Only a few starting places still up for grabs – Warnock
CARDIFF City boss Neil Warnock says he knows ‘a majority’ of his team for the Championship opener with Burton Albion next week.
The Bluebirds ended their pre-season schedule on a high with a roundly convincing 4-0 win over Scottish Championship outfit Livingston at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday evening – a victory that has clearly left Warnock reasonably confident on the side he will pick for the trip to the Pirelli Stadiium.
Speaking after the game, Warnock said: “I know a majority of my team [for Burton]. Probably nine positions something like that. I’ll have to decide on the other couple.”
While pleased at the winger’s sharpness on Friday night, Warnock was critical of the timing of the tournament, which saw Hoilett’s Canada progress to the semi-finals before being knocked out by Jamaica.
Warnock added: “He’s not had a holiday has he?
“I don’t know how these competitions can last as long as they do. I can understand now why the African Cup of Nations is going to become a summer tournament rather than happening in January because it’s a nightmare for European teams.
“There’s no thought gone in there whatsoever to these tournaments.”
While Hoilett is likely to start should he be deemed fit, Warnock may have decisions to make in defence, particularly at full-back - an area where he appears to be thin on the ground.
With Jazz Richard sitting out, both Greg Halford and Bruno Manga filled in at right-back during Friday’s win, and Warnock was encouraged with what he saw from the latter.
“I think he [Manga] was comforta- ble. I said to him to go play there and I thought he coped with it very well, but we haven’t got many options there at the moment.
“Jazz has had a bit of a muscle tightness so I didn’t really want to put him on. The other two centre-halves needed a game really so I didn’t really want to take them off.
“I thought we were a bit thin again on the bench and you’ve got to keep looking at that really.”
But despite Warnock seemingly wishing he had more bodies to call upon, he has once again stressed that further incomings are unlikely.
He added: “Obviously you never say never but we could do with looking at the squad, we’ve got one or two lads who are available and if we could swap one or something like that. You don’t know what’s around the corner really.”
What can be said with some certainty is that Warnock is hugely excited by the prospect of the new season.
Having ended the 38th pre-season campaign of his managerial career on a high, the 68-year old admits he cannot wait to get started.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s one of my first clubs next week in Burton and John Terry’s first away game with Villa the following week and then Sheffield United at home, so it’s a good start to the season for me and I’m really excited by it.