A Jimmy Bullard brace sealed the game after had Cardiff failed to take advantage of an excellent first half.
Jones surprised many by opting for a 4-2-3-1 formation with Craig Bellamy behind Jay Bothroyd and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Michael Chopra on the wings – a system last seen in the 1-0 defeat against Swansea in November.
Two inevitable changes were made – Stephen Bywater made his debut in the wake of Cardiff’s well-documented injury problems while Emmanuel-Thomas replaced the departed Aaron Ramsey.
Ipswich fielded the same side that lost 2-0 at home to Portsmouth – preferring a 4-2-3-1 with Jason Scotland leading the line to a red-hot reception.
Cardiff’s new system
Cardiff started superbly in their new formation and created the first two chances – Bothroyd first fluffing a shot from five yards before Peter Whittingham’s curled shot was fisted away by Martin Fulop. The players found each other easily with rapid interplays and only needed a few quick passes before finding themselves in promising positions. The pressure was also excellent – particularly since Cardiff had three midfielders instead of just two – and they won the ball two times inside the opposition half, creating good opportunities.
Cardiff 2-0 Leicester: Bluebirds turn on style as Jones goes 4-5-1
Goals from Michael Chopra and Aaron Ramsey capped off a majestic Cardiff performance in a game where Jones’ second half change to 4-5-1 was particularly interesting.
The Bluebirds boss made three changes to the side that faced Forest last week. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas came in for Burke on the right wing, Chopra replaced Jon Parkin and Ramsey replaced Craig Bellamy as Peter Whittingham shuffled to the left in the usual 4-4-2.
Sven-Göran Erikkson made two changes to his in-form Leicester side. Jeffrey Bruma replaced Matt Oakley in centre midfield while Lloyd Dyer came in for former Turkey hero Darius Vassell – the Foxes playing a 4-4-1-1 formation with Andy King just behind former Evertonian striker Yakubu.
Leicester attack Cardiff’s right side
It was fairly easy to predict where the Bluebirds were going to struggle. Dave Jones has got away with playing Paul Quinn on right back so far – and the defender has done okay – but combined with the work-shy Jay Emmanuel Thomas on the same side there was always going to be space for Leicester. Additionally, the Foxes possess a quick and agile left back in Patrick Van Aanholt and the Dutchman was a constant threat in the opening.
Swansea 0-1 Cardiff: Bellamy strike hands Cardiff deserved victory
A Craig Bellamy wonder goal sealed a thrilling South Wales derby in which both teams relied heavily on key individuals.
Cardiff made two changes from their draw against Reading. Michael Chopra replaced Jay Emmanuel-Thomas up front while newly recruited Dekel Keinan made his debut in central defence. As usual, Dave Jones stayed true to his 4-4-2.
Brendan Rodgers named an unchanged side after their 2-0 win at Ashton Gate. The speedy trio of Scott Sinclair, Luke Moore and Nathan Dyer continued up front as Swansea shaped up in their well-drilled 4-5-1 system.
Positive start
Both teams started brightly, showing no desire to defend or slow down the game. Whereas Swansea looked to kill the tempo and roll the ball across their back four in the reversed fixture earlier in the season, Cardiff were happy to play fast and direct football away from home – making it a thrilling affair.
Cardiff’s courage almost paid off immediately as Jay Bothroyd found himself alone with Dorus De Vries, but the striker produced a wasteful finish. After that, the players generally tried to find Bothroyd and Chopra as soon as they won the ball, and Jones will have known how hard Swansea are to break down in longer built-up spells. Indeed, Cardiff’s winner was only the sixth league goal the Swans had conceded at home this season.
Cardiff City survived a spirited Watford fight-back in a six-goal thriller at Cardiff City Stadium.
As expected, the Bluebirds fielded a completely different team to that against Stoke on Tuesday, but only two changes were made to the regular side that faced Norwich one week ago.
Organised in their preferred 4-4-2 formation, the in-demand Jay Bothroyd replaced Jon Parkin after recovering from an injury while new loan signing Jay Emmanel-Thomas replaced Stephen McPhail to start on the right wing.
Watford went out in a fairly straight-forward 4-2-3-1 formation; a system similar to the one Rafael Benitez played at Liverpool. Only one change was made from their win against Derby as on-loan Spurs youngster Andros Townsend replaced the injured Don Cowie at left wing.
Lethal Cardiff
The game started as most Championship games do; direct football and intense pressing. Cardiff’s wingers were instructed to take the full backs on at every opportunity, with Emmanuel-Thomas coming deep to start counter attacks whenever Tom Heaton collected the ball. The Arsenal starlet did leap past Doyley a few times but was always forced to cut in on his left foot which tended to cripple his final pass.
Cardiff 0-2 Stoke: Walters double sees Stoke through in dire cup tie
Cardiff lost to a direct Stoke side in a dreadful cup-tie which neither manager really prioritised.
Both sides made drastic changes to their respective line-ups in the previous games with one eye clearly fixed towards the upcoming league fixtures.
Cardiff switched six players from the team that drew at Carrow Road with Andrew Keogh partnering Jon Parkin up front. Only McPhail survived in midfield while Gabor Gyepes and Darcy Blake came in for Kevin McNaughton and Paul Quinn in defence.
Tony Pulis made no less than 10 changes from Stoke’s 2-0 win over Fulham. Only left back Danny Higginbotham stayed in the side but, after going off injured 10 minutes into the first half, the introduction of Michael Tonge saw Stoke field an entirely new team.
Few chances in first half
The game was even worse than the crowd’s turn-up as both sets of players found it hard to combine due to the many changes. Cardiff generally looked for flicks off Parkin and placed Keogh close behind him on goals kicks and set pieces, but the January signing struggled to hold the ball up and won few challenges against Danny Collins despite his renowned size. Pulis also used Salif Diao cleverly here, as he dropped the Senegalese down on goal kicks to double up on the Bluebirds’ target man.
Defending Dave Jones and his consistent improvement of Cardiff City
Standing alone: Dave Jones deserves more support from fans and local media. Photo: Jon Candy
It is time to stick up for Dave Jones. After a poor November month where the Bluebird’s have picked up four points in five games, people are about to lose all sense of perspective and common sense – much like the people who wants Arsene Wenger sacked every year.
Indeed, both the Cardiff press and portions of the fans are arguing how Cardiff are currently on “relegation form” with the “best squad in the Championship”. Jones has been accused of “not caring” enough about the Welsh derby and for “wanting five players in January”.
So let’s face the facts here. It is to Dave Jones’ credit that Cardiff possess such a strong squad in the first place. His wheeling and dealing has been excellent and he has managed to cope with the loss of Joe Ledley without spending much money.
Yes, the November form has been poor, but this is nothing new. Cardiff have always suffered dips in form under Jones – especially in his debut season when they ended 13th after a promising start – and at latest when they squandered their play-off hopes two years ago.
Despite this, however, Dave Jones has managed to improve Cardiff’s league position every single season for the last three years – taking over the club before 2005/2006. Here are the statistics:
Neal Ardley interview: Full transcription
This is the full version of an interview with Cardiff City Academy Manager Neal Ardley, conducted 20 November 2010.
- What’s the main objective with the Cardiff academy?
“The ultimate goal is to produce players of the quality to play for our first team. If you don’t do that, the club pouring money into the academy is going to be asking questions.”
- What are the most important things to teach players after the basic skills?
“The biggest thing we try to do in lines with our philosophy is teaching them to make decisions. You get strong powerful players and quick athletic players; they are all different but ultimately the ones who make the right decisions in a game with and without possession are the better players.
“We try to encourage them to make decisions in training. As well as technical and tactical work we put them into game related situations and make them understand why they make the decisions.
“A lot of our stuff is based on our players knowing their next pass, not facing their own goal, being able to play the ball forward and knowing where their marker is.
“Can they have a touch? Do they need to play it first time? Have they got a picture of what is going on around them? If they do that their decision-making become educated.”
