirds then face Barnsley at home before Christmas before travelling to Brentford on Boxing day. Their last game in December sees them face Brighton again at the AMEX stadium.
With improvements in performance under Warnock, the Bluebirds must go into the December fixtures with a sense of confidence.
Let’s take a look at every game in December, what we can realistically expect and what the Bluebirds need to push further up the Championship table.
Ipswich Town – 1 Point
Ipswich have been a mid-table championship club for some time now. They have an experienced manager in the form of Mick McCarthy, and he always orders the best from his players.
Like in previous seasons, Ipswich have struggled to get any momentum going. They’re now placed 16th in the Championship table, and need to get points on the board themselves to avoid getting into a relegation battle.
It is clear that they have an experienced enough squad to avoid that. McCarthy has done well so far at Ipswich, he hasn’t got the biggest of transfer funds to work with and his side are always competitive and can pose a threat to anyone on their day.
The Bluebirds will need to approach the game this weekend with an aspect of caution, simply because nobody knows what Ipswich side is going to turn up.
They recently recorded a fantastic 3-0 home victory against Queens Park Rangers but that was followed by a disappointing 2-0 loss to Bristol City. Before the Queens Park Ranger game they looked very abject when losing 2-0 at home to Forest, but Cardiff shouldn’t underestimate them.
Winning two, drawing one and losing three of their last six games really does go a long way to suggest how mediocre Ipswich can be, but on the other hand Cardiff have struggled with consistency as well.
This could turn out to be a massive test for the Bluebirds, and realistically the Bluebirds need a point out of this game to back up their excellent goalless draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at home.
Wolverhampton Wanderers – 3 Points
Currently just two points separates the Bluebirds, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. All season Wolves have struggled, but with new investment there has to be a certain amount of optimism among the players and fans.
Wolves have also brought in a new manager in the shape of Paul Lambert to try to balance the squad more, he is a man with a vast amount of experience and says he wants to play with high intensity. He is clearly already making an impact, and they have just had a very impressive away victory at Queens Park Rangers.
The Wolves players at last, look like they’re starting to get it together and they will pose a threat to the Bluebirds defence, with the attacking prowess they have at their disposal. Their record signing, Ivan Cavaleiro has yet to hit the heights at Wolves following a move from Monaco but this could be a perfect time for him to shine.
Warnock will know of the threat in which Wolves pose, and they will be well prepared, as Warnock sides always are.
There was clear evidence of this on Saturday, when the Bluebirds kept their first clean sheet of the season however if they want to push away from the relegation zone this is a must-win game for the Bluebirds and it is realistic given Wolves’ current position.
Barnsley – 3 Points
Barnsley are currently placed 12th in the Championship table. They clearly have a stupendous amount of talent all over the pitch, and they have great ball-players. 25-year-old midfielder Conor Hourihane has been Barnsley’s main threat this season, and has really come up trumps. Scoring three and assisting eight in his 17 Championship appearances so far this term.
It is clear they are a quality outfit, and they showed this when compounding play-off hopefuls Birmingham City to a 3-0 defeat at St Andrews on Saturday. Barnsley, however have been a bit hit and miss in recent weeks. Before thrashing Birmingham away they suffered a mauling themselves, losing 5-2 to Forest at home so it’s definitely a game Cardiff are capable of winning.
It’s just about asserting themselves in the right way, and keeping tabs on their star-man, Hourihane. But it’s yet another pivotal game, and it could be key Cardiff win this one going into Christmas. The Bluebirds have the players there who can get the better of Barnsley, and it is essential Cardiff win their two home games in the lead up to Christmas.
Brentford – 1 Point
Brentford on boxing day is another massive test for Neil Warnock’s men. The Bees are currently 18th placed in the Championship under the influence of manager Dean Smith. They are struggling massively at the moment, and have no win in four in the Championship. Their last victory came at the cost of local rivals Queens Park Rangers.
In their last outing they were completely and utterly outclassed by Norwich, who thrashed them 5-0 with Alex Pritchard – the former Brentford player starring.
Cardiff need to look at where to exploit this Brentford team, there are definite frailties at the back for them and the Bluebirds must punish them with the height of Ricky Lambert up front. Junior Hoilett is another player who could thrive playing a team who have no belief whatsoever at the moment.
It’s these kind of games that Cardiff need to win if they want to avoid a relegation dog-fight at the end of the season but prompting the Bluebirds get seven from Barnsley, Wolves & Ipswich another point would mean they would have eight from four and that surely has to be a realistic goal for Neil Warnock’s men.
Brighton & Hove Albion – 0 Points
Finally we come onto the team who The Bluebirds admirably held out for a goalless draw on Saturday in a game with little to no chances.
Thanks to the draw with the Bluebirds, Brighton extended their unbeaten run to thirteen games and currently bolster the third best form in the Championship, behind table-toppers Newcastle and Derby County – winning six and drawing four of their past ten games.
However, Brighton & Hove Albion make sure that the AMEX is a fortress, it’s always packed and always makes for a good atmosphere. Brighton also bolster the best home form, winning three of their last four home games.
In the game at the Cardiff City stadium it was clear that Brighton missed the pace and tenacity of wide man Anthony Knockaert who caused the Bluebirds back-line problems when running with the ball at feet – he has scored six goals this Championship term, and has linked up well with fellow striker Glenn Murray so far this season.
Murray is potent, but he failed to show that when he played at the Cardiff City stadium, however the Bluebirds must make sure they don’t have any defensive lapses like the occurrences at Villa as Brighton have the ability to punish them. They’re in an automatic promotion spot for a reason.
Despite a brilliant goalless draw at the Cardiff City stadium on Saturday, I don’t think the Bluebirds will expect to get anything at Brighton however if they do it could come as a massive bonus going into the new year.