Ken he fix it?
BLUEBIRDS ARE CRYING OUT FOR A GOAL SCORER... BUT IS THERE ANY HOPE ZOHORE WILL STEP UP TO THE PLATE?
LET us park relegation concerns for a moment and rewind to March and the game Neil Warnock remembers as the most pivotal to Cardiff City’s promotion last season.
Brentford fans bore witness to perhaps the most dramatic turnaround of Cardiff’s season, as a listless opening 25 minutes gave way to a performance of pace, power and physicality to secure a vital 3-1 win.
At the heart of it all, especially in the second half, was Kenneth Zohore – who must love Griffin Park, given it was where he opened his Bluebirds account back on Boxing Day 2016.
Earlier this year, it was vintage Zohore again. He bullied the Brentford back line and clinched a deserved goal to seal the victory late on. It was re-affirmation of his role as Cardiff’s No.1 striker after a barren run in January persuaded Warnock to splash £6million on Gary Madine. From February to May, Zohore proved as crucial to promotion as anyone, scoring five goals in victories that inspired Cardiff to second place.
Jump forward and the calls for Cardiff to sign a striker in January are now deafening, given Danny Ward’s header against Arsenal is the only goal their forwards have mustered in the Premier League.
But those calls weren’t so loud back in the summer; in fact many believed Zohore could make the step up with ease.
What’s gone wrong?
Let’s start with some personal circumstances that may be taking their toll.
Zohore’s wife gave birth to their first child in July, meaning the 24-year-old returned later than planned for pre-season, missing the games against Tavistock and Bodmin.
He didn’t look at his sharpest and leanest in any of his pre-season outings and scored only once, in a 5-1 win over Burton Albion.
But a slow start to pre-season – understandable in the context – usually has little or no bearing on what happens when the real action commences.
As an explosive and powerful striker you would actually expect Zohore to save his best for the big games.
His performances against Leeds (at home), Norwich (away) and that Brentford game certainly suggested he could make an impact in a higher division, despite a modest 2017/18 goal tally of nine. After all, this is a player who was linked with a £17million move to the Premier League in the summer of 2017.
Zohore has always been a confidence player, a streaky striker whose goals come in clumps. It’s quite clear he is at a low ebb right now. Perhaps he just needs that proverbial ‘goal off the backside’ to ignite a run of form.
Can Cardiff fix him?
Zohore’s detractors would argue he has always lacked the necessary quality to perform in the Premier League, with Cardiff’s search for a striker late in the summer window evidence that Warnock and his staff didn’t truly believe in Zohore.
They would also attribute Zohore’s hot streaks to Warnock’s fantastic man management. They would call the Dane a Championship striker at best. They would love a Troy Deeney, or a Jay Rodriguez in January.
But there are two long months – and nine crucial fixtures – until that window re-opens and Cardiff could be effectively relegated if they take their eye off the here and now.
Finding a way to reignite Zohore is still the best option rather than putting him out to pasture.
Madine, whose joyless and goalless stint at Cardiff lingers on and on, is another story. Zohore has at least shown he can find the net in a Cardiff shirt.
And while Danny Ward and Callum Paterson have done as well as you could hope up front, Warnock said it all a few weeks ago: “Theoretically Ken Zohore should be my main man, when he’s doing well he scores goals left right and centre.”
“He’s got to get the hunger back. “There’s only one person who can do that. We can only do so much. What’s that saying about taking a horse to water?
“He’s got to do more in training, which would make my job a lot easier.
“Apart from cooking him a meal I don’t know what else to do with Ken. He’s got to stand up and say ‘I want that shirt’. He’s got every attribute but it’s disappointing he’s not got to that level.”
What happens now?
Zohore’s absence from Cardiff’s matchday squad against Leicester was a new low. No injury explanation from the club, so we have to assume he was dropped. And that will hurt him.
Until the weekend, Warnock had still been keeping the Dane in reserve and felt compelled to send him on when the Bluebirds were pushing for an equaliser at Anfield.
Zohore will feel disappointed to have not converted chances in the three starts he has made this season: against Newcastle, Huddersfield and Burnley. Those three performances are counting against him.
The story about Warnock threatening to send Zohore “back to Belgium” when the veteran manager first arrived at Cardiff is famous. It was a brutal ultimatum but one that inspired some sensational form.
We may have reached that point again. An exit in January or a scintillating return to form, no half-measures.
And while one scenario looks much more likely than the other at the moment, Kenneth Zohore has made a habit out of proving people wrong. His situation is still recoverable but, as Warnock says, there’s only one person who can do it.