UNSTOPPABLE BLUEBIRDS?
IT’S CERTAINLY LOOKING THAT WAY AFTER CITY BATTERED LEEDS... SO WHO CAN CHALLENGE THEM?
CARDIFF City’s stunning win over Leeds has got football talking about the hugely-impressive job Neil Warnock has performed in south Wales.
On Tuesday night, they roared clear at the top of the Championship, part of a clutch of clubs thus far defying the pre-season bookmakers’ odds.
It is, of course, very early days and no-one should be getting too carried away about promotion to the Premier League at this stage.
But by the same token Bluebirds fans have every right to dream after some of the turmoil at Wales’ capital city club in recent years.
So, are Warnock’s men realistic contenders to keep this going right through until May? What about the other teams up at the top? And who will burst through the pack come 2018?
This is how we see things...
THE REAL PROMOTION CONTENDERS AMONGST THE EARLY PACE-SETTERS
CARDIFF CITY They were ranked no more than a mid-table side by most bookies and pundits before a ball was kicked, but Bluebirds fans knew their team were better than that.
Few foresaw the blistering start we have seen. The question is, can Cardiff carry on like this?
They have a superb defence, hard-working midfield and real pace and menace further forward with Kenneth Zohore, Junior Hoilett and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
It was always going to be about momentum with Cardiff more than any other side in the league.
Once on a roll, with the fans flocking back and making Cardiff City Stadium a fortress, they are going to be hard to stop.
But the biggest thing they have going for them is Neil Warnock. Been there, seen it, patented the T-shirt, he knows exactly what is required in the week-in, week-out grind of the Championship.
The hurly-burly of a Tuesday night top-of-the-table clash with Leeds amid a frenzied cup-tie atmosphere was right up Warnock’s street. It will have served as a huge learning curve for Elland Road boss Thomas Christiansen, who is new to English football.
It was almost like the master versus the pupil. The master’s team won hands down. ASTON VILLA Steve Bruce also knows the division well, so don’t discount his Villa giants. They started slowly, struggling to score goals. But they have won three Championship games on the bounce, should make it four at home to Bolton this weekend and have started the march up the table.
Currently eighth, they have the quality and strength in depth to be in the top-two mix.
They also have real experience in players like John Terry, Glenn Whelan, James Chester, Robert Snodgrass and Ahmed Elmohamady.
With Scott Hogan, Jonathan Kodjia, when fit, and Gabby Agbonlahor, goals really shouldn’t be the problem they were early on.
Villa’s problem is that every side will raise their game against them. But any team finishing higher than them should really win the league. WOLVES Spent big in the summer and should be in the mix with players of the calibre of Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota. The test will be for manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who lacks Warnock and Bruce’s Championship nous.
They certainly have the fan base, players and infrastructure to be a Premier League club once more.
There is also a huge expectation, while Molineux could be the fortress for Wolves that Cardiff City Stadium and Villa Park will be for the Bluebirds and Villa respectively. LEEDS UNITED They play pretty football and have some decent players going forward. But they lost at Millwall, lost at Cardiff and may lack the steel needed to be genuine top two, or even play-off, contenders. PRESTON NORTH END Have done remarkably well to roar into fourth spot, battering Warnock’s Bluebirds en route, but can they really last the test of time? Hard to beat, October games away to Fulham and Wolves will tell us a lot about Alex Neil’s side. IPSWICH Have been punching way above their weight thus far. Should drop away as the season progresses, but given Mick McCarthy’s expertise they may end up battling for the play-offs, but just missing out. SHEFFIELD UNITED There is a feel-good factor at Bramall Lane after they won the League One title last season. Have started like a house on fire and thrashed neighbours Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, but were beaten at Cardiff. Could stay in the mix for top six, but won’t push for automatic promotion. BRISTOL CITY An early-season surprise package, particularly after losing star man Lee Tomlin to Cardiff. Will harbour hopes of reaching the top six, but there are better sides around.
THE ONES THAT MAY DROP AWAY THE TEAMS TO WORRY ABOUT
FULHAM They have some of the best players in the league, notably Tom Cairney and 17-year-old Ryan Sessegnon, play the most easy on the eye football, but there are behind-the-scenes issues at Craven Cottage. Put those right and they’ll march towards the top. SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY They have style and can score goals.
Regular play-off contenders in recent seasons under Carlos Carvalhal, they should be again. DERBY Cardiff’s next opponents on Saturday have been surprisingly inconsistent, given a stellar squad and one of the most highly-rated young managers in the division in Gary Rowett, currently residing in 15th place. After years of being the ‘nearly men’, they’ll surely finish somewhere near the top.
THE OVER-RATED SIDES
MIDDLESBROUGH Actually, Garry Monk’s side could fit into various categories. With the forward power they have got they should be bracketed with Cardiff, Villa and Wolves as real automatic contenders. They should also be bracketed amongst the teams to worry about and could easily come up on the rails.
However, you just sense there is an inconsistency about ‘Boro, hot tips to be in the top two at the start of the season, but whose manager has yet to win a promotion. NORWICH Again highly-rated early on, more perhaps because of their name and recent record than anything else, but may end in mid-table unless German boss Daniel Farke can work wonders. HULL Because they came down they were expected to be real contenders to go straight back up. Forget it. A club in a mess, as shown by new manager Leonid Slutsky’s apology to fans after the 2-1 defeat to Preston. SUNDERLAND See the words above for Hull. Only difference is the Black Cats are even worse. AS FOR THE REST There are some Championship regulars amongst the also-rans, including Nottingham Forest, Reading and Birmingham. Forest and Reading will have fancied their prospects of a top-six finish, but it looks unlikely. QPR will be mid-table, too. Millwall, Burton, Brentford, Barnsley, Birmingham and Bolton will battle to avoid the drop.