JUNIOR ON FIRE FOR CITY
GARY Madine and Armand Traore both made their Cardiff City debuts in the Bluebirds’ emphatic 4-1 win over Leeds United at Elland Road.
And fellow January recruits Yanic Wildschut and Marko Grujic also started the game against the Whites.
Here’s how the new recruits fared.
GARY MADINE
HAVING hinted that his £5million signing could play up top alongside Kenneth Zohore, Neil Warnock handed Madine his Cardiff debut at Elland Road, although it came at the expense of his Danish strike partner who started on the bench.
And it didn’t take long for the 6ft 3in forward to show why Warnock was so determined to sign the him from Bolton Wanderers during the winter window.
Madine won numerous aerial battles in the opening stages in West Yorkshire, and he was the focal point of the Bluebirds’ direct approach which paid dividends as they enjoyed the better of the chances in the first half.
He saw little sight of goal, although his all-round hold-up play was very impressive.
His physical presence helped to bring the likes of Junior Hoilett into the game, and the Canadian – along with Callum Paterson and Joe Ralls further behind him – ultimately did the damage that fired the visitors to victory.
Madine’s influence waned after the restart as 10-man Leeds got back into the game through Sol Bamba’s own goal, and he was later replaced by Zohore.
But, all in all, while there wasn’t any particular standout moment to get the 624 away supporters on their feet, there were some encouraging signs from Cardiff’s new frontman who showed how his physicality can benefit those around him.
ARMAND TRAORE
ONE minor lapse in concentration aside, the left-back enjoyed a very impressive debut at Leeds.
The man signed on loan from Nottingham Forest played a huge part in the Bluebirds’ opening goal as he charged down a clearance from the hosts before crossing for Callum Paterson to nod home.
And he proved to be a real threat on the left while also doing well to shackle Ezgjan Alioski when the Macedonian attacked his flank.
Traore was caught out on one occasion as a long ball sailed over his head to allow Alioski to break into the box midway through the opening half.
But Bamba nipped in behind to challenge the Leeds man, much to the relief of Cardiff’s new left-back.
That aside, Traore took his chance to shine with both hands after being thrust into the limelight following Joe Bennett’s sending off in the FA Cup fourth-round defeat to Manchester City, a red card that meant he was suspended for the trip to Leeds.
And there’s no doubt Warnock has a selection dilemma on his hands as Traore delivered an assured and confident display on his debut against Thomas Christiansen’s side, and one that makes you feel he could well become a regular fixture in Cardiff’s side for the remainder of the season.
MARKO GRUJIC
THE Serbian has featured in every game for the Bluebirds since moving to South Wales on loan from Liverpool in mid-January.
And, after a fairly inconspicuous start at Elland Road, Grujic really started to dominate the centre of the park in the win against Leeds, providing the platform for Cardiff to
run riot in the opening half.
He brought a much-needed link between defence and attack while he also added a robustness to Cardiff’s midfield. Grujic found the going tougher after the restart as Leeds rallied despite being down to 10 men following Gaetano Berardi’s dismissal on the brink of half-time.
And there were a few heart-inmouth moments for the Cardiff faithful and those in the away dugout as the second half wore on as Grujic lunged into challenges, and he was finally cautioned by referee Graham Scott for a sloppy foul on Leeds substitute Stuart Dallas.
It prompted Warnock into making an immediate change, sending on Greg Halford in place of the Liverpool loanee for the final 10 minutes of the game.
But while his display was somewhat erratic at times, make no mistake, this was a much-improved display from the midfielder who appears to be growing in confidence with every game that passes by.
YANIC WILDSCHUT
NATHANIEL Mendez-Laing was a surprise omission from Cardiff’s matchday squad, and Wildschut was the man who got the green light to start on the right of Cardiff’s front three.
And while the man on loan from Norwich City got himself in several dangerous positions, Wildschut didn’t carry anywhere near as great a threat as Junior Hoilett did on the opposite flank. You can argue that comparing the new wideman to Hoilett is somewhat unfair on the Dutchman.
But when he’s the player battling to force his way into the starting XI ahead of Mendez-Laing, supporters can enjoy a real positive feeling when you look at the competition for places in the Bluebirds squad under Warnock.
Cardiff briefly lost their way during the opening stages of the second half, and within seconds of Bamba’s own goal, Wildschut was hooked by Warnock who sent on Anthony Pilkington, the man who put the icing on the cake in the dying moments of the game.
Credit to Wildschut, he was defensively sound when the Bluebirds were under the cosh.
Offensively, though, you can’t help but feel there’s more to come from the 26-year-old.