Has Neil Warnock assembled the best defence in the Championship at Cardiff City?By Jamie KembleWednesday 28th June 2017
Bruno Ecuele-Manga’s new deal at Cardiff City means Neil Warnock will have a wealth of talent to call upon in the defensive department next season.
The Bluebirds looked set to lose Bruno Ecuele-Manga after they tabled an offer with a reduced wage for the high-earning defender.
However, Manga resisted offers from a number of Turkish clubs and penned a new two-year deal with the club he has represented since 2014.
The Bluebirds retaining Manga means Neil Warnock now has a wealth of experience to call upon, and he may well possess the best defence in the Championship on paper.
The likes of Aston Villa, Derby County and Leeds United certainly put up competition for the league’s best defence.
Those teams share out some top talent with the likes of James Chester, Richard Keogh and Pontus Jansson.
But Neil Warnock’s choices at Cardiff City will have a number of Championship managers feeling envious this summer.
There will be serious competition in the back-line during pre-season and indeed across the course of next season.
Warnock has his work cut out in selecting who makes the starting line-up for that opening game at Burton Albion, but here’s who he has to consider.
Cardiff may have offered their highest earner a reduced contract, but they have still gone out to make sure he remains in South Wales.
That says a lot about what Neil Warnock thinks of the Gabon international, and he would be heading for the exit door if he didn’t have a strong chance of featuring regularly next season.
A composed head in the back-line, Manga provides quality for the Bluebirds and massively helps transitions from the defence to the midfield.
He’s not quite as perfect as many believe him to be – Manga isn’t fantastic clearing the ball if it comes at him at knee-height and often leads to some sloppy corners – so he’s not a sure bet, but he’ll remain one of the favourites on paper to secure a starting spot.
Sean MorrisonRumours suggest Morrison was subject to a bid from Sheffield Wednesday this summer, but there’s no chance Neil Warnock was willing to lose his captain.
Morrison is a fantastic leader on and off the pitch, and for that reason he has a huge chance of starting the season.
The centre back is a steady choice at Championship level and he probably provides more goals than most players in his position at this level.
He is known for falling asleep at times and can be found a little too far from his marker, but when in form, there aren’t too many stronger.
Sol BambaA Neil Warnock favourite, Sol Bamba is the man competing with Manga and Morrison for a place in the starting XI at the Pirelli on opening day.
The Bluebirds boss could opt to go with a back five to accommodate three of his best centre backs, and that would make things easier for him, but in a back four, it will be difficult.
Sol Bamba was terrific after signing in October last season and barely put a foot wrong – Warnock liked him so much that he even featured in midfield at times.
An experienced centre-back with the perfect tackle in his locker, Bamba is a huge asset for next season and he could keep Manga out of the team on opening day.
Matthew ConnollyConnolly is probably the least likely of the four centre backs to appear on the team sheet against Burton Albion in August.
Despite picking up Player of the Year for the 2015/16 season, everything seemed to go wrong for him last season and he couldn’t manage any sort of run in the team.
Having said that, Warnock does like him having worked with him at QPR in the past, and he impressed on the final day of last season against Huddersfield.
Connolly can be a brilliantly composed defender on his day, providing the relaxed approach often needed to settle a back four, but it’s unlikely he will keep Morrison, Bamba and Manga out of the team early in the season.
Joe BennettOnto the full-backs and Joe Bennett enjoyed a brilliant end to the season with the Bluebirds after joining from Aston Villa last summer.
He endured a troubling start through injury and then some poor form, but he seemed to improve as the season went on and enjoyed a really solid back-end of the season.
Bennett is quick and agile, he provides a lot going forward and will be providing stiff opposition to his fellow full-backs.
He has his work cut out for an opening day start, but a lot can happen between now and the start of August.
Lee PeltierPeltier enjoyed a stunning season under Neil Warnock last season, providing solidarity and consistency to the back-line.
He doesn’t tend to get forward too often, but he is a safe option that Warnock can truly trust.
Peltier has also won the trust of the Cardiff City fans and that’s simply because he rarely makes anything resembling a mistake in that full-back position.
He missed a chunk of the latter stages of last season through injury, but he’s fit and ready for pre-season – Peltier is very likely to begin the season in the starting XI.
Jazz RichardsThe Welsh international had a tough start to his Cardiff City career – he missed the early part of Neil Warnock’s reign through injury.
However, slowly and surely he has climbed into Warnock’s thoughts and become one of his favourite choices in the full-back birth.
Richards is another who has steadily improved as the season has progressed and he will be a big part of next season.
He offer so much going forward and he has improved his defensive game also – that makes him a likely choice to start the season on the opposite side from the trustworthy Lee Peltier.
Callum PatersonThe Scottish international is a big addition to Cardiff’s back-line being a powerhouse defensively and offensively.
He has a lot to offer the Bluebirds next season and there are a lot of fans looking forward to seeing him play.
However, he won’t be available for the first couple of months next season due to a long-term injury he picked up at the end of last term.
That means he will need to work hard to get his opportunity, but if he displays the quality he did in Scotland, he won’t have a problem making his mark.
(Featured images: Jon Candy)
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