Ready to ring the changes
SATURDAY’S IMPACT SUBS COULD GET THEIR CHANCE AS BLUEBIRDS START THEIR EFL CUP CAMPAIGN
NEIL Warnock may have his sights firmly locked on a promotion charge with Cardiff City this season, but the manager wants to compete on multiple fronts.
Because while last season saw the Bluebirds dumped out of both cup competitions at the opening stage, Warnock — now with a newlyexpanded squad — isn’t prepared to lose focus in the same way.
He wants Cardiff to gather valuable momentum, generated by the 1-0 victory over Burton Albion on Saturday, secured by a morale-boosting late goal from Kenneth Zohore.
And though tonight’s Carabao Cup match against Portsmouth will see Warnock shuffle his pack somewhat, it provides a chance for those fringe players to press their case for more regular inclusion.
That’s especially true in the case of Nathaniel MendezLaing, Loic Damour and Danny Ward; the three new signings whose impact off the bench at Burton drew praise from the boss.
All three could make their first competitive starts for the Bluebirds against League One Pompey in the cup tie. All three could feasibly merit first-team inclusion against Aston Villa on Saturday given their displays at the Pirelli Stadium.
“I’m going to play some other lads,” admitted Warnock. “I’ll definitely play Murph (Brian Murphy) and one or two others, probably Mendez.”
The manager’s desire to rotate his squad is understandable of course, given that the mouth-watering league clash with Villa lies just around the corner.
With that in mind, the likes of Zohore, Aron Gunnarsson and Sol Bamba may well be rested. The young Danish striker has a battle with Villa captain John Terry to prepare for, let’s not forget. Gunnarsson will be tested against Glenn Whelan, Bamba against Scott Hogan and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
But while last season’s mediocrity was illustrated by limp defeats to Bristol Rovers and Fulham in the cups, Warnock knows the value of a cup run.
He gained notoriety with Sheffield United on a sparkling streak to the FA Cup semi-finals in 2003. The Blades were sunk by Arsenal in a controversial encounter that year, but Warnock’s side continued their meteoric rise with promotion to the Premier League three years later.
This time around, he’s given himself a year to propel Cardiff in the same direction. Which is why he won’t lie down against Pompey.
“I want to get through that (game against Porstmouth) if I can,” added Warnock. “I don’t see why we can’t have a run in the cup.”
The manager joked that his assistant (Kevin Blackwell) was demanding a full-strength side. But Warnock, forever the pragmatist, will pick and chose carefully. Following Kadeem Harris’ three-month lay-off, the Bluebirds can ill-afford more injury problems at this early stage of the season.
Promotion-chasing sides like Villa, who boast an expensively-assembled squad, blessed with depth, will deal with the rigour of the season. The Bluebirds are less well-stocked but nonetheless will ask their hungry players, starved of first-team football, to step up tonight.
“Blacky wants me to play the full team! He wants to win everything, “joked Warnock.
“But we’ve got to be a bit careful if I’m honest.
“Young (Matty) Kennedy has done very well in pre-season and I was disappointed that he had to miss out (at Burton). I said to him ‘you’ve done brilliant.’ He’s in front of Craig (Noone) at the moment so I will probably play Kennedy.
“So let’s have a look at some of these other lads.
“But it’s a great habit, winning, and we really want to give it a go.”