Do Cardiff City have enough fire-power to survive in the Premier League this season?
By Jamie Kemble
Friday 20th July 2018
Neil Warnock has added four new players to the ranks so far, but do Cardiff have enough fire-power to sustain their Premier League status come the end of the season?
It might be a bit early to say, with their Premier League opener against AFC Bournemouth still a month away, but having enough attacking prowess going forward is essential in the top flight.
The Bluebirds spread the goals out last season, with the late emerging Callum Paterson being their top scorer, as he bagged 10 goals in 32 games, despite being injured in the opening few months of the campaign.
And although Dane striker Kenneth Zohore’s form improved when Gary Madine arrived in the Welsh Capital in January, he still struggled to find the net, as he ended the season with nine goals in South Wales.
Since Madine has arrived at the club, he has struggled, failing to score in the 13 appearances he made last season, and he has been criticised to whether he could find his feet in South Wales.
But he did make a good impression in the Bluebirds’ first game of their pre-season tour of Devon and Cornwall, as the former Bolton Wanderers striker netted twice.
One of the goals was a thunderbolt of a strike from 25-yards out, and it does maybe beg the question to whether he may have turned a corner ahead of what is set to be a grueling season in the top-flight for Warnock’s men.
In the Premier League, it is vital that the Bluebirds’ star players turn up, especially going forward. Warnock has already added the likes of Bobby Reid and Josh Murphy to Cardiff’s ranks – and they’re both players who could help their cause in an attacking sense.
Reid was in phenomenal form for Cardiff’s local rivals Bristol City last season, as the playmaker glittered, smashing home 19 goals for the Robins last season, and he will no doubt be a key asset as they prepare for life in the Premier League.
Another player who could play a massive part for the Bluebirds next season is Josh Murphy, who was signed from Norwich City in the summer. He buried seven goals next season, and if he plays consistently, he could play a massive part over the course of the season as well.
Danny Ward, who has been ruled out of action since December could also come into Warnock’s plans ahead of the new season. The striker scored a morale-boosting hat-trick in their recent friendly win over Bodmin as the Bluebirds thrashed the Cornwall-based outfit 11-1 and will also be eager to weave his way into the Cardiff side ahead of the new season.
There is, of course, the argument that Cardiff still don’t have the fire-power to compete in the Premier League, and Warnock may still have a marquee signing up his sleeve as it looks like the Yorkshireman may not just be done in the transfer market just yet, but the additions of Murphy and Reid have been astute.
Goals didn’t come at a premium for the Bluebirds last season, and in the Premier League, you do tend to need a talisman to ensure you have a shot of staying in the top-flight, but if Zohore can stay on form and Madine can re-ignite his Cardiff career, they will give themselves a fantastic opportunity of staying in the Premier League come the end of the 2018/2019 season.
There is no doubt that on paper, this team, especially with their spirit, determination and desire, have what it takes to stay up – and they have options at their disposal now, they need to make them count going forward as they aim to survive in the Premier League.
Last time, it didn’t quite work out in the top-flight as they were relegated, but they have a player in Zohore who is capable of scoring, supplemented with the technical ability and creativity of both Reid and Murphy in midfield, which could certainly help click this Cardiff team into gear ahead of their return to the Premier League.