Wed Oct 09, 2019 11:18 am
What's the mood like in the Cardiff & Swansea camps?
Tuesday 9th October 2019
Both are a little frustrated at the moment.
Warnock bemoaned his side's lack of cutting edge at The Hawthorns, claiming some members of his side "can't hit a barn door at times", despite seeing his team net two goals.
However, there was a notable positive undercurrent to his post-match comments in the West Midlands.
NEIL WARNOCK:
"I think there are a lot of pluses, if we were doing half-term or third-term reports," he said.
"I don't think people will want to play against us. We could improve our goal scoring and defend better, but we've got the ingredients to put it right.
"We've just got to work hard on the training ground."
Meanwhile, Cooper's had to endure a fair amount of grumbling on the back of his side's defeat at the hands of the Potters, but while he pulled no punches in criticising his side's performance, there is clearly still plenty of belief in his philosophy, adding that a failure to live up to their 'identity' as team was a key factor in their defeat.
COOPER:
"I thought in the end we did not do enough to get a result from the game," he explained.
"We know why. We did not play to our identity. The reason we play a certain way is because we think it will win games.
"We did not do that today and we got the result as it was."
In short, both managers still have a steadfast belief in their respective approaches and there's little to suggest that will change before the two teams meet.
Issues they need to fix
Despite Warnock's comments on Cardiff's efforts in the final third, it's arguably the defence that has been the Bluebirds' downfall this season, particularly away from home.
Cardiff have conceded 13 goals on the road so far, a tally that's undoubtedly been at the heart of their struggles away from the capital this term.
The Bluebirds will travel to the Liberty Stadium in search of their first win on the road in this campaign, a record that would fill the Swans with confidence were it not for the fact that most of their troubles have been at home this season.
However, again there are positives, most notably at the back. Currently, only Leeds United have conceded fewer goals than Cooper's men, with Mike van der Hoorn and Joe Rodon forming a valuable partnership at the heart of the back four.
Fans have been asking some pressing questions about Swansea's capabilities in the final third in recent weeks, though.
There's certainly a case for suggesting that Swansea lack a real out-and-out winger in this team since the departure of Daniel James, with some supporters desperate to see Bersant Celina play the number 10 role rather than his current position on the left.
Bersant Celina's current role has been the subject of debate recently
One can probably make the same argument about Andre Ayew too, and Cooper will have to ensure he gets the balance right.
Warnock too has some big decisions to make.
Robert Glatzel is arguably the first choice up front, but Danny Ward will surely be wondering what more he has to do to get a look-in following his impressive cameo from the bench at the Hawthorns.
Marlon Pack and Leandro Bacuna will likely get the nod to keep things compact in the centre of the park, but who comes in at number 10? The tenacious Callum Paterson, or the mercurial potential matchwinner Lee Tomlin?
There's also the potential return of Sol Bamba, who could help add another dimension to defence that has been found wanting too often this season.
Ticket and tra