Fierce rivalry all set to spark Cardiff
CARDIFF City’s return to Championship action is almost here.
Leeds United travel to the Welsh capital looking to maintain their lead at the top of the table, while the Bluebirds are hellbent on kickstarting their charge for the play-off spots.
Here, we will try to answer the questions fans asked Bluebirds correspondent Glen Williams on social media as well as general topics around this weekend’s match.
The manager has said on more than one occasion that the preparation time has been less than ideal.
He stressed that it is the same for other teams, however, so he doesn’t think it will be a disadvantage.
In fact, Cardiff, in theory, have had four mini friendly matches – two against Cheltenham Town and two against Swansea City – while Leeds have had to settle only for in-house matches at their Thorp Arch training complex.
Harris said that the only way the style of football will change in a drastic way is through reshaping the squad in transfer windows. While there has been a three-month break, there have, of course, been no transfers, meaning the personnel is largely the same.
Harris is always one to keep his cards close to his chest, but he has been especially coy over injury news ahead of this weekend.
There is a feeling, especially during his press conference, that there are at least a couple of injury concerns within the ranks, but he wouldn’t be drawn on who that was in fear of giving Leeds United too much time to plan.
When asked about Tomlin, and indeed Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, he
has been effusive in his appraisal of their return to fitness, but often caveats it by saying: “How much of a part they will play on Sunday, I don’t know.”
So, is it smoke and mirrors? Or is he genuinely trying to wrap them up in cotton wool because he knows how much of an impact they can have and doesn’t want to risk further damage?
My honest opinion; if they are anywhere near fit you have to throw them in from the start.
Yes, the club have plans in place to show their support.
Sean Morrison said the players would be taking the knee, as we saw in the Premier League on Wednesday, while they will have T-shirts which allude to Black Lives Matter, too.
Thankfully, this is something my colleague at LeedsLive, Beren Cross, knows about. He said: “Last I heard was that a plane was becoming a more and more serious consideration.
“It is a hell of an early kick-off, we have to rule out an early coach journey on Sunday. If I get the green light I will be setting off between 5-6am to get there.
“If they go the night before or the morning of the game, I think they’re going to fly, I think that makes the most sense. They’re keeping their cards close to their chest because they know it is a controversial issue, especially with Wales’ different lockdown rules.”
Q: What’s the mood in the camp? GW: Very good, if the noises coming out of the club are anything to go by.
Sean Morrison said he has missed the banter and the camaraderie around the training complex and it has been good to get everyone back in again. Having Tomlin and MendezLaing back fit, too, has clearly boosted morale. So all seems well.
Q: How will they cope with behind closed-doors football?
GW: It’s a little bit of a lottery, isn’t it? It’s an alien concept to us all, this.
The Bluebirds fans have been incredible this season. They know they haven’t seen the greatest of football, at times, but they have stuck by the team through thick and thin.
Perhaps the only time there was a little controversy or discourse was when Josh Murphy was jeered off after a poor performance against Preston.
There is a school of thought which suggests players like him could flourish with no fans at the stadium, which is quite conceivable. If he does excel behind closed doors, that is quite the prospect for Cardiff fans because he can be very dangerous when on song.
Q: Is the run of fixtures favourable?
GW: It depends which way you look at it.
At first glance then obviously no, but it could be a blessing in disguise.
Cardiff face six teams still fighting for play-off spots in their nine remaining fixtures, so they could have had an easier run-in, that’s for sure.
The flipside of that, of course, is that so many of them become six-pointers. Beating a play-off rival helps to gather momentum from your perspective. So, I guess it’s a glass half-empty or glass half-full kind of scenario.
Q: What will happen in Leeds opener?
GW: Just giving my Magic-8 Ball a shake...
It’s so tricky, isn’t it? It’s difficult to predict what’s going to happen in a Championship match at any given time, but in these circumstances it becomes nigh-on impossible.
If I were to put money on it, though, I would plump for a draw.
I know that’s a cop-out, of sorts, because no team has drawn more games than the Bluebirds this year, but it just has that feeling, leading up to it.
That wouldn’t be a disastrous result for either team, by the way, and I think Cardiff would happily take that to get the wheels back in motion.
Q: How can fans watch the game? GW: The Cardiff-Leeds game will be broadcast both on Sky Sports Football (coverage from 11.30am) and on Cardiff City TV (for season-ticket holders only).