Marlon Pack has filled an all-important void at Cardiff C

The unglamorous and unseen work of Cardiff City protector who has fast filled an all-important void


Wednesday 18th December 2019

By Reece Chambers



Neil Harris has instilled a positive work ethic at Cardiff City Stadium since his appointment and one man embodies that more than most


When Neil Harris took his first press conference as Cardiff City manager, he stated that it would not be a case of revolution overnight in the Welsh capital.

But with just one defeat in his opening six league fixtures, the 42-year-old has transformed the Bluebirds and moved them to within three points of the play-offs.

One key aspect of his impressive start has been a settled starting XI in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Lee Tomlin’s added importance in attack has proved vital, having been involved in seven goals since Harris’ appointment.

On top of Tomlin’s continued involvement in the team, Harris’ Bluebirds have demonstrated a never-say-die attitude and refuse to go down without a fight. You only have to look back at Saturday’s miraculous 3-3 comeback at Elland Road to see the determination Harris has instilled in his players.

In the heart of Cardiff’s midfield, Marlon Pack embodies that determination and fight more than anyone else on the pitch. Having made the move over to the Welsh capital from Bristol City on deadline day, the midfielder has become an integral part of the Bluebirds' engineroom.

Pack’s role as a defensive midfielder enables Tomlin and other attackers the opportunity to contribute higher up the pitch. In a position very similar to the one that Aron Gunnarsson played for Cardiff, Pack’s primary responsibility is to protect the defence.

With 185 appearances in the Championship for Cardiff and the Robins, the 28-year-old is a regular in the league and has shown his vast experience since joining in August.

In a position that requires a fine balance between aggression and composure, Pack’s defensive actions highlight his value. His tenacity to win the ball back has resulted in a total of 126 defensive duels won already this season in the league. For a midfielder, that statistic illustrates how integral he has been to protecting the defence.

Against Leeds United on Saturday, Pack demonstrated his ability to identify oncoming danger and deal with it perfectly. His role in the middle of Cardiff’s midfield is very much dependent on interventions, as shown below.


In order to fully fit this role, Pack’s willingness to do the not-so-glamorous work is crucial. This tackle on Pablo Hernandez comes at a vital time as the forward looks to break through the lines. It is just one example of the many situations that he has successfully intervened for the Bluebirds this season.

The 28-year-old’s role in protecting the defence has filled the void of Gunnarsson who departed the club at the end of last season. Through replacing the Iceland international, Pack has become a crucial part of Harris’ midfield.

In tandem with his defensive capabilities, Pack’s innate ability to intercept passes and put Cardiff on the front foot has been a huge strength in recent matches.

When Harris took over as boss, he was keen to emphasise that he would get everything he could out of his players. That has certainly happened and Pack’s high work-rate illustrates that best.

It is one thing being able to defend as a midfielder, but it is another to turn that into an attacking situation. Pack has shown both of those attributes under Harris already.

First, occupying a position of protection in front of the defence. Then, secondly, identifying the danger and nullifying the threat to get his side on the front foot - as shown below against Nottingham Forest.


With fast wingers like Junior Hoilett, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Josh Murphy, Pack’s ability to win the ball back and distribute it is a valuable trait to possess.

Pack’s 88 interceptions already this term illustrates just how important he has become to Harris’ game-plan; his midfield counterpart, Leandro Bacuna, has 27 fewer interceptions.


Marlon Pack intercepts Joe Lolley’s pass (Image: Wyscout)
As highlighted above, Pack's awareness of when and where to intercept the ball is a crucial part of Harris' defensive structure.

Without Pack’s presence in the middle of the park, the centre of the park could be stretched and easily penetrated by the opposition’s attack.

His contributions to Cardiff’s defensive structure should not be overlooked in Harris’ preferred formation of 4-2-3-1. Alongside either Joe Ralls or Bacuna, Pack is primarily tasked with preventing the opposition from breaking the lines.

However, with four attackers in front of him, he is also responsible for turning defence into attack. As already outlined, his work in defence is well valued but his key strength is the way in which he turns these situations into positive ones.

Pack’s long-range passing is a key component in being able to occupy this role in Harris’ system. With centre-backs who aren’t renowned for their distribution, the midfielder drops deeper to find attackers himself.


Through executing these passes early, Pack very rarely gets credit for his involvement in attack. Nevertheless, his long-range finders are effective ways that he can unlock the potential that his attacking team-mates have.

Harris’ reign in the Welsh capital so far has been based on hard work and a desire to improve in every match. The work of Pack must not go unnoticed as he continues to have a considerable influence over their tempo.

If Cardiff are to continue with their impressive form, Pack’s presence in midfield will be crucial to establishing a solid base that can unlock the attacking qualities of Tomlin and others.

Packs a good player. We've needed someone with his passing abilities for a while now. He's not the quickest or most mobile player but he's one of the first on the team sheet for me and was a solid signing by Warnock.

He has filled a void but im not sure he is the answer, some games great passing others its not so good. Lack of mobility is a concern.

Protected defence against Leeds? We conceded three times.

I always remember Ian Wright’s write up when Ibrahimovic scored 4 v England. He said about the centre back marking him. ‘Kept him quiet apart from the 4 goals’ ha.

Agree after the Leeds performance, the article is bazaar. We were all over the place for 60 mins with no defensive midfield.

I think he’s been great for us. Better than Gunnarsson and at the level we are at the moment starts every game.

I think he’s been great for us. Better than Gunnarsson and at the level we are at the moment starts every game.

I think Gunner is currently injured, cant be long until he retires surely.

We all miss Gunnar, but his passing could be a bit wayward at times as we know. Pack is starting to look the player we were told he was and has filled the gap well. Defence needs sorting as we know, especially the full backs.

Pack has heart, and good intention. However, he has a serious lack of pace, this often means the opposition breeze past him.
When he does get close to a player he inevitably seems to commit a foul, of which he always hotly disputes.

What he can do ...tackle , break up play etc he’s v good at but is lacking pace and can get bypassed s by a good team...always want him in the side as he’s solid at championship level but needs more support in protecting the defence.
How many times have teams gone straight through the middle of us this season???

Pack has heart, and good intention. However, he has a serious lack of pace, this often means the opposition breeze past him.
When he does get close to a player he inevitably seems to commit a foul, of which he always hotly disputes.

Gunnarsson was hardly rapid and in the last few years he just ran around like a headless chicken pointing.

A big Improvement for me.

No idea who Reece Chambers is but his opinions are not in sync with what I observe.

Pack a shadow of the player Gunnar was in his prime.

He does not protect our back four to any degree whatsoever and his lack of pace is a weakness. It's great he can pass but that's a prerequisite for a championship footballer and his interceptions make up for his lack of tackles.

Our team can't defend like our promotion winning side or the side of the few seasons before that and that's the collective.

Pack has heart, and good intention. However, he has a serious lack of pace, this often means the opposition breeze past him.
When he does get close to a player he inevitably seems to commit a foul, of which he always hotly disputes.

Gunnarsson was hardly rapid and in the last few years he just ran around like a headless chicken pointing.

A big Improvement for me.

yes its why he has been so highly rated by both managers and players... he was never rapid or a particularly gifted player...what he brought was positional sense, he read the game very well and could organise { one of ,if not the best ive seen at our club } .. he had games where he hardly made a tackle but put himself in positions where the main threats couldn't receive the ball , pass where they would ideally like too or shoot and encouraged players runs into safer areas ,where he would pass the player on, which was the pointing. while moving into what would then be the main danger...

Pack has heart, and good intention. However, he has a serious lack of pace, this often means the opposition breeze past him.
When he does get close to a player he inevitably seems to commit a foul, of which he always hotly disputes.

Gunnarsson was hardly rapid and in the last few years he just ran around like a headless chicken pointing.

A big Improvement for me.

yes its why he has been so highly rated by both managers and players... he was never rapid or a particularly gifted player...what he brought was positional sense, he read the game very well and could organise { one of ,if not the best ive seen at our club } .. he had games where he hardly made a tackle but put himself in positions where the main threats couldn't receive the ball , pass where they would ideally like too or shoot and encouraged players runs into safer areas ,where he would pass the player on, which was the pointing. while moving into what would then be the main danger...

I’m talking about the last 2 or 3 seasons with us which I thought he was very poor. Couldn’t pass, didn’t tackle and about the opposite to the points you make.
Previous to that he was half decent and linked up well.

To me, this is a perfect example of overpraising a player who has been just as inconsistent as many others, who hasn't really performed particularly well yet, and in order to prevent any critisism of Pack, we've stuck the "not so glamarous" and "doesn't get the credit he deserves" as if he's done miracles. It's a massive smokescreen because -if he's supposed to be the "missing link" and our defensive midfielder, then how come I've seen him practically walking leaving gaps for opponents to shoot from outside the box. How come I've seen Marlon give the ball away to their striker and immediately put our defence on the back foot NUMEROUS times in the last 3 games ALONE. How come he mispasses 7/10 of his switches that are often fairly straight forward passes.

I'm not banging my drum saying he's crap and needs to get sold. I'm all for letting players play and find form, but Pack certainly hasn't his form yet and is looking dodgy at times, without any defensive cover that this article strangely suggests he does. It's bizarre to me, and I'm sure many others reading it.

Pack has heart, and good intention. However, he has a serious lack of pace, this often means the opposition breeze past him.
When he does get close to a player he inevitably seems to commit a foul, of which he always hotly disputes.

Gunnarsson was hardly rapid and in the last few years he just ran around like a headless chicken pointing.

A big Improvement for me.

I agree entirely with you re-Gunnarsson running around like a headless chicken and pointing.

However, I don't think Pack IS a big improvement.

To me, this is a perfect example of overpraising a player who has been just as inconsistent as many others, who hasn't really performed particularly well yet, and in order to prevent any critisism of Pack, we've stuck the "not so glamarous" and "doesn't get the credit he deserves" as if he's done miracles. It's a massive smokescreen because -if he's supposed to be the "missing link" and our defensive midfielder, then how come I've seen him practically walking leaving gaps for opponents to shoot from outside the box. How come I've seen Marlon give the ball away to their striker and immediately put our defence on the back foot NUMEROUS times in the last 3 games ALONE. How come he mispasses 7/10 of his switches that are often fairly straight forward passes.

I'm not banging my drum saying he's crap and needs to get sold. I'm all for letting players play and find form, but Pack certainly hasn't his form yet and is looking dodgy at times, without any defensive cover that this article strangely suggests he does. It's bizarre to me, and I'm sure many others reading it.

Good post!

Why do journalists feel the need to support players who come under a bit of fire? All this.."He does a lot of the unseen work" nonsense!

Completely agree Alan in China