Match Day Thread Cardiff City v Watford, Fug Me...Could We Win This By A Goal Or Three ?

Sorry MP, I messed that up

City were Div 3 bound. Watford were Div 1 bound. City were totally outclassed and outplayed but managed a 2-0 win with a late breakaway by Tarki to seal it. A rare good day in a dismal season.

 

Cardiff are hoping midfielder Victor Camarasa will be fit to start against Watford following a calf injury.

Camarasa, who came off the bench against Southampton, could be joined in the squad by Sean Morrison, five weeks after he had an appendix operation.

Watford trio Roberto Pereyra, Isaac Success and Sebastian Prodl are available after injuries.

Kiko Femenia, who has a hamstring problem, is the only player unavailable to head coach Javi Gracia.

• Warnock: Sala deal could have been done better

@alistairmann01: That Neil Warnock has been in Argentina attending the funeral of Emiliano Sala puts into genuine perspective how trivial attempting to stave off relegation seems in comparison.

In his own words: "Things like this don't happen in football. I have been a manager nearly 40 years and I've never known anything like this."

This terrible tragedy has brought the entire club together and, as their recent performances prove, the players have been playing with an honesty and a commitment which demonstrates their unity. In truth, unlike others in the relegation scrap, they are simply numb to the pressure.

Secure in mid-table, Watford are also playing with freedom and this could turn out to be a truly entertaining encounter.

Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock: "To get three wins on the trot in the Premier League for a club like Cardiff is nigh-on impossible.

"Watford are probably the best team in the league outside the top six. They're a strong, physical side who have got good players and, although it was 3-2 down there, they beat us well.

"But in adversity you tend to pull together and that's been the situation here. What's happened has made us play more of a tempo. We've got good players, and it's about believing in ourselves."

Watford head coach Javi Gracia: "Cardiff need the points and I must convince my players we need them as well. We have to show it.

"I know how difficult it will be for us to win on Friday. It will be a demanding game as they are in their best moment of the season after winning two games [in a row]. Playing there will be difficult.

"They have changed something, with some players, some players in other positions. They have another balance and now they are competing better."

I backed Watford to win at QPR in the FA Cup because I thought they could match the Championship side physically, and I think it will be a similar story here.

Prediction: 1-2

Lawro's full predictions

Head-to-head

• Watford have earned successive victories in this fixture and could equal their longest league winning streak against Cardiff.
• However, Cardiff have lost just one of the last six league meetings in Wales (W4, D1).

Cardiff City

• Cardiff are vying to win three consecutive top-flight league games for the first time since February 1961.
• The Bluebirds could keep three top-flight home clean sheets in a row, a feat they last achieved in 1953.
• They are one short of 100 top-flight home defeats.
• Cardiff have already matched the seven Premier League wins they managed in their entire previous top-flight campaign in 2013-14.
• No team has scored more 90th-minute goals in the Premier League this season than Cardiff's five.
• Fifteen of their past 18 Premier League goals were scored in the second half.

Watford

• Watford have only lost one of their past 10 matches in all competitions (W5, D4).
• They have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
• The Hornets could equal the club top-flight record of three consecutive clean sheets.
• All 10 of Watford's Premier League victories this season have come with Abdoulaye Doucoure in the starting line-up.
• Troy Deeney has failed to score in his seven league appearances against Cardiff.

 

Good stuff masky, back on track with dates. Looking forward to this one.
Going to be tough, but no reason why we can't take points from this and the toffees on Tuesday (don't miss that one masky ).

 

Wot sort of toffees pal?

 

Chewy ones.

 

Ouch....

 

too much tinkering methinks come on Neil .......if it ain't bust don't friggin fix it

 

Sorry guys, I don't think your defence did you many favours. You probably should have had a penalty first half, but it only looked certain on the replays, so maybe we shouldn't be too hard on the ref. It has to be a very difficult time for your club, and many across the whole football family feel your sadness, but you really do need to get and sort out how to deal with a fleet-footed winger. Best of luck with the fight. I would rather see you win through than another team that I will not name.

 

What was Warnock thinking of?

Had he not watched Watford before?

Why change the defence to allow Morrison back in?

He should have taken Morrison off at half time, brought on Gunners and gone 4-4-2 and changed it out wide.

How many of their goals did we gift? 5.

Irrespective of the ref, who was parks standard and missed an obvious penalty, we were 2nd best overall but at 0-1 we looked likelier to score than them until we allowed them an inexcusable breakaway.

But to be fair to Watford they had a quality midfield but they were allowed so much room and received so many stray passes and were faced with a statuesque and flimsy defence, they only had to do the basics in our penalty area to score time and time again.

Don’t know where we go from here? Plenty of changes for Everton hopefully with Morrison told to stay at home as he was painfully bad tonight. Please Victor be fit!

 

Is Warnock tactically inept? I was amazed that Morrison was back in tonight, serious operation was that. We could stay in this league, I think it is time for NW to go to his tractor and ride!

 

OUCH...Must do better than this if you want another season in the premiership.....1 - 5 at home is not good......Warnock pull your socks up ffs.

 

A typical Warnock post match interview.

Mostly about the penalty rather than slam his woeful players and own up to a terrible team selection and tactics. Weak midfield, shambolic defence and ineffective man to man marking.

Yes it was a penalty but no guarantee it’d have been converted but that was overshadowed by an amateur and incompetent display.

 

i think you’ve seen his limitations , he set the team up all wrong , he must know how watford play by now !
sure decisions may have gone a different way and the game has a different emphasis, a yellow could have been a red , likewise the handball not given , the pen was a foul at the edge of the box , but second half the gulf was very clear , yes , you were chasing the game , but that’s football . hopefully it’s a one off and cardiff stay up , you deserve it , and with the right manager could get established in this league , bournemouth, watford , seem to have done okay last three years , all the best bluebirds

 

I'm afraid your first sentance is more or less the way we see it down here.

We never looked right and when there was a chance to change it at half time, we just ploughed on regardless. That was poor decision making, or more accurately, the lack of it.

 

Not much to add to what has been said above. Terrible display. We have had too many of these where we have a decent result or display and then the manager changes it up for the next game.

As half expected I don't think the 2 week break did us any favors. Not even sure what the tactics were. 5 at the back when they had the ball and Bacuna coming into the middle when they didnt? They pulled us all over the place whatever it was meant to be. They looked very good. Not sure why they kept taking so long to get the game restarted or why the Ref allowed it. He was also terrible. Free kick for Niasse falling over and Pattersons rugby tackle were the highlights of the night. Didnt think we used Niasse properly like the previous games. Not so many balls down the channels for him to chase and maybe not the support for him as previous. Basically still gutted and amazed we were so bad.