“ CARDIFF CITY SQUAD DEPTH “
Thu Feb 06, 2020 2:36 pm
“ CARDIFF CITY SQUAD DEPTH “
By Glen Williams
Thursday 6th February 2020
Goalkeeper
Two top-class goalkeepers in Alex Smithies and Neil Etheridge.
Any Championship club would be lucky to have either of these two and they could quite easily cut it in the Premier League, too.
It appears Smithies has the gloves for the time being, with Harris citing speculation over Etheridge's future as the reason for dropping him initially.
But should anything happen to either of these goalkeepers, injury-wise, they are in pretty safe hands with whoever steps in.
Right-back
Lee Peltier was moved on in a shock deadline day move to West Brom, which meant the City hierarchy had to move quickly to plug the gap.
It has come in the form of Sanderson, the 20-year-old Wolves defender. Sanderson comes with a glowing reputation from those who have monitored his progress at Wolves and can slot in at centre-back and right-back.
While it is understood he is seen as an understudy to Richards, it will be interesting to see if Sanderson can force his way into the reckoning as the season moves on.
There is also Cameron Coxe. Harris ideally wanted him to go out on loan in January, but no concrete offers were tabled. He was handed a couple of run-outs against Carlisle but has not been seen since.
But certainly three solid options.
Centre-back
Probably the strongest area in terms of depth for the Bluebirds is at centre-back.
They have four quality, senior defenders all vying for two spots and there now appears to be healthy competition.
Sean Morrison has been excellent in recent months, arguably the standout defender, while Curtis Nelson has come on leaps and bounds since Neil Warnock brought him into the fray against Birmingham City towards the end of his reign.
So they now appear to be first choice and, on merit, you would have to say that's fair.
Club icon Sol Bamba is still working his way back to full fitness and his best form, it seems, while Aden Flint, who signed for £4m back in the summer, has done well in fits and starts.
So another well-stocked area for the Bluebirds.
Curtis Nelson has come on leaps and bounds in recent months
Left-back
A department which desperately needed addressing last month and Harris now bolstered his options.
While Joe Bennett is rightly the first choice at present, the loan signing of Brad Smith from Bournemouth represents real competition at left back.
Bennett had been run into the ground for the first four months of the season, having been the only option until Richards came back from injury.
But it now appears Smith, who is said to have pace to burn and an attacking style of play, will now vie for that left-back berth.
It is also incredibly encouraging to have seen Joel Bagan, the 18-year-old academy product, grab his opportunity against Reading in the FA Cup clash on Tuesday.
He is another who is rated highly and is tipped by many in the backroom staff to go on and really push the two senior players going forward.
Greg Cunningham, who is out for the rest of the season owing to an ACL injury he sustained up at Blackburn Rovers at the end of last year, will also come back into the fray next season.
Centre midfield
Again, four senior options for Harris.
Joe Ralls, Marlon Pack, Leandro Bacuna and Will Vaulks are all vastly experienced at this level and each of them offers something a little different.
There is certainly variety in there and a combination of any two of those in a midfield partnership is likely to represent a strong midfield duo.
There is leadership, industry, dynamism, tough tackling, a range of passing and long-range shooting in there, but the question is which combination to pick.
Many would like to see how Ralls and Vaulks would complement each other in midfield, but the former has really struggled with his fitness of late. Harris and City fans are both praying for a swift recovery.
Right wing
Given Mendez-Laing's seemingly season-ending injury, right wing quickly became an area of concern for the Bluebirds.
And, in fairness to Harris, he has signed a player in Adomah who comes with a wealth of Championship experience and could add real value to the squad.
Gavin Whyte has played a lot of minutes in recent weeks and it is only fair he has earned some respite. City fans will hope Adomah can hit the ground running.
At 32, a loan signing until the end of the season appears quite an astute acquisition.
Cardiff City winger Albert Adomah (Image: Cardiff City FC)
Left wing
Junior Hoilett and Josh Murphy are, again, very talented players and they each excel in different aspects of wing play.
Hoilett has a tremendous cross and excellent defensive work-rate. He was arguably the Bluebirds' best player during their last promotion-winning campaign.
Murphy, on the other hand, is the best dribbler, at pace, in the club on his day and has the skill to beat a man.
He also showed against Reading this week that he has an eye for goal, scoring twice in the FA Cup fourth-round defeat.
But he is ultimately a confidence player and too often has he been seen as a luxury. The 24-year-old, who was the subject of interest from Scottish champions Celtic last month, certainly needs to be more consistent, but he still has a big role to play moving forward.
No.10
Herein lies the problem. The playmaker.
It is no coincidence that Lee Tomlin has flourished since Harris took charge of Cardiff City.
The playmaker has been afforded far more freedom with which to wield his creativity and the Bluebirds have benefited massively from it.
It is not an overstatement to say that Tomlin has been City's best player by far this season and they will need him for the rest of the campaign if they are to make a serious promotion push.
And that is why this is such a big problem.
Their over-reliance on Tomlin is potentially very dangerous and it is an area in which Cardiff should have added depth in January.
This squad was in desperate need of another creative force behind the striker, to push Tomlin for his place and to step in should he be forced out through injury or suspension.
While Callum Paterson has been tremendous recently (we will come on to that), playing him in the No.10 role takes away from the type of football Harris is trying to implement.
Tomlin has done such a good job this season and the recruitment department should have recognised that another player of that ilk would only benefit the squad as a whole.
Callum Paterson has been operating well as a striker
Striker
Some thought that Cardiff would dip their toe in the market for a striker in the January window and, were it not for Paterson's excellent form, that might have been the case.
We know that City were rebuffed in their attempts to sign Kieffer Moore from Wigan and once they dropped their interest in him, no viable option really cropped up.
Jordan Rhodes was considered an option late in the window, but ultimately the club decided to focus on the wide area and Adomah was brought in.
It means, with Madine and Bogle having left the club and Isaac Vassell still a long-term absentee, the Bluebirds' striking options have streamlined dramatically.
Robert Glatzel and Danny Ward are now the only two out-and-out strikers, but it appears Paterson has now emerged as a real contender for that top spot.
The Scotland international is in a hot run of form of late, having scored four goals in his last five starts in all competitions, and has emerged as arguably Harris' first choice for the time being.
By Glen Williams
Thursday 6th February 2020
Goalkeeper
Two top-class goalkeepers in Alex Smithies and Neil Etheridge.
Any Championship club would be lucky to have either of these two and they could quite easily cut it in the Premier League, too.
It appears Smithies has the gloves for the time being, with Harris citing speculation over Etheridge's future as the reason for dropping him initially.
But should anything happen to either of these goalkeepers, injury-wise, they are in pretty safe hands with whoever steps in.
Right-back
Lee Peltier was moved on in a shock deadline day move to West Brom, which meant the City hierarchy had to move quickly to plug the gap.
It has come in the form of Sanderson, the 20-year-old Wolves defender. Sanderson comes with a glowing reputation from those who have monitored his progress at Wolves and can slot in at centre-back and right-back.
While it is understood he is seen as an understudy to Richards, it will be interesting to see if Sanderson can force his way into the reckoning as the season moves on.
There is also Cameron Coxe. Harris ideally wanted him to go out on loan in January, but no concrete offers were tabled. He was handed a couple of run-outs against Carlisle but has not been seen since.
But certainly three solid options.
Centre-back
Probably the strongest area in terms of depth for the Bluebirds is at centre-back.
They have four quality, senior defenders all vying for two spots and there now appears to be healthy competition.
Sean Morrison has been excellent in recent months, arguably the standout defender, while Curtis Nelson has come on leaps and bounds since Neil Warnock brought him into the fray against Birmingham City towards the end of his reign.
So they now appear to be first choice and, on merit, you would have to say that's fair.
Club icon Sol Bamba is still working his way back to full fitness and his best form, it seems, while Aden Flint, who signed for £4m back in the summer, has done well in fits and starts.
So another well-stocked area for the Bluebirds.
Curtis Nelson has come on leaps and bounds in recent months
Left-back
A department which desperately needed addressing last month and Harris now bolstered his options.
While Joe Bennett is rightly the first choice at present, the loan signing of Brad Smith from Bournemouth represents real competition at left back.
Bennett had been run into the ground for the first four months of the season, having been the only option until Richards came back from injury.
But it now appears Smith, who is said to have pace to burn and an attacking style of play, will now vie for that left-back berth.
It is also incredibly encouraging to have seen Joel Bagan, the 18-year-old academy product, grab his opportunity against Reading in the FA Cup clash on Tuesday.
He is another who is rated highly and is tipped by many in the backroom staff to go on and really push the two senior players going forward.
Greg Cunningham, who is out for the rest of the season owing to an ACL injury he sustained up at Blackburn Rovers at the end of last year, will also come back into the fray next season.
Centre midfield
Again, four senior options for Harris.
Joe Ralls, Marlon Pack, Leandro Bacuna and Will Vaulks are all vastly experienced at this level and each of them offers something a little different.
There is certainly variety in there and a combination of any two of those in a midfield partnership is likely to represent a strong midfield duo.
There is leadership, industry, dynamism, tough tackling, a range of passing and long-range shooting in there, but the question is which combination to pick.
Many would like to see how Ralls and Vaulks would complement each other in midfield, but the former has really struggled with his fitness of late. Harris and City fans are both praying for a swift recovery.
Right wing
Given Mendez-Laing's seemingly season-ending injury, right wing quickly became an area of concern for the Bluebirds.
And, in fairness to Harris, he has signed a player in Adomah who comes with a wealth of Championship experience and could add real value to the squad.
Gavin Whyte has played a lot of minutes in recent weeks and it is only fair he has earned some respite. City fans will hope Adomah can hit the ground running.
At 32, a loan signing until the end of the season appears quite an astute acquisition.
Cardiff City winger Albert Adomah (Image: Cardiff City FC)
Left wing
Junior Hoilett and Josh Murphy are, again, very talented players and they each excel in different aspects of wing play.
Hoilett has a tremendous cross and excellent defensive work-rate. He was arguably the Bluebirds' best player during their last promotion-winning campaign.
Murphy, on the other hand, is the best dribbler, at pace, in the club on his day and has the skill to beat a man.
He also showed against Reading this week that he has an eye for goal, scoring twice in the FA Cup fourth-round defeat.
But he is ultimately a confidence player and too often has he been seen as a luxury. The 24-year-old, who was the subject of interest from Scottish champions Celtic last month, certainly needs to be more consistent, but he still has a big role to play moving forward.
No.10
Herein lies the problem. The playmaker.
It is no coincidence that Lee Tomlin has flourished since Harris took charge of Cardiff City.
The playmaker has been afforded far more freedom with which to wield his creativity and the Bluebirds have benefited massively from it.
It is not an overstatement to say that Tomlin has been City's best player by far this season and they will need him for the rest of the campaign if they are to make a serious promotion push.
And that is why this is such a big problem.
Their over-reliance on Tomlin is potentially very dangerous and it is an area in which Cardiff should have added depth in January.
This squad was in desperate need of another creative force behind the striker, to push Tomlin for his place and to step in should he be forced out through injury or suspension.
While Callum Paterson has been tremendous recently (we will come on to that), playing him in the No.10 role takes away from the type of football Harris is trying to implement.
Tomlin has done such a good job this season and the recruitment department should have recognised that another player of that ilk would only benefit the squad as a whole.
Callum Paterson has been operating well as a striker
Striker
Some thought that Cardiff would dip their toe in the market for a striker in the January window and, were it not for Paterson's excellent form, that might have been the case.
We know that City were rebuffed in their attempts to sign Kieffer Moore from Wigan and once they dropped their interest in him, no viable option really cropped up.
Jordan Rhodes was considered an option late in the window, but ultimately the club decided to focus on the wide area and Adomah was brought in.
It means, with Madine and Bogle having left the club and Isaac Vassell still a long-term absentee, the Bluebirds' striking options have streamlined dramatically.
Robert Glatzel and Danny Ward are now the only two out-and-out strikers, but it appears Paterson has now emerged as a real contender for that top spot.
The Scotland international is in a hot run of form of late, having scored four goals in his last five starts in all competitions, and has emerged as arguably Harris' first choice for the time being.
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Re: “ CARDIFF CITY SQUAD DEPTH “
Thu Feb 06, 2020 2:39 pm
' CARDIFF CITY SQUAD 2019-20 ' Three New players
1. Neil Etheridge
2. Dion Sanders
3. Joe Bennett
4. Sean Morrison (C)
5. Aden Flint
6. Will Vaulks
7. Leandro Bacuna
8. Joe Ralls
9. Robert Glatzel
10.Isaac Vassell could be out injured for rest of the season
11. Josh Murphy
12. Alex Smithies
13. Callum Paterson
14. Albert Abomah
15. Marlon Pack
16. Curtis Nelson
17. Lee Tomlin
18.
19. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing out injured for rest of the season
20. Gavin Whyte
21. Jazz Richards
22. Sol Bamba
23. Danny Ward
24. Brad Smith
25. Joe Day out on loan to AFC Wimbledon
27. Omar Bogle out on loan till 11th May 2020
30. Ciaron Brown out on loan
31. Aaron Bolger
33. Junior Hoilett
Re: “ CARDIFF CITY SQUAD DEPTH
Thu Feb 06, 2020 3:42 pm
Have to disagree with the statement that we have three solid options at right back. Richards had a good game in his comeback game but has looked very shaky since and would have been dropped if Peltier was still with us. The other options are a kid who has played only one game for Wolves. He might be good but no one will really know until he has played a few games. The other option is Coxe who has only played a couple of games against weak opposition and not looked paticularly good. I would describe it as a potentially problem area.
Re: “ CARDIFF CITY SQUAD DEPTH “
Thu Feb 06, 2020 5:52 pm
Don’t agree centre defence has greatest depth....our defence has been absolutely dire at times ....no pace except for Nelson ...Bamba has not got back to form and Flint has been a poor signing for £4m ...
Re: “ CARDIFF CITY SQUAD DEPTH “
Thu Feb 06, 2020 6:38 pm
Size of squad is now about right but more quality needed in Summer, 3 new boys on loan will need replacing,Day,Jazz,Bamba, Pack, Ward, Glazel,Hoilett and Murphy have to improve if they want to stay and Connelly surely must go this Summer?
Re: “ CARDIFF CITY SQUAD DEPTH “
Thu Feb 06, 2020 6:40 pm
Youngsters home grown way forward. Vinnie and co have told Neil
Re: “ CARDIFF CITY SQUAD DEPTH
Thu Feb 06, 2020 9:23 pm
Crayfish wrote:Have to disagree with the statement that we have three solid options at right back. Richards had a good game in his comeback game but has looked very shaky since and would have been dropped if Peltier was still with us. The other options are a kid who has played only one game for Wolves. He might be good but no one will really know until he has played a few games. The other option is Coxe who has only played a couple of games against weak opposition and not looked paticularly good. I would describe it as a potentially problem area.
we have been crying out for a right back for many years and still are.
Re: “ CARDIFF CITY SQUAD DEPTH
Fri Feb 07, 2020 1:22 am
Crayfish wrote:Have to disagree with the statement that we have three solid options at right back. Richards had a good game in his comeback game but has looked very shaky since and would have been dropped if Peltier was still with us. The other options are a kid who has played only one game for Wolves. He might be good but no one will really know until he has played a few games. The other option is Coxe who has only played a couple of games against weak opposition and not looked paticularly good. I would describe it as a potentially problem area.
Harris has put a lot of faith in Jazz from day 1.. lets hope Jazz repays him..