The untimely demise of Kenneth Zohore and how Cardiff City can resolve a head-scratching problem
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=201731 Monday 5th November 2018
By Dominic Booth
What on earth has happened to that player who destroyed Leeds United last season?
What on earth has happened to that player who destroyed Leeds United last season?
Let us park relegation concerns for a moment and rewind to March and the game Neil Warnock remembers as the most pivotal to Cardiff City's promotion last season.
Brentford fans bore witness to perhaps the most dramatic turnaround of Cardiff's season, as a listless opening 25 minutes gave way to a performance of pace, power and physicality to secure a vital 3-1 win.
At the heart of it all, especially in the second half, was Kenneth Zohore — who must love Griffin Park, given it was where he opened his Bluebirds account back on Boxing Day 2016.
Earlier this year, it was vintage Zohore again. He bullied the Brentford back line and clinched a deserved goal to seal the victory late on. It was reaffirmation of his role as Cardiff's No.1 striker after a barren run in January persuaded Warnock to splash £6million on Gary Madine.
From February to May, Zohore proved as crucial to promotion as anyone, scoring five goals in victories that inspired Cardiff to second place.
Jump forward and the calls for Cardiff to sign a striker in January are now deafening, given Danny Ward's header against Arsenal is the only goal their forwards have mustered in the Premier League.
But those calls weren't so loud back in the summer; in fact many believed Zohore could make the step up with ease.
Cardiff City's Kenneth Zohore celebrates his last competitive goal — against Norwich in April (Image: PA)
What's gone wrong?
Let's start with some personal circumstances that may be taking their toll.
Zohore's wife gave birth to their first child in July, meaning the 24-year-old returned later than planned for pre-season, missing the games against Tavistock and Bodmin.
He didn't look at his sharpest and leanest in any of his pre-season outings and scored only once, in a 5-1 win over Burton Albion.
But a slow start to pre-season — understandable in the context — usually has little or no bearing on what happens when the real action commences.
As an explosive and powerful striker you would actually expect Zohore to save his best for the big games.
His performances against Leeds (at home), Norwich (away) and that Brentford game certainly suggested he could make an impact in a higher division, despite a modest 2017/18 goal tally of nine. After all, this is a player who was linked with a £17million move to the Premier League in the summer of 2017.
Zohore has always been a confidence player, a streaky striker whose goals come in clumps. It's quite clear he is at a low ebb right now.
Perhaps he just needs that proverbial 'goal off the backside' to ignite a run of form.
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