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Cardiff City manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has much to ponder ahead of trip to face Wolves

Friday Aug 22, 2014

By Terry Phillips
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=146002

The Norwegian faces a host of selection headaches as he concentrates on how to keep the Bluebirds' good start going


Former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay is making all the headlines , but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is staying focused on Saturday’s big Championship clash with Wolves at Molineux.

The Norwegian will not allow nationwide talk of texts and e-mails to distract his players from the Bluebirds’ major target of earning promotion back to the Premier League.

Solskjaer’s thoughts are all about the best City midfield mix and who to play in attack against a Wolves team who have started their season well after powering to the League One title in May.

Cardiff are unbeaten and joint top of the table, but Kenny Jackett’s men are only one point behind with two wins and one defeat, which came against Rotherham United.

Wolves are unbeaten at Molineux in the League this year, having won 11 and drawn two in a 13-match run which stretches back to last December.

Solskjaer will stick with his back five, including new signing Sean Morrison alongside Matt Connolly, but has to decide who will partner Kenwyne Jones in attack and, crucially, find the right mix through the middle.



Adam Le Fondre and Nicky Maynard have both looked sharp playing off a big, hugely effective centre-forward.

But it’s in midfield that Solskjaer has to find the blend and balance to stop a Wolves team to have started the new season in a style that suggests they will be challenging for promotion.

Solskjaer knows exactly what to expect, having personally watched Wolves win against Norwich and Fulham, and will look for ways to prise open a defence which has conceded only one goal in three games.

Kagisho Dikgacoi is now fit and available, but Solskjaer may delay his Bluebirds’ debut until next Tuesday’s League Cup tie at Port Vale, with Peter Whittingham and Tom Adeyemi looking certain to start at Wolves.

Who, though, will slot into the wide areas? Guido Burgstaller, Kim Bo-Kyung, Anthony Pilkington, Aron Gunnarsson, Magnus Eikrem and Mats Daehli are the main contenders with winger Pilkington and Daehli my tips to fill those roles.

Pilkington went on from the bench during City’s 1-0 win against Wigan , replacing Daehli, but Solskjaer could include both of them at Molineux.

We haven’t seen the best of Daehli yet, but there is little doubt he will play a leading role for Cardiff in their promotion quest.

Premier League clubs, along with a number from abroad, have noted that Daehli is a special talent, but the Norwegian teenager believes he will develop playing under Solskjaer and will stay with the Bluebirds this season and probably longer if the promotion dream is realised.

Solskjaer has the option of selecting a five-man midfield unit to clog things up through the middle, but he will want to attack a Wolves team who have stayed strong and solid in their matches so far.

That, for me, is likely to mean Pilkington, Whittingham, Adeyemi and Daehli across midfield.


Wolves have selected the same starting line-up in all three, playing a 4-2-3-1 system with Scot Kevin McDonald and Welshman Lee Evans in holding roles to protect their back four.

Former Dundee and Burnley player McDonald and 20-year-old Evans, signed from Newport County, are the key players in the playing system utilised by Wolves manager Jackett.

Everything goes through them as Wolves look to build from the back. McDonald, in particular, will look take possession off his back four, is able to keep possession in the tightest situations and rarely wastes a pass.

City will look to disrupt McDonald’s play but cutting his time and space on the ball to an absolute minimum.

Evans is one of three Welshmen likely to be in Wolves’ matchday 18, along with David Edwards, who will start in central midfield, and Sam Ricketts.

It’s been a tough start to the season for Ricketts, who hasn’t kicked a ball in three Championship matches after being benched in favour of Matt Doherty at right-back.

The only match action for Ricketts came in Wolves’ 3-2 Capital One Cup defeat against Northampton when he scored.

“It’s a tough call with Sam, but Matt Doherty had such a good pre-season that he had to come into the team and has done well,” says Jackett, who maintains that Ricketts will still be a major player for Wolves this season.

“Sam will have an impact for us. He’s been unlucky because it’s been close between the two of them.”

French-born Mali international Nouha Dicko will lead the Wolves attack, although Jackett is intent on signing a new striker to challenge for that role before the transfer window closes on September 1.

Dikgacoi and Federico Macheda, who has recovered from a back injury, have both been back in training over the last few weeks and are likely to be involved in the League Cup tie at Port Vale.

This is for me the toughest fixture so far, not a happy hunting ground for many teams, Wolves are quite aggressive when they haven't got the ball, so our midfield needs to be equal to this.

I'd be happy with a point against probably the best Wolves side in the last 5 years.

This is for me the toughest fixture so far, not a happy hunting ground for many teams, Wolves are quite aggressive when they haven't got the ball, so our midfield needs to be equal to this.

I'd be happy with a point against probably the best Wolves side in the last 5 years.

I agree,this is the toughest game so far,I will be happy with a draw

It will be a hard game. There aren't many easy anyway in this league but what a start we will have if we manage to get a win.

Yeah, what a start it would be. But we got the quality to do it! So lets see now.

Its a tough league as we all know and our big squad is going to help us.....sides like Blackburn only have 19 pro outfield players on their books. I can remember when we nearly made the playoffs under dave jones one year and we had a similar amount of players.......we had a few injuries after xmas and fell away, losing at Sheff wed last game of the season to miss out................that was a long trip home in fancy dress with all the buses coming the other way laughing at us.

This is for me the toughest fixture so far, not a happy hunting ground for many teams, Wolves are quite aggressive when they haven't got the ball, so our midfield needs to be equal to this.

I'd be happy with a point against probably the best Wolves side in the last 5 years.

With Dikgacoi and Adeyemi holding we can match them for aggression.

This is going to be ole's biggest problem this season, keeping all these players happy and keeping the harmony in the dressing room. Wolves look decent, but if we start fast and take the sting out of their taill, grab control of the game early on, then I don't see no reason why we can't take all 3 points.

Pray we will get a point out of this one. Promoted sides early in the season can be a pain, especially when they're on fire, like Wolves is atm.
This could solve Ole's headache:

Marshall
Brayford - Connolly - Morrisson - Fabio
Adeyemi - Gunnarsson - Witts - Pilkington
Le Fondre - Jones

Pray we will get a point out of this one. Promoted sides early in the season can be a pain, especially when they're on fire, like Wolves is atm.
This could solve Ole's headache:

Marshall
Brayford - Connolly - Morrisson - Fabio
Adeyemi - Gunnarsson - Witts - Pilkington
Le Fondre - Jones

Your Central midfield is looking slow and immobile. Whitts has a lot of good qualities and is fine with a quick and mobile partner. Gunnar is even slower and less mobile than him. Not gonna work against an aggressive wolves team. We need players that can pass and move quickly against Wolves.

Personally, I'd go Guerra or Jones up top alone and play 5 in the midfield with Dikgacoi and Adeyemi, plus whits probably Pilkington and surprisingly Burgstaller.

The Reason for Burgstaller is that he is a bit of a lump and Wolves are aggressive as other have said.

Second half when the game opens up Ole could get Daehli into the number 10 spot with licences to run at Wolves and bring off Dikgacoi who will be knackered. Depends on how happy he'd be with a point really.

I'd be happy with a point as continuing the unbeaten start will boost the squad's confidence, especially having palyed Wigan and Wolves who are good teams.

Pray we will get a point out of this one. Promoted sides early in the season can be a pain, especially when they're on fire, like Wolves is atm.
This could solve Ole's headache:

Marshall
Brayford - Connolly - Morrisson - Fabio
Adeyemi - Gunnarsson - Witts - Pilkington
Le Fondre - Jones

Same here mate,how I would pick the team

Forgot Lee Evans was with Wolves. Newport lad. I coached him in the Newport Schools set up a few years back just after Wurzel Rovers told him he wasn't good enough and just before Nuput Kewnty took him into their academy. The boys done very well. Certainly one to watch...