Bac of the net! TO FILL IN FOR INJURED BENNETT?
BLUEBIRDS BOSS WEIGHS UP USING LEANDRO FURTHER FORWARD AFTER GOAL DOUBLE
IT had been 15 months since Leandro Bacuna had netted his last goal, the only one of the game in a slender 1-0 home win against Stoke City back in November 2019.
But, like buses, you wait an age for one to come and then two arrive almost simultaneously.
Against Derby County on Tuesday night, Bacuna put in a man-of-thematch performance, scoring twice as City blew the Rams away in a 4-0 thumping.
After a tired-looking display in the 1-1 draw up at Middlesbrough the previous weekend, manager Mick McCarthy was right to freshen things up for the midweek visit of Wayne Rooney’s side.
He took Harry Wilson and Josh Murphy out of the firing line, bold calls given how well they have been playing in recent weeks, and brought in Sheyi Ojo and Bacuna.
McCarthy, practically since day one, has talked up Bacuna. It is clear he rates him as a player and most certainly does not see him as a rightback.
But there was a bigger decision for McCarthy to make.
The system tweak he has implemented means the traditional box-tobox midfielder doesn’t really exist at Cardiff City at the minute. You are either a deep-lying midfielder or a No.10, essentially.
Bacuna had impressed in that No. 8 role last season, providing energy and dynamism to affect the game at both ends of the pitch, but now that position is seemingly defunct.
So, it was either a defensive remit or an attacking one for Bacuna. But one training-ground conversation early in McCarthy’s tenure put that debate to bed straight away.
“He came to me in the beginning and asked me, ‘What is your favourite position? I’m not seeing you as a right-back!’,” Bacuna said.
“I told him I was a midfielder, a No.6 or a No.8.
“He turned around and he said to me, ‘I see you more as an advanced
player, I think you’ve got the skills to score goals.’
“I’m just doing my best. I’ve always been a very versatile player who can play several positions. When I started off my career I was a striker! So I’m just trying my best and working hard, even if it is up front.”
Bacuna’s two goals were equally impressive on Tuesday night.
The first was a marksman-like finish. Having run in behind the defence, he lashed a left-footed effort low and hard, from a tight angle, and it whistled underneath Kelle Roos in the Rams goal.
The second was even better, a curled, first-time effort from 20 yards sent the ball flying into the far corner to put the game to bed at 3-0.
Those two strikes will only serve to further his claims as a No.10 in the longer term and McCarthy believes he is perfectly suited for it.
“He’s got skill, ability, power, pace, he’s very technical, he’s got a great touch, he can wander around and pick the ball up, he’ll run in behind for you,” McCarthy said of Bacuna.
“He is a really good, technical footballer and his goals have shown that.
“It’s great for him. Whenever he has come on he has done really well. The first game I picked him at Barnsley, but it wasn’t a game for him, that.
“The other lads have come in and done well, but he has always contributed when he has come on and that’s been brilliant.”
Bacuna will hope he has done enough to keep Wilson out of the team on tonight when they visit Huddersfield Town.
The Curacao international, course, will come up against brother, Juninho, up in Yorkshire.
“I spoke to him after the (Derby) game, they drew,” he said of his of his brother. “It would be nice to play against him. I think we have played against each other three or four times.
“I’m hoping I will get another start and he will get a start.
“It’s a funny one. When you are on the pitch, there is no brotherhood! Off the pitch, though, we are good friends again.
“It’s a footballer’s mindset. When you are on the pitch, there are really no friends.
“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do for your team and fight hard; even if he is your brother, we aren’t friends on the pitch!”
AFTER a near-perfect run of 10 games for Cardiff City manager Mick McCarthy, Tuesday night saw the first major injury setback of his tenure.
Joe Bennett’s nasty ACL injury was a blot on an otherwise brilliant night for the Bluebirds, who inflicted a 4-0 drubbing of Derby County at Cardiff City Stadium to move, albeit briefly, back into the play-off spots.
During the match, Bennett was carried off on a stretched deep into the first half, having received treatment for six minutes on the half-way line.
The early prognosis from McCarthy was that it “didn’t look good” and, unfortunately, his fears came to fruition.
On Wednesday, the club announced that Bennett had sustained an ACL injury which, realistically, looks likely to have ended his season.
After the news emerged, Bennett wrote: “Thanks for all the messages. I can’t wait to get going!! Really going to give it my all and I know I’ll be back better and stronger. Will keep you updated.”
With a dozen games to go, McCarthy has to fill the left-back berth for the rest of the campaign as he looks to continue City’s charge towards the play-offs.
Here, we look at the options he currently has at his disposal...
The obvious choice
The clear and obvious choice for McCarthy is Joel Bagan, who replaced Bennett during the clash with Derby in midweek.
Bagan started McCarthy’s first match in charge up at Barnsley with Bennett absent owing to a niggle, but has had to bide his time of late.
The club harbour high hopes for the academy product and noises coming from inside the club suggest he has got a big and bright future ahead of him with Cardiff.
The 19-year-old has gained many supporters during his fleeting appearances in a City shirt and Cardiff fans hope he can go on to be
the long-term occupant of that No.3 shirt in years to come.
He has shown already he is calm in possession, has a good head on his shoulders, is positionally very sound and, with each passing game, is growing in confidence in terms of running with the ball and attacking his opposite number.
One thing is for certain, McCarthy has no qualms in placing his faith in the youngster in the coming weeks.
“I’ve got absolutely zero worries about Joel Bagan,” the manager said on Tuesday night.
“He’s very unfortunate that he’s got such a good player and experienced player in front of him. Joe’s vastly experienced and a good player.
“But Joel has got big things ahead of him and is terrific.”
Switching sides
Shifting more into the left-field options, so to speak, there is one man who has perhaps been forgotten.
Jordi Osei-Tutu was excellent during his five appearances at right-back at the start of the season, but his campaign has been blighted by a horrific hamstring injury which has kept him out since October.
The club moved to sign Perry Ng back in January and the new signing has been one of the standout performers under McCarthy. It seems there is no way back in for Osei-Tutu
on that side of the defence.
But the Arsenal loanee, who is due back with the first-team squad on Monday, might now fancy his chances at left-back in light of Bennett’s injury strife.
He is certainly a big talent and one that, frustratingly, Cardiff fans have not seen enough of.
Like Ng, Osei-Tutu looked equally adept at the top end of the pitch as he did defending his own goal, indeed many believe his injury, and the subsequent shifting of Leandro Bacuna to right back, played a big part in City’s run of poor form under Neil Harris.
But his imminent return is timely, especially if he can play on the opposite flank, and will certainly give McCarthy some food for thought.
The back-up plan
With Greg Cunningham having made the switch to Preston, which has now become permanent, it meant Cardiff sought to bring Ciaron Brown back from his third loan spell up at Livingston.
Brown, like Bagan, has played most of his football in the club’s youth system at Cardiff, but gained a number of admirers during his spells up at Livi.
The Northern Ireland international can operate both as a centre back and as a left back and has a big long throw on him, all qualities McCarthy undoubtedly likes.
Indeed, when he took the job, McCarthy was tipped off by a friend of his who scouts up in Scotland who told him he had a real player on his hands and that he should recall him from his loan.
“My chief scout who I have had for years, one of my best mates, he watches the teams in Scotland, and the first thing he said to me was, ‘Eh, you’ve got a lad up here and you ought to bring him back’,” McCarthy said back in January.
That, of course, is exactly what McCarthy did.
Brown has had no first-team football under McCarthy as yet, but played for the club’s under-23s in their 5-4 defeat by Charlton Athletic on Monday.
He would be the obvious second choice, one would think.
The two rogue options
The way I see it, if none of the above options work out or, god forbid, another injury befalls one or all of them, then there are two rogue choices who could potentially fill in there.
If McCarthy decides to take a gamble and deploy a more attack-minded player there, then Junior Hoilett might find his home at left wing back.
We have seen his attacking potency just dwindle this term, but no one can deny he is a solid operator on that wing and his work-rate in defence is second to none for a winger. He will still be able to chop inside and send in those trademark crosses, too.
The other might well be Joe Ralls. Marlon Pack and Will Vaulks have struck up a lovely partnership in the middle of the park, while further forward Leandro Bacuna, Harry Wilson and Jonny Williams will no doubt battle it out for that No.10 slot.
So, if he is to force his way back into the team, it might just be out of position at left wing back.
He will have the cover in behind him if he gets caught out positionally on occasion and would certainly not reduce the attacking threat on that wing, while still being able to keep the width due to him being left footed.
It would seem, though, these final two rogue options might be the last in the pecking order.
And, lastly, one thing is for sure, Leandro Bacuna is definitely not an option.