We’ve got no room to make mistakes now, insists Warnock
NEIL Warnock has warned his players that mistakes can no longer be tolerated if Cardiff City are to make their dreams of Premier League survival a reality – but insists he is still confident of his side’s chances of avoiding the drop.
The Bluebirds were dealt a chastening lesson in the ruthlessness of Premier League football on Saturday as top-of-the-table Chelsea, led by the imperious Eden Hazard, came from behind to cruise to what was eventually a comfortable 4-1 win at Stamford Bridge.
Having taken a shock early lead from Sol Bamba’s bundled effort, a well-taken brace from Hazard handed the hosts a deserved halftime lead.
Cardiff, despite not showing too much in the final third, enjoyed a decent spell after the break, but were ultimately undone by a costly final 10 minutes.
Bamba, who otherwise hadn’t put a foot wrong all afternoon, brought down substitute Willian with a reckless lunge inside the box, with Hazard duly converting the resulting spot-kick.
That one incident effectively meant that the game was put to bed before Willian got in on the act himself by thrashing home a fourth moments later, much to Warnock’s dismay.
As well as Bamba’s inexplicable challenge, Victor Camarasa and Joe Bennett were also deemed guilty of costly errors at Stamford Bridge and, having previously pushed out the ‘enjoy it’ mantra, Warnock now insists that such mistakes can no longer be tolerated.
“We’ve got to try to eliminate elementary goals,” he said. “They’re not just elementary in the Premier League, they’d be silly in the third division, let alone top flight. We haven’t got to gift goals, we’ve got to make them work hard for them.
“I can’t accept it,” he added. “I’ve got to say to the players ‘You can make a mistake once, but if you do it twice I’ve got to leave you out.’ You can’t keep making mistakes that cost us goals, we’ve got to eliminate them.
“So, if you want to be in the team you can’t make the mistakes. Not at this level.”
It’s a warning that comes ahead of another daunting clash for the Bluebirds, who take on champions Manchester City at Cardiff City Stadium next weekend, before they face the likes of Liverpool and Spurs next month.
Such a run would arguably send shivers down the spine of any manager
THIS surely has to be earmarked as a potential three points by every Cardiff City fan.
Following their defeat at Wolves, Burnley are yet to pick up a win in the Premier League this season, and have also seen their European dreams dashed by Olympiakos.
After such a sensational campaign from the Clarets last term, questions are now being asked of Sean Dyche, with a 0-0 draw with Southampton so far the only point picked up in five games.
There is the concern that exiting the Europa League may well leave Burnley’s squad feeling fresher over the next few weeks, but having already equalled a club record of four consecutive Premier League defeats, there’s no doubt that the pressure is on.
The likes of Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes and Sam Vokes all have the bidding for survival, but Warnock insists his team will not be intimidated into changing their approach.
“I don’t think we’re in awe,” he added. “I thought today we set up all right and I thought second half I felt we started really well.
“Yes we lack a bit of quality don’t we?
“When you look at one of their players has cost £50-odd million to play in midfield, that’s our squad.
“I don’t want to go with everybody behind the ball, not have a shot. We tried as hard as we could to attack with what we’ve got against a very good team.
“And we’re going to do that. We’ll do that next week against Manchester City.”
Having only secured two points from a possible 15 – both of which came against sides with 10 men – those tipping the Bluebirds for the drop are unlikely to have changed their minds, but Warnock himself remains confident that his team can soon start picking up the points they need, although he admits he may face a challenge in picking his players up again after such a difficult start.
“You haven’t got to get too down when you look at the circumstances because I think there are three worse teams than us,” he said.
“They’re a good group, and nobody likes losing. But what we’ve got to hope is that the results go for us, and they have today.
“When you look at Manchester City to come, Liverpool, Spurs, we’re going to be down there in the next few games. But I think we’re quite capable of getting good results, especially at home.
“Everyone is going to be down, because these teams are going to beat all the teams at the bottom.”