Cardiff City won a game of Premier League football!
How nice it is to write this week’s VFTN Analysis of Cardiff City 4 Fulham 2 with that sentence. It’s been a while!
How nice also to be able to write so many positive things in this analysis? Let’s keep it that way eh lads.
Before we get started, have you read El Tel Phillips’ Match Report and Player Ratings? No? What are you waiting for? They’re crackers.
Systems
Cardiff City lined up in a similar system to the Tottenham defeat – a 4-3-3/4-5-1 hybrid.
? #CARFUL team news!
Brought to you by @1xbet_Eng…#CityAsOne ?⚽️?⚽️ pic.twitter.com/gBTjKHsZh2
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) October 20, 2018
Callum Paterson continued to lead the line, with Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid flanking him. Harry Arter and Victor Camarasa were joined by Aron Gunnarsson in midfield, with the Icelandic captain sitting in front of the back four.
Our opponents Fulham lined up in a similar system, with Aleksandar Mitrovic leading the line and Ryan Sessengon and Andre Schurrle flanking him. A midfield three of Jean Michel Serri, Kevin McDonald and Stefan Johansen sat in front of a back four consisting of four centre-halves.
? Time for #FFC team news…
THE STARTING XI ? #CARFUL #COYW pic.twitter.com/j5y9YkrJHi
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) October 20, 2018
What the stats say
It was an open game and the stats certainly paint a picture of that.
Cardiff were in no way dominant – Fulham had the majority of possession as you’d expect – but City maintained the pressure on the Fulham goal throughout the match.
An xG (expected goal) ratio of almost two goals compared to just below one for Fulham highlights the quality of chances Fulham had.
Attacking trident highly effective
What a striker Callum Paterson is, eh? As we at VFTN towers spoke before the game about the want of a striker like Fulham’s Aleskander Mitrovic, it was Cardiff’s makeshift striker that stole the show on Saturday afternoon.
Paterson was his typical self – energetic and fearless, throwing himself about the pitch for the good of the team – and while that was key, his aerial prowess gave Cardiff the platform to pile the pressure on the Fulham backline.
Who Scored? gave Paterson the man of the match award – and it’s easy to see why. The Scotsman won eight of his aerial duels, whereas Fulham’s centre-backs won just won aerial duel each.
Where this was particularly effective for the City was the ability to get runners in behind the Fulham defence. Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid were able to link up well with Paterson, often getting on the end of Paterson’s flick ons.
Victor Camarasa was also able to benefit from Paterson’s aerial prowess, with the Spaniard often joining Murphy and Reid in running onto Paterson’s headers, as demonstrated in the example above.
Gunnar’s gonna get ya
How good was Aron Gunnarsson? The Icelandic captain came in for his first appearance of the season and if any Cardiff fans forgot what he could bring to the side, they were reminded of it on Saturday.
Gunnarsson was brilliant, giving Cardiff an added element of defensive solidity and bite.
On a number of occasions, Gunnarsson used his experience to stop Fulham’s attacks, including in the example above. By shielding the back four, he enabled Harry Arter to press high and for Victor Camarasa to press with width.
One of the biggest things I noticed was his ability to play the simple pass when needed. He played on the biggest stage in the summer and his experience told, identifying when it was right to just lump the ball in behind (often behind Callum Chambers, who had a torrid afternoon against Josh Murphy) rather than try and play on the ground.
It was great to have him back and I can see him being a key component should Cardiff survive this year.
Pressing Fulham’s nervous back line
We’ve mentioned in previous analysis pieces how Cardiff have pressed a lot more this season and on Saturday it was more evident than ever. Fulham like to play possession football, sure, but their back line was particularly uncomfortable in doing so.
Cardiff took full advantage of that. As mentioned above, having Aron Gunnarsson sitting in front of the back four enabled Cardiff to press high up in numbers.
With Paterson tirelessly putting Fulham under pressure, Murphy and Reid mobile in support and Arter and Camarasa joining them, Cardiff had numbers and forced Fulham into a number of mistakes.
In the example above, Cardiff have pressed high up with two players putting pressure on Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli. The ‘keeper, who was evidently shakey throughout the game, puts this one into touch.
The press signifies a stark contrast from Cardiff’s tactics under Neil Warnock last year. In the Championship, Cardiff’s line of engagement was noticeably lower than it has been this year.
Summary
How nice was that? A real positive performance from Neil Warnock’s side and plenty to be impressed by. When analysing the game, I couldn’t help but notice how important Aron Gunnarsson was. The Icelandic captain has been the victim of some doubt from sections of the Cardiff City fanbase, but his experience told on Saturday. If Gunnar can stay fit, it’s hard to see Neil Warnock dropping him. He not only brings a bit of bite and defensive solidity, but his experience and nous will be key if we’re to stay in the Premier League.