2012/2013: 1st (Championship)
Player(s) In: Gary Medel (Sevilla, £11 Million), Steven Caulker (Tottenham, £8 Million), Andreas Cornelius (FC Copenhagen, £7.5 Million), Simon Moore (Brentford, Undisc), John Brayford (Derby County, £2 Million), Maximiliano Amondarain (Nacional Montevideo, Free), Kevin Theophile-Catherine (Rennes, £2.5 Million), Peter Odemwingie (West Bromwich Albion, £2.9 Million)
Player(s) Out: Heidar Helguson (Retired), Robbie Earnshaw (Released)
Transfers Review:
As Cardiff did not participate in last year's Premier League, I do not have a season review to compare my predictions to, as I have done with my previous blog posts. However, Cardiff have been very active in this transfer window, particularly with incomings, which should give me plenty to talk about. Having repeatedly shattered their transfer record (firstly for Cornelius, then Caulker, and finally Medel), Cardiff have made their spending power abundantly clear to the rest of those hoping to avoid relegation. In Steven Caulker in particular, the Bluebirds have a player that has proven himself at Premier League level with Tottenham, and I believe will be a valuable member of the first team squad. The other big money signings will undoubtedly play a part, but I feel that they may take some time to bed into the squad and get used to the physicality of the Premier League. Cornelius looks a powerful centre-forward, and I think he will contribute with many of Cardiff's goals this season.
Another pleasing aspect for Cardiff fans is that, as well as making several valuable additions to the squad, they have also managed to maintain the majority of their title-winning squad from last year. Of the playing squad, only Earnshaw and Helguson have departed, leaving a wealth of talent, many of whom will make the necessary step up from Championship to Premier League football. However, whether that will be sufficient to keep the Bluebirds in the top flight, only time will tell.
Pre-Season:
With the prospect of being back in the Premier League after over a decade of absence, I would have expected Cardiff to play as many friendly matches as possible, in order to prepare their players, and to gel their new recruits. Malky Mackay obviously agreed with these sentiments, and scheduled 5 pre-season matches. Even more encouragingly for the Bluebirds, of those 5, they lost just one, and had two positive victories. Beginning with an enthralling 4-3 win over Forest Green, Cardiff then suffered two disappointing results as youth players were tested and the new signings were given time to bed into the squad. A 1-1 draw with Cheltenham was followed by a 3-2 defeat against Brentford. However, this would prove to be their last failure.
August's two games would provide optimism for the Cardiff fans, suggesting that many of their players may have what it takes to make the step up to the Premier League. Firstly, a 1-0 win over Italian Serie A side Chievo Verona, where striker Kim Bo Kyung gave Malky Mackay's side a morale boosting win. Further was to follow, as Cardiff dispensed of La Liga side Athletic Bilbao. The Spanish side, who made the Europa League final 2 years ago, fell 2-0 down to goals from Whittingham and Campbell, before Iraola pulled on back. But the Bluebirds held on to record a morale boosting victory over a European-quality side. Performing in this manner on a regular basis will be the challenge for Mackay's side.
Key Players:
If Cardiff are to succeed on their return to the Premier League, they will need their big players to perform for them on a regular basis. As I mentioned, of their new signings, Steven Caulker will provide the steel in the defence, and will be the basis for many of the clean sheets they keep. The ex-Tottenham man is also a danger from set pieces at the other end, and may well pop up with a goal or two to steer the Bluebirds away from trouble.
Further forward, the passion and drive of their captain, hometown boy Craig Bellamy, will also be vital in ensuring they retain their Premier League status next year. His fiery nature tends to get him into trouble, but will also prove an inspiration to those around him, especially the younger players. He was the backbone of the Cardiff City Championship winning campaign last time around, and will be integral to any success the Bluebirds have this time around.
Key Fixture Dates:
(Based on derbies and who I consider to be their rivals)
14/09/2013: Hull vs Cardiff
26/10/2013: Norwich vs Cardiff
03/11/2013: Cardiff vs Swansea
04/12/2013: Stoke vs Cardiff
07/12/2013: Crystal Palace vs Cardiff
01/02/2014: Cardiff vs Norwich
08/02/2014: Swansea vs Cardiff
22/02/2014: Cardiff vs Hull
05/04/2014: Cardiff vs Crystal Palace
19/04/2014: Cardiff vs Stoke
Top Goalscorer:
Unfortunately for Cardiff, whilst Craig Bellamy will provide you running all day long, and will lay on a hatful of chances, he is unlikely to be the man to stick them away. Peter Whittingham, at times prolific in the Championship, I feel will be unable to exploit the same amount of space a division above. This is why I feel the honour of top goalscorer will fall onto the shoulders of one of either Andreas Cornelius, Fraizer Campbell or Nicky Maynard. I'm going to go with Cornelius. His European experience, strength and power will be assets in this league, and after a settling in period, I do fancy him to start putting a few away. However, I would be surprised if he got into double figures in the league.
Prediction:
With the money that their Malaysian owners have spent on players this summer, the expectation will very much be that the Bluebirds will escape the drop this time around. Unfortunately, with expectation comes pressure, a pressure not felt by many of their rivals. A team getting used to the transition to the Premier League does not need additional pressure heaped onto their shoulders. Ultimately, despite the emergence of a few Premier League class players, Cardiff's squad is not deep or experienced enough to survive this season. The English top flight may be 10% Welsh now, but I wonder how long that will be the case. I would be surprised if it were any longer than a year.
Cardiff City 2013/2014: 19th
No comments:
Post a Comment