Cardiff are the Championship’s form side – while Wolves have set the pace in the
league, Aston Villa are revitalised under Steve Bruce, and Fulham are playing some of
the best football, Neil Warnock’s have quietly got on with the job of winning.
In fact, in the league, Cardiff are unbeaten since January 1st, a run of nine wins and
two draws – they have only lost once in any competition in 2018, to Manchester City
in the FA Cup.
Cardiff have used a variety of formations this season, including deploying three at
the back, but have favoured a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 in their recent run.
Kenneth Zohore leads the line, flanked by Junior Hoilett and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing,
in front of a midfield three that generally features Joe Ralls, and Loic Damour, who also
plays in the hole in the 4-2-3-1; Liverpool loanee Marko Grujic has also impressed in
recent fixtures.
Cardiff defend aggressively, helped by the physically imposing nature of their back line,
Joe Bennett aside.
Bruno Ecuele Manga is a centre back playing mostly on the right, while Sol Bamba is a
significant aerial presence both defensively and offensively and arguably the best centre
back in the league this season.
Bamba especially steps out of the defensive line to close down players, with Bennett covering
over from left back.
Indeed, Cardiff’s positional fluidity in defence, especially against teams who play
it quick and short, can look like disorganisation.
In fact, the stepping out and covering across is designed to close down threats and win
the ball back irrespective of whether that pulls someone out of their standard position.
This defensive movement is aided by the covering of the wide attacking players, especially
Junior Hoilett on the left, who works extremely hard to drop back in the wide space to cover
Bennett’s movement inside.
Bennett does not just tuck in to cover for Bamba pushing forwards; he also pushes up
and in to the midfield area if cover is needed there.
The Cardiff back line can also shuffle across if this happens, effectively stopping up the
centre with three centre backs, and Hoilett and Mendez-Laing covering like wing backs.
In the midfield, Cardiff close down the opposition and tend to follow their men.
If Amour is playing in the double pivot, rather than the hole, he will still follow the man
he is closing and another Cardiff player covers the space he’s vacated.
Ahead of this, Kenneth Zohore rumbles around, pressing the player in possession – Cardiff
tend to press more at home than away, as might be expected.
Warnock’s team have conceded fewer goals than any other side in the Championship – their
combination of movement, aggression, and effort is paying dividends.
Cardiff’s intention is to win the ball back quickly by pushing forwards and then transition
straight into an attack by getting the ball into the opposition half.
It’s a form of vertical football, but once the ball is transitioned quickly and directly,
Cardiff are happy to play attractive football.
It’s not just punted long balls and set pieces, though Cardiff do certainly pose a
threat from a dead ball with their height and power.
Winning the ball wide means a quick transition to the wide attacking players, who push forwards
and look to deliver a quick cross to Zohore, or drive to the byline and cut back for a
midfielder coming from deep.
Cardiff will use Zohore as an out ball centrally, and he’s good at flicking it on to the wide
players cutting inside, or back to an advancing midfielder.
The central midfielders, Damour especially, are also expected to get up in support and
provide late options around the edge of the box.
Cardiff get a lot of shots off, the second highest number per game in the league and,
while Zohore has scored seven so far, winger Hoilett and midfielder Paterson are Cardiff’s
joint top scorers, with eight – midfielder Joe Ralls also have seven.
Zohore is the focus of the attack, but his function is as much to disrupt the opposition
marking and bring other players into the attack, as it is to score himself.
Cardiff could unfairly be categorised as a long passing team, relying on physicality
and pace and the exploitation of set pieces.
While all of these are strengths, Warnock’s side have no little skill and an intelligent
defensive system that are both also key to their success.
They may not be as silky as Wolves or Fulham, but Cardiff are a very good team who deserve
the success that will certainly be theirs this season.