At the John Smith’s Stadium, it was not for the lack of chances. There was little quality on show from either side during the first hour but Jonathan Hogg’s red card gave Cardiff half an hour with a one-man advantage to go in search of that opening goal of the season. They seized the initiative but lacked the necessary quality to grab that opportunity.
Warnock said this week that he’s “got to probably try all” of his attacking options as he searches for the right formula and he ticked a few of those off the list in West Yorkshire. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing came back in for Junior Hoilett but the winger’s afternoon was brought to a premature end early on after a collision with Huddersfield keeper Ben Hamer, who also had to be replaced.
Callum Paterson was dispatched to provide the ammunition for Kenneth Zohore but the Cardiff centre-forward was made to feed on scraps while the hosts dominated the first half. Danny Ward, who Warnock felt this week was “flying”, took the place of Zohore just before Hogg’s red card changed the complexion of the game. Warnock’s final change saw Bobby Reid replace Victor Camarasa in an attempt to press home the advantage but despite the adventurous nature of Bluebirds’ front six, Jonas Lossl’s goal remained unbreached.
Eight of Warnock’s outfield players had at least one attempt on goal – though centre-forward Zohore was not one of them. Eleven of their 14 shots came when they had a one-man advantage but Lossl was made to work by only two of them.
It was a familiar story for Warnock, who admits his attacking puzzle is causing him sleepless nights. “I just wake up thinking about goals,” he admitted before heading to Huddersfield. “Where we can get goals from and how we can work harder to achieve that. At the top level, it’s harder to score goals. The worry is that we were in good positions against Newcastle and it didn’t materialise to anything substantial.”
The manager will be no less restless this week – and the task is about to get considerably harder. Whereas Huddersfield went into Saturday’s meeting having faced the champions and the FA Cup winners in their opening two games, Cardiff’s start, on paper at least, was far more kind. After meetings with Bournemouth, Newcastle and another likely relegation battler today, the Bluebirds’ next three assignments have a far more daunting look: Arsenal and Manchester City at the Cardiff City Stadium with a trip to Chelsea sandwiched in between.
The only consolation for Warnock is that his men are finding openings. They currently rank fifth in the Premier League in terms of chance creation (29). That 25 of those have come from open play dispels the myth that the Bluebirds rely too heavily on set-pieces.
But Warnock’s men have to show the necessary quality to make the most of such chances. The fact that the eight midfielders and forwards who featured at Huddersfield have three Premier League goals between them – all courtesy of Harry Arter at Bournemouth – offers no guarantees that this profligacy is merely a blip.
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Originally Posted by delmbox
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