' The player that Cardiff are badly missing? '
Wed Sep 21, 2016 10:32 am
' The player that Cardiff are badly missing? '
ON LOAN IN 2015-16 SEASON LEX IMMERS WAS ONE OF CARDIFF CITY'S BEST PLAYERS.
Cardiff City then sign Lex Immers on a two year deal and now he sits on the Cardiff City bench.
What's happened to Cardiff City star Lex Immers? Here's why the Dutchman is floundering
Wednesday 21st September 2016
BY DOMINIC BOOTH
Lex Immers has found himself on the bench at Cardiff City Stadium after a dramatic loss of form
It seemed like the perfect move.
When Lex Immers joined Cardiff City on a two-year deal in May, hopeful Bluebirds fans believed the club's transfer dealings were starting to head in the right direction. Immers' permanent transfer made sense, lots of sense.
Having impressed during a 15-game loan spell from Feyenoord in which he scored five goals, Immers was the Bluebirds' first signing since a transfer embargo on the club was lifted by the Football League. It was also the first signing after Russell Slade left his role as manager.
Slade was acting as Cardiff's new Head of Football at the time and was believed to be instrumental in elongating Immers' stay in South Wales.
But the 30-year-old forward is floundering this season. He's started six games and had just one shot on target before being dropped to the bench. He's attempted three crosses in those matches and none has found its target.
Trollope has quickly lost patience with Immers. He was an unused substitute at Preston and only came on for the final few minutes against Leeds United.
So why is he struggling this season?
One possible explanation for Immers' dramatic dip in form is that Paul Trollope hasn't found a formation which suits the wiry Dutchman.
'Square pegs in round holes' has been a phrase often used by supporters when describing Trollope's favourite 5-3-2 formation, which hasn't allowed Immers the roaming room in which he thrived last season. 4-3-3 has not suited Immers either.
Under Slade, Anthony Pilkington was pushed forward with Immers dropping in between the lines. The blonde bombshell at his best was devastating, linking a flat midfield four with the potent Pilkington.
The Dutch forward was memorably pivotal in the Bluebirds' impressive 2-0 win at Bristol City, sweeping home from Joe Ralls' cross to silence three-quarters of Ashton Gate. Cardiff supporters roared the name of their new loan signing. There was genuine hope that Immers could fill the creative void that was never quite filled by the likes of Mats Daehli and Kim Bo Kyung.
" Player Stats — Lex Immers "
GeneralAttackDefenceDistributionDiscipline
General
Games Played
7
Minutes Played
465
Starts
6
Interceptions
11
Substitution On
1
Substitution Off
4
Duels Won
43.8%43.8%
Aerial duels won
41.7%41.7%
But in a 5-3-2 this season Immers has often found himself playing in a midfield three.
Either that or he's been up front alongside Frederic Gounongbe or Kenneth Zohore. That doesn't allow Immers the space to drop deeper into the Number 10 role because three central midfielders are running from deep into that space.
Simply put, Immers has been rather wasted in a 5-3-2.
And with the recent 4-3-3 formation Trollope deployed at home to Leeds United , Immers was benched in favour of an out-and-out wide man in Craig Noone.
It appears the frustration has certainly got to him, with the Dutchman seeming off the pace and lacking the impressive hunger he consistently showed last season.
It's worth noting, however, that Immers has regularly played as part of a midfield three in the Netherlands, a nation where the vast majority of teams play in a 4-3-3. At his best, he should be able to bring a technical ability and a forward thinking presence that other Cardiff midfielders perhaps don't possess.
The player that Cardiff are badly missing?
What perhaps is the most frustrating element of this poor run of form is that in his pomp, Immers is exactly the kind of player that Cardiff have been missing.
At the moment, there is an obvious absence of the kind of player who can link midfield and attack, to get in support of the striker and most crucially of all, make those late runs into the box that can catch defences flat-footed.
He did time and time again last season: the back post header at Craven Cottage to give Cardiff the lead, the wonderful finish to put the Bluebirds out of sight against Brighton during that brilliant 4-1 win.
Immers was at pains to point out in pre-season that Cardiff fans should not be expecting the same kind of prolific form from him this season, as he was pushed a bit deeper into midfield.
It is probably as frustrating for Paul Trollope as anyone that he had to push Immers further forward again after Frederic Gounongbe's confidence appeared to dip early in the season.
In the final throes of the Leeds defeat, Cardiff badly needed that player to make supporting runs for Rickie Lambert and to break the opponent's defensive line. Immers could well be the man for the job.
Can Immers rediscover his form?
The Dutchman is not short of well-wishers in South Wales. His talents are clear to see and the Bluebirds fans' frustration at his mis-use has been tangible.
Trollope could potentially solve the Immers dilemma by deploying a 4-2-3-1 with Aron Gunnarsson and Peter Whittingham at the base, Immers in a central position behind Rickie Lambert and Noone and Pilkington out wide.
Whether the Dutchman recaptures his form could be down to his own confidence. No goals and just one shot on target this season makes for painful reading and Trollope will be praying his forwards can find their form at Rotherham on Saturday.
If the Bluebirds are to climb off the bottom and up the league, Immers' form will be critical.
ON LOAN IN 2015-16 SEASON LEX IMMERS WAS ONE OF CARDIFF CITY'S BEST PLAYERS.
Cardiff City then sign Lex Immers on a two year deal and now he sits on the Cardiff City bench.
What's happened to Cardiff City star Lex Immers? Here's why the Dutchman is floundering
Wednesday 21st September 2016
BY DOMINIC BOOTH
Lex Immers has found himself on the bench at Cardiff City Stadium after a dramatic loss of form
It seemed like the perfect move.
When Lex Immers joined Cardiff City on a two-year deal in May, hopeful Bluebirds fans believed the club's transfer dealings were starting to head in the right direction. Immers' permanent transfer made sense, lots of sense.
Having impressed during a 15-game loan spell from Feyenoord in which he scored five goals, Immers was the Bluebirds' first signing since a transfer embargo on the club was lifted by the Football League. It was also the first signing after Russell Slade left his role as manager.
Slade was acting as Cardiff's new Head of Football at the time and was believed to be instrumental in elongating Immers' stay in South Wales.
But the 30-year-old forward is floundering this season. He's started six games and had just one shot on target before being dropped to the bench. He's attempted three crosses in those matches and none has found its target.
Trollope has quickly lost patience with Immers. He was an unused substitute at Preston and only came on for the final few minutes against Leeds United.
So why is he struggling this season?
One possible explanation for Immers' dramatic dip in form is that Paul Trollope hasn't found a formation which suits the wiry Dutchman.
'Square pegs in round holes' has been a phrase often used by supporters when describing Trollope's favourite 5-3-2 formation, which hasn't allowed Immers the roaming room in which he thrived last season. 4-3-3 has not suited Immers either.
Under Slade, Anthony Pilkington was pushed forward with Immers dropping in between the lines. The blonde bombshell at his best was devastating, linking a flat midfield four with the potent Pilkington.
The Dutch forward was memorably pivotal in the Bluebirds' impressive 2-0 win at Bristol City, sweeping home from Joe Ralls' cross to silence three-quarters of Ashton Gate. Cardiff supporters roared the name of their new loan signing. There was genuine hope that Immers could fill the creative void that was never quite filled by the likes of Mats Daehli and Kim Bo Kyung.
" Player Stats — Lex Immers "
GeneralAttackDefenceDistributionDiscipline
General
Games Played
7
Minutes Played
465
Starts
6
Interceptions
11
Substitution On
1
Substitution Off
4
Duels Won
43.8%43.8%
Aerial duels won
41.7%41.7%
But in a 5-3-2 this season Immers has often found himself playing in a midfield three.
Either that or he's been up front alongside Frederic Gounongbe or Kenneth Zohore. That doesn't allow Immers the space to drop deeper into the Number 10 role because three central midfielders are running from deep into that space.
Simply put, Immers has been rather wasted in a 5-3-2.
And with the recent 4-3-3 formation Trollope deployed at home to Leeds United , Immers was benched in favour of an out-and-out wide man in Craig Noone.
It appears the frustration has certainly got to him, with the Dutchman seeming off the pace and lacking the impressive hunger he consistently showed last season.
It's worth noting, however, that Immers has regularly played as part of a midfield three in the Netherlands, a nation where the vast majority of teams play in a 4-3-3. At his best, he should be able to bring a technical ability and a forward thinking presence that other Cardiff midfielders perhaps don't possess.
The player that Cardiff are badly missing?
What perhaps is the most frustrating element of this poor run of form is that in his pomp, Immers is exactly the kind of player that Cardiff have been missing.
At the moment, there is an obvious absence of the kind of player who can link midfield and attack, to get in support of the striker and most crucially of all, make those late runs into the box that can catch defences flat-footed.
He did time and time again last season: the back post header at Craven Cottage to give Cardiff the lead, the wonderful finish to put the Bluebirds out of sight against Brighton during that brilliant 4-1 win.
Immers was at pains to point out in pre-season that Cardiff fans should not be expecting the same kind of prolific form from him this season, as he was pushed a bit deeper into midfield.
It is probably as frustrating for Paul Trollope as anyone that he had to push Immers further forward again after Frederic Gounongbe's confidence appeared to dip early in the season.
In the final throes of the Leeds defeat, Cardiff badly needed that player to make supporting runs for Rickie Lambert and to break the opponent's defensive line. Immers could well be the man for the job.
Can Immers rediscover his form?
The Dutchman is not short of well-wishers in South Wales. His talents are clear to see and the Bluebirds fans' frustration at his mis-use has been tangible.
Trollope could potentially solve the Immers dilemma by deploying a 4-2-3-1 with Aron Gunnarsson and Peter Whittingham at the base, Immers in a central position behind Rickie Lambert and Noone and Pilkington out wide.
Whether the Dutchman recaptures his form could be down to his own confidence. No goals and just one shot on target this season makes for painful reading and Trollope will be praying his forwards can find their form at Rotherham on Saturday.
If the Bluebirds are to climb off the bottom and up the league, Immers' form will be critical.
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Re: ' The player that Cardiff are badly missing? '
Wed Sep 21, 2016 11:34 am
pt struggling to get "BEST PLAYERS" into his formation watched in horror at norwich immers in centre midfield square peg in round hole never has gone dropped whitts to accommodate not helped with ralls really struggling I know pt kept saying we were unlucky and deserved more at norwich in truth we was always second best I think pt always wanted to play RL/AP/LI but just will not go into his ideal formation
Re: ' The player that Cardiff are badly missing? '
Wed Sep 21, 2016 11:45 am
Think we are missing O'Keefe more
Re: ' The player that Cardiff are badly missing? '
Wed Sep 21, 2016 11:53 am
avondaleblue wrote:Think we are missing O'Keefe more
THIS IS THE TRUTH
Re: ' The player that Cardiff are badly missing? '
Thu Sep 22, 2016 12:35 pm
Sometimes you got to play players when they are having a bad time some times it's just there condfidence that they need back I wish kadeem Harris what get more of a run in the team but I'm sure immers will be back I don't think it's about having the right system for him