Mon Feb 13, 2023 1:53 pm
How many at the back?
By Glen Williams
Having Mahlon Romeo back on Saturday was such a blessing for Cardiff. He adds such a natural balance to this side, providing just as much quality bursting down the wing as he does defensively with his perfectly-timed challenges and positional astuteness.
In truth, having him back made the option to field a back four far more palatable than it might have otherwise been with other options which were used during his time out injured.
But it does throw a question moving forward now. Do Cardiff revert to five at the back? Romeo is comfortable in a wing-back role or a conventional right-back role, while Callum O'Dowda, who is the only viable option on that side of defence, really, is far more effective in a wing-back role.
Plus, while he has been a little out of sorts, Perry Ng has been a top servant for Cardiff for more than two years and they would do well to accommodate him in the side. Right centre-half, in a back three, is a position made for him, with giants Mark McGuinness and Cedric Kipre making up the other two positions in a back three.
But with Cardiff struggling to score consistently, is taking one midfielder or attacker away for another defender the right way to go? That's down for Lamouchi to decide. Cardiff were overrun in midfield against Boro, but if we stick to the rule of playing a maximum of one of Sawyers and Ralls, adding in the legs of Ryan Wintle and/or Andy Rinomhota, perhaps that will mitigate having one fewer body in there.
A back five, so to speak, of Romeo, Ng, McGuinness, Kipre and O'Dowda, on paper at least, looks solid and covers all bases.
But where are your flair or goals coming from then? You might have to opt for, for example, Wintle, Rinomhota, Robinson, Philogene and Kaba ahead of that defence. Is there enough of a goal threat in there? Adding a Davies or, potentially, a Wickham would just lift that goal threat slightly perhaps.
Getting the formation bang on is a big challenge facing Lamouchi this week. How does he field an XI with defensive stability and enough of a goal threat to pose their own questions to the opposition? Big questions will be answered this week.