" THE TACTICAL CHANGES RUSSELL SLADE SHOULD CONSIDER "
Tue Feb 16, 2016 6:08 pm
" The tactical changes Cardiff City boss Russell Slade should consider to solve his team's attacking woes "
By Paul Smith
16/02/16
Two consecutive 0-0 draws against struggling Championship outfits suggest Slade may have to tinker with his tactics to close the gap on the play-offs.
The frustration for Russell Slade at the moment will be in knowing that his side are not all that far away from being a very good Championship outfit.
They have been tough to beat in recent times, and have plenty of players capable of making an attacking impact.
But consecutive 0-0 draws against struggling MK Dons and Charlton have to be seen as missed opportunities, with tough games against Brighton and Middlesbrough on the horizon.
So what can Russell Slade do to ensure his side remain solid defensively but able to register regularly at the other end?
GET MIDFIELDERS RUNNING BEYOND PILKINGTON
Slade said he and his players could see the logic in Vincent Tan's request that they shoot from distance with far more regularity.
Only registering three attempts on target at the Valley, however, spoke volumes for the limitations of a shoot on sight approach, even accounting for Joe Ralls' stinging first half effort.
Cardiff City do have some seriously sweet strikers of the ball, and the key is not just to get them to shoot more often, but to do so from better areas of the pitch.
This means finding a way to get the likes of Ralls and Whittingham beyond the exemplary Pilkington and into the opposition box.
How best could he do that?
One option is to give Kenneth Zohore a go up front and hope he can excel at holding the ball up around the edge of the box. If he can, that will natural bring the left peg of Whittingham and Ralls into play.
He could also consider using the suspension of Sammy Ameobi to bring Lex Immers back into the fold.
Pilkington and Lawrence both looked at times like they were waiting for someone to make a late run into the box at the Valley, but it just never came. Immers could be the solution.
GET TO THE BYLINE
Arguably Cardiff's best move of the game against Charlton came when Scott Malone burst to the byline and flashed a terrific ball across the front post. Anthony Pilkington did well to beat the defender to the ball and was unlucky to see his effort bounce back off the bar.
Sadly, such service was conspicuous by its absence for the rest of the game.
In fairness, that is an increasing pattern across football, as teams pick wingers and full-backs whose instinct is to cut inside when receiving the ball. Sammy Ameobi was by far and away Cardiff's most prolific crosser at the Valley, but only one of his seven attempts was successful.
Against sides such as Charlton, however, who are low on confidence and playing quite deep, it is a brilliant way to turn the defence around and stretch the play.
Malone and Fabio are both more than capable of delivering a good cross, so why not give them a bit more freedom to do so?
If Slade is worried that it may make his team too open, he could use the return of Sean Morrison to switch to three at the back, giving his full-backs the security to bomb forward.
GET WHITTINGHAM PULLUNG THE STRINGS FROM DEEPER
Charlton's defenders were rarely seen scampering back towards their own goal, and getting more balls over the top could be another way to mix up Cardiff's attack.
Of course, to do so requires someone to make those runs in behind. For all his undoubted qualities, Pilkington is probably not the man for that job.
Is Kenneth Zohore quick enough? Could Idriss Saadi or Fedrico Macheda benefit from more of this type of service?
The other thing it needs is for someone with enough vision to make sure that any long balls over the top are not aimless.
Stuart O'Keefe has been superb of late but this is not his forte. It may well be a good way to use Peter Whittingham's best skills.
The caveat to that, of course, is that Peter Whittingham's crosses from deep on the left were one of the Bluebirds' best weapons in scoring three against Huddersfield not so long ago.
By Paul Smith
16/02/16
Two consecutive 0-0 draws against struggling Championship outfits suggest Slade may have to tinker with his tactics to close the gap on the play-offs.
The frustration for Russell Slade at the moment will be in knowing that his side are not all that far away from being a very good Championship outfit.
They have been tough to beat in recent times, and have plenty of players capable of making an attacking impact.
But consecutive 0-0 draws against struggling MK Dons and Charlton have to be seen as missed opportunities, with tough games against Brighton and Middlesbrough on the horizon.
So what can Russell Slade do to ensure his side remain solid defensively but able to register regularly at the other end?
GET MIDFIELDERS RUNNING BEYOND PILKINGTON
Slade said he and his players could see the logic in Vincent Tan's request that they shoot from distance with far more regularity.
Only registering three attempts on target at the Valley, however, spoke volumes for the limitations of a shoot on sight approach, even accounting for Joe Ralls' stinging first half effort.
Cardiff City do have some seriously sweet strikers of the ball, and the key is not just to get them to shoot more often, but to do so from better areas of the pitch.
This means finding a way to get the likes of Ralls and Whittingham beyond the exemplary Pilkington and into the opposition box.
How best could he do that?
One option is to give Kenneth Zohore a go up front and hope he can excel at holding the ball up around the edge of the box. If he can, that will natural bring the left peg of Whittingham and Ralls into play.
He could also consider using the suspension of Sammy Ameobi to bring Lex Immers back into the fold.
Pilkington and Lawrence both looked at times like they were waiting for someone to make a late run into the box at the Valley, but it just never came. Immers could be the solution.
GET TO THE BYLINE
Arguably Cardiff's best move of the game against Charlton came when Scott Malone burst to the byline and flashed a terrific ball across the front post. Anthony Pilkington did well to beat the defender to the ball and was unlucky to see his effort bounce back off the bar.
Sadly, such service was conspicuous by its absence for the rest of the game.
In fairness, that is an increasing pattern across football, as teams pick wingers and full-backs whose instinct is to cut inside when receiving the ball. Sammy Ameobi was by far and away Cardiff's most prolific crosser at the Valley, but only one of his seven attempts was successful.
Against sides such as Charlton, however, who are low on confidence and playing quite deep, it is a brilliant way to turn the defence around and stretch the play.
Malone and Fabio are both more than capable of delivering a good cross, so why not give them a bit more freedom to do so?
If Slade is worried that it may make his team too open, he could use the return of Sean Morrison to switch to three at the back, giving his full-backs the security to bomb forward.
GET WHITTINGHAM PULLUNG THE STRINGS FROM DEEPER
Charlton's defenders were rarely seen scampering back towards their own goal, and getting more balls over the top could be another way to mix up Cardiff's attack.
Of course, to do so requires someone to make those runs in behind. For all his undoubted qualities, Pilkington is probably not the man for that job.
Is Kenneth Zohore quick enough? Could Idriss Saadi or Fedrico Macheda benefit from more of this type of service?
The other thing it needs is for someone with enough vision to make sure that any long balls over the top are not aimless.
Stuart O'Keefe has been superb of late but this is not his forte. It may well be a good way to use Peter Whittingham's best skills.
The caveat to that, of course, is that Peter Whittingham's crosses from deep on the left were one of the Bluebirds' best weapons in scoring three against Huddersfield not so long ago.
Re: " THE TACTICAL CHANGES RUSSELL SLADE SHOULD CONSIDER "
Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:02 pm
I'd go with 4231
Saadi.
Whitts Lawrence Noone
Ralls O Keefe
Malone Manga Connolly Fabio
Marshall
Saadi.
Whitts Lawrence Noone
Ralls O Keefe
Malone Manga Connolly Fabio
Marshall
Re: " THE TACTICAL CHANGES RUSSELL SLADE SHOULD CONSIDER "
Wed Feb 17, 2016 10:01 pm
Rydogsccfc wrote:I'd go with 4231
Saadi.
Whitts Lawrence Noone
Ralls O Keefe
Malone Manga Connolly Fabio
Marshall
Swap Immers for for Lawrence
Re: " THE TACTICAL CHANGES RUSSELL SLADE SHOULD CONSIDER "
Thu Feb 18, 2016 9:21 am
One good one would be to give his team sheet to the cleaners, drive past the stadium and yonder into the blue horizon!!
Re: " THE TACTICAL CHANGES RUSSELL SLADE SHOULD CONSIDER "
Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:50 am
scooby1973 wrote:Rydogsccfc wrote:I'd go with 4231
Saadi.
Whitts Lawrence Noone
Ralls O Keefe
Malone Manga Connolly Fabio
Marshall
Swap Immers for for Lawrence
It's crucial for Lawrence to get a good run of games to help his chances for the Euro's I'd see Immers as an impact sub.
