Can Watters now get the goals flowing?
HEADING into the new campaign, Cardiff City manager Steve Morison threw his backing behind a seemingly renewed and re-energised Max Watters.
Watters appeared to enjoy the wholesale changes to both squad and style in pre-season and looked a perfect fit for the new system as we headed into the new campaign.
He was the nailed-on first choice up front and will likely continue to be.
There is a balance to be struck, of course, but Morison appears to have placed a lot of trust in Watters and there is a belief that he will come good in a Bluebirds shirt.
Indeed, on the eve of the season, the manager was glowing in his praise of the striker.
“I am excited by him,” he said. “One thing he can do is put the ball in the back of the net. And he can like nobody’s business. He is so sharp.
“He hasn’t come out of his shell yet, but he is starting to and it’s a sign that he is in a much happier place. I’m really pleased with what he’s done so far this summer. He has all the attributes to be a top striker.”
It is a question, then, of when those attributes and that potential represents goals on the pitch. In 13 Bluebirds outings, the 23-year-old has only one goal to his name. It is not panic stations by any stretch, and he will get the backing of the manager to get it right to an extent, but goals are his currency and the metric by which he will be judged.
Against Norwich, Morison waited for the hour mark before he hooked Watters for Mark Harris. Watters led the press well against the Canaries and linked play relatively well, too, but did not look a goal threat.
Against Reading on Saturday, Watters was less effective and the manager only afforded him seven second-half minutes before substituting him.
That decision was met by a telling reaction from the striker. When his number 36 flashed up on the board, he turned to the dugout, shrugged his shoulders and dropped his head in exasperation. Romaine Sawyers had to console the forward during his trudge off.
In some ways, it’s a positive reaction. No manager will want to see their players happy to be removed from proceedings, but it told its own story.
As things stand, Cardiff have three strikers who are unproven at this level. While Morison in theory has preferred Watters for the first two matches of the season, there is not much separating Watters, Harris and new signing from Tottenham Kion Etete.
Watters’ reaction was one of a man who knew another opportunity to nail down his first-choice tag had perhaps slipped him by.
Etete wasn’t brought in to carry the water bottles. He represents serious competition to Watters’ starting berth, despite only being handed his Championship debut on Saturday. He is an untested talent at this level but Cardiff saw enough in him to fork out half-amillion quid, so he will get his share of chances, one suspects.
And then there is Harris, a player many believe is a better player coming off the bench rather than from the off. He has only six Championship goals to his name and just two of those have come as a starting player.
Cardiff will have Isaak Davies returning later this month after he missed pre-season with a knee injury. But he has only two goals in 28 Championship games.
Cardiff’s four strikers are all aged between 20 and 23. Between them, they have 95 Championship appearances and just nine goals.
It’s the gamble you take when you place so much faith in youth and try to build value into your squad, but it almost means there is no natural hierarchy.
For the short term, it will be interesting to see who is given the nod against Portsmouth tonight. Who will shoot out of the traps as the frontrunner and snatch the shirt?
It’s certainly up for grabs at the minute.