Daniel Creedon
Member
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2014
- Messages
- 50
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 8
- Location
- South Wales
- Supports
- Cardiff City
- @Footynews4you
Cardiff City have built a reputation in past years as a team playing positive attacking football, while being strong at the back, meaning they often got the three points they were looking for. However under Slade, City seem to have gone into reverse, not scoring many goals and often conceding more than two goals a game.
The poor defensive form started under former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has always been known as an all out attacking player, but he didn't know how to manage his defense. Solskjaer's men conceded 42 goals in only 18 games in the Premiership, an average of over two goals a game and only keeping two clean sheets on the way. His defense did improve slightly in the Championship, conceding nine goals in seven games, but only scoring eight goals in the same space of time. Solskjaer was then sacked and eventually replaced with Russell Slade.
The new gaffer seemed to have sparked the catalyst for a push up the table, winning three of his first four games, and scored eight goals in that time, but hadn't improved much at the back, with no clean sheets in that time. However from the start of 2015, City have found goals really hard to find, only seeming to score from set pieces. Aron Gunnarson and Peter Whittingham have been racking up the assists recently, with long throw-ins and free kicks/corners, playing a huge part in City's recent goals.
It's not the fact that Cardiff only score set-pieces that has got City fans calling for Slade's head, instead it's because of the negative football being played at the club and the fire sale of players. City seemed to have traveled back 30 years in recent weeks, playing a standard 4-4-2, and playing the long ball whenever possible. Now this tactic is fine to use, but it has to be used right. Kenwyne Jones is an out and out target man, and won't lose many balls in the air. But City need a quick player that is able to chase these balls down.
Against Reading, City played Revell up front with Jones, and he didn't do much wrong but doesn't have the pace to chase the balls down. And Slade did nothing to change things, and Reading ended up equalizing to make the score 1-1. Instead of bringing on a man to compliment what Jones does, Slade subs Revell for Tom Adeyemi (Defensive Midfielder). City then lost the game 2-1 and put more pressure on Slade to change things around.
So City have gone from scoring goals but conceding more, to not scoring but conceding just as many. And with Vincent Tan travelling in to Cardiff on Saturday to watch the Bluebirds take on Derby, Slade will need a good result, or could be called into the boardroom late that night for an unwanted meeting.
The poor defensive form started under former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has always been known as an all out attacking player, but he didn't know how to manage his defense. Solskjaer's men conceded 42 goals in only 18 games in the Premiership, an average of over two goals a game and only keeping two clean sheets on the way. His defense did improve slightly in the Championship, conceding nine goals in seven games, but only scoring eight goals in the same space of time. Solskjaer was then sacked and eventually replaced with Russell Slade.
The new gaffer seemed to have sparked the catalyst for a push up the table, winning three of his first four games, and scored eight goals in that time, but hadn't improved much at the back, with no clean sheets in that time. However from the start of 2015, City have found goals really hard to find, only seeming to score from set pieces. Aron Gunnarson and Peter Whittingham have been racking up the assists recently, with long throw-ins and free kicks/corners, playing a huge part in City's recent goals.
It's not the fact that Cardiff only score set-pieces that has got City fans calling for Slade's head, instead it's because of the negative football being played at the club and the fire sale of players. City seemed to have traveled back 30 years in recent weeks, playing a standard 4-4-2, and playing the long ball whenever possible. Now this tactic is fine to use, but it has to be used right. Kenwyne Jones is an out and out target man, and won't lose many balls in the air. But City need a quick player that is able to chase these balls down.
Against Reading, City played Revell up front with Jones, and he didn't do much wrong but doesn't have the pace to chase the balls down. And Slade did nothing to change things, and Reading ended up equalizing to make the score 1-1. Instead of bringing on a man to compliment what Jones does, Slade subs Revell for Tom Adeyemi (Defensive Midfielder). City then lost the game 2-1 and put more pressure on Slade to change things around.
So City have gone from scoring goals but conceding more, to not scoring but conceding just as many. And with Vincent Tan travelling in to Cardiff on Saturday to watch the Bluebirds take on Derby, Slade will need a good result, or could be called into the boardroom late that night for an unwanted meeting.
