Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Warnock: Look but don’t touch
NEIL WARNOCK has warned his Cardiff players that they can’t afford to even breathe on top players in the penalty box.
Warnock has urged his stars not to give their opponents any chance of going down after conceding soft spot-kicks in two of their last three games, against Manchester United and Leicester (right).
Cardiff today host Tottenham whose star striker Harry Kane was booked for diving against Wolves.
And Blues manager Warnock has told his squad to avoid taking
even the slightest risks when making challenges in their own area. He said: “I say to my players about the top players, ‘Try not to breathe on them’.
“I said that before the Manchester United game, ‘If they get in the box, don’t breathe on them at all because they’ll be down’. That’s how it is nowadays.” England star Jesse Lingard was awarded a penalty he scored against Cardiff after he was adjudged to have been tugged back by defender Sol Bamba in the Bluebirds’ 5-1 home hammering by United. Bamba’s centre-back partner Sean Morrison was then penalised for pulling back James Maddison at Leicester on Saturday. But Neil Etheridge came to Cardiff’s rescue to deny Maddison from 12 yards, paving the way for Victor Camarasa’s spectacular late winner at the King Power Stadium. Cardiff have conceded five penalties this season, the highest number in the league and a tally matched only by Arsenal and Brighton. Morrison and Bamba have given away two each, with right-back Bruno Ecuele Manga responsible for conceding the other.