Tue Mar 14, 2017 10:59 am
Why Birmingham draw showed Cardiff still need a new striker
By Jamie Kemble
Tuesday 14th March 2017
The Bluebirds dropped points in the dying seconds for the second time in a week against Birmingham it highlighted why Warnock still needs to invest in a striker this summer.
The Bluebirds took the lead in a drab affair at the Cardiff City Stadium through a Joe Ralls penalty after Sean Morrison was pulled down by former Stoke City defender Ryan Shotton, before Lukas Jutkiewicz pegged the Bluebirds back in the dying seconds of the game.
However, many inside the Cardiff City Stadium believe Cardiff should have had the game wrapped up by the time Jutkiewicz grabbed Birmingham’s equaliser. Ultimately, The Bluebirds were made to pay for poor finishing in the final third of the pitch.
Kenneth Zohore was ineffective for much of the game in spite of being in fine form prior to the game against Birmingham – having scored seven in his last eight games. However, that didn’t stop the big Dane stinging the hands of Tomasz Kuszczak in the Birmingham goal with a thunderous long effort drive.
The 23 year-old was an isolated figure throughout, though, and he struggled to get into the game, but it must be noted he wasn’t helped by those around him with the lack of service he was receiving.
In this particular game Cardiff could have done with having an extra striker at their disposal to support Zohore. Recently, Warnock claimed the forward may have saved him more than £1 million pounds, but with injuries hitting the squad, and Zohore being isolated, The Bluebirds struggled to create chances, especially in the first-half.
With the lack of depth up front – especially with Lambert’s injury problems, Warnock may now be forced into signing another striker to support Zohore, or bringing back Idriss Saadi to give the Bluebirds more options up front as the Bluebirds get ready to mount a promotion charge next season.