Why Glatzel could be the key to Bluebirds’ play-off challenge
WE don’t know exactly how behindclosed-doors football will pan out, but with or without fans we do know plenty about Cardiff City.
They are resolute, hard to beat, heavily reliant upon set-pieces, give everything until the final whistle, – and have the occasional sprinkle of stardust that comes from Magic Man Lee Tomlin.
What the Bluebirds lack is the same thing that has been missing for the best part of a decade. A centre-forward who can score goals.
Hence why Neil Harris will probably embark down the Nell Warnock route again by playing Callum Paterson, a converted right-back remember, as his main striker when the season recommences against Championship leaders Leeds United this weekend.
Paterson’s work ethic, heading ability and determination to be first to every ball embodies the way the Bluebirds play, with a barrage of Will Vaulks throws or Joe Ralls set-pieces arrowed into the opposition penalty box.
But you just sense Cardiff can’t continue doing same old, same old if they are to soar into the top six in the coming nine matches, with a Premier League dream at the end of the rainbow.
Something needs to change and the enforced break has handed Harris an unexpected opportunity to take stock, re-evaluate and assess the best way forward to make that play-off charge a credible one.
The foundations are there, we know that. Even in not playing well this season, bar a handful of games, the Bluebirds have commendably remained in the fight. That is a real strength, so just imagine what they could achieve by suddenly getting it right.
An extra dimension is needed to start turning a plethora of hard-earned draws into wins - and that can come from playing a better style of football and finding a bloke to put the ball in the back of the net.
Step forward Robert Glatzel, the £5.5million man signed from German football who, it is fair to say, has hardly set the world on fire in his first season with the Bluebirds.
Glatzel was part of Warnock’s expensively assembled new spine to the team last summer as the manager went big, in every sense. None of the three have worked. As with Aden Flint and Marlon Pack, Glatzel found himself out of the team and, same as those two, will probably have to make do with a substitute’s shirt for Leeds.
But whereas Flint and Pack each had to be omitted because the team clearly needed more legs and energy, you just sense – certainly hope – there remains much more to come from Glatzel.
He needs to look upon these closing nine fixtures as a new beginning, his moment, because any striker who can bag close on a goal a game pretty much guarantees his team will make the play-offs. Particularly one as defensively robust and hard to beat as Cardiff.
Glatzel arrived with glowing references, having netted 17 goals in 29
Heidenheim appearances last season. Evidently Bundesliga 2 is a completely different kettle of fish to the Championship, though I guess we knew that anyway.
Despite a 6ft 4in frame, Glatzel has sometimes struggled with the abrasive and relentless nature of one of the toughest divisions in world football.
But part of Warnock’s thought process to sign him was swayed by the fact that Glatzel had just struck a hat-trick in a German Cup quarter-final against a Bayern Munich side containing World Cup winning defenders Mats
Hummels and Jerome Boateng.
Mug strikers don’t do that sort of thing.
Glatzel clearly has ability, we just haven’t seen enough of it yet as a mere five Bluebirds goals in 25 appearances, albeit some of them bit-part, would indicate.
Even by his direct style of play reputation, Warnock’s summer signings were an indication of a team that was going to play route one with bells on top.
Yet despite his size and stature, Glatzel is hardly John Toshack when it comes to heading the ball. It quickly became evident Paterson’s style better suits the way the Bluebirds play.
But without their passionate fans to roar them on, particularly from setpieces at the Canton End in the closing minutes of a game, Cardiff are going to require more subtlety, modify their tactics by keeping the ball better in the coming matches.
That will suit Glatzel, whose clever runs could see him get on the end of probing through balls from the likes of Tomlin, Junior Hoilett and Albert Adomah.