Originally Posted by
The Lone Gunman
There's no doubt that City's results improved significantly in the 22 games after Mick McCarthy took control in January. His impressive record from the first eleven matches he was in charge reads as follows:
Won 7, Drew 4, Lost 0, Scored 23, Conceded 7, Points 25
Things levelled out considerably after that incredible start and the record in McCarthy's last 11 games was as follows:
Won 3, Drew 5, Lost 3, Scored 13, Conceded 14, Points 14
But what about the football itself? Was it more entertaining and better to watch under McCarthy than it had been under Harris, as some contributors have suggested? Was the style pretty much the same? Or was the football even more basic? Obviously, the answers to those questions are entirely subjective, but personally I don't believe the style of City's play became any more attractive under McCarthy. If anything, I thought it became even more attritional than it was under Harris.
Of course, Big Mick was only working with the hand he'd been dealt. Next season will be the real test as regards how his team plays. Nevertheless, I thought I'd take a look at the stats from the match reports on the BBC football site from 2020/21 and see if they provide any clues about what we can expect in 2021/22 from Mick McCarthy's Cardiff City.
In the first 24 Championship games while Neil Harris was manager, City averaged a shade under 48% possession. The side averaged 11.7 shots per game, of which an average of 4 were on target.
In the 22 Championship games overseen by Mick McCarthy, City averaged a fraction over 41% possession. The team averaged 11.3 shots per game, of which an average of 4.5 were on target.
In 24 games under Harris, City's possession stats were 50% or higher on 13 occasions. In McCarthy's 22 games, the figure was just 5.
Under Harris, City's possession stats were 35% or less on 3 occasions in 24 games. Under McCarthy, that figure was 8 in 22 games.
So, City tended to have significantly more of the ball under Harris than they did under McCarthy and the tallies for both shots at goal and shots on target were broadly similar. The team converted marginally more chances under McCarthy (an average of 1.6 goals per game compared to 1.2 goals per game under Harris), but the biggest difference was in the defensive figures - an average of 1.5 goals conceded per game under Harris, but just 0.9 goals per game conceded under McCarthy.
These stats can be interpreted in a number of ways, but my view (based not only on the stats but what I've witnessed while watching the team on TV this season) is this: I don't think the football became any better to watch after Harris was sacked and on occasions it was a good deal worse. However, as a rule, the side was much better organised under McCarthy and the defending was consistently better.
Transfer windows are always interesting to a degree, but this year's will be even more so as Big Mick shuffles his pack. I like McCarthy as an individual and I'm hopeful he'll bring in a few players who will make his team better to watch, but based on the evidence so far, those hopes aren't particularly high.
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