City stars fail their audition for Premier
IT was difficult for Neil Warnock to display much emotion in the wake of Cardiff City’s Carabao Cup exit.
A 3-1 defeat to Norwich City, Warnock admitted, threw up more questions for the manager when he was looking for answers.
With a crucial game against Arsenal around the corner there was a chance for some fringe players to put a very firm marker in the ground.
Yet the limp nature of the performance will mean several stars must now wait a little longer before getting a Premier League opportunity.
So, who failed their audition against Norwich?
You couldn’t fault Madine in the air against the Canaries, but with the ball at his feet he was found wanting once more.
As the former Bolton frontman’s search for a Cardiff goal lingers on, the less the Bluebirds fans seem to trust him.
And although Madine almost proved everyone wrong by slotting home a free-kick on the cusp of halftime, that was to be his only major chance. For some reason he delayed a perfect shooting chance in the second half and Cardiff looked much more threatening when Warnock paired Danny Ward and Kenneth Zohore up front in the latter stages.
With Zohore struggling for form in the league, it’s actually Ward rather than Madine who looks in pole position to capitalise – although Warnock will probably stick with the Dane against Arsenal this weekend.
Like Madine, Harris is a player who must feel he had a huge opportunity to force his way into the first team -- and fluffed his lines.
Injuries to wide players Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Junior Hoilett will most likely leave Warnock short of options for the Gunners clash, but on this evidence Harris isn’t the man to get the nod.
There was the odd flicker, a burst of pace here and there, but Harris squandered a big chance to pull a goal back towards the end when he raced through and shot, tamely, straight at Michael McGovern.
Expect Warnock to go with either Bobby Reid or Callum Paterson on the right flank on Sunday.
When Cardiff signed Smithies debate immediately raged over who would become the first choice in goal, given the former Queens Park Rangers shotstopper’s pedigree and Neil Etheridge’s occasionally inconsistent form.
Yet all the signs this season are that Etheridge is the man and the deserved No.1.
The Philippines international has saved two Premier League penalties and has two Premier League clean sheets to his name, while Smithies looked shaky against Norwich.
His distribution was wayward and you felt he should have done better for the Canaries second and third goals.
There was also an incident early in the second half when he spilled Tom Trybull’s shot to allow Todd Cantwell to follow-up, fouled the onrushing youngster but was saved by an offside flag.
It would surely have been a Norwich penalty with Smithies at fault.
Smithies will get a first-team chance when Etheridge goes away with the Asian Cup at the turn of the year, but on recent evidence it’s hard to see the new keeper getting much game time before then.
It’s perhaps harsh to include Richards on this list given he was forced to play in an alien position – more advanced than usual on the right wing – but if Warnock was looking for alternatives in an attacking wide position then Richards isn’t the man to replace Mendez-Laing.
It seems Warnock isn’t considering Richards as a right-back option either, given that Lee Peltier played there against Norwich with Bruno Manga the apparent first choice as things stand.
The Welshman’s injury travails hampered his progress last term and game time could be difficult to come by this season too.