This could – and should – be the year that Joe Ralls makes the central midfield role his own for Cardiff City, after a string of promising performances towards the end of last season.
The 21-year-old Englishman joined Cardiff City in 2011 after being spotted playing for Aldershot Town, and then Farnborough Under 16s. He had an opportunity to join Fulham during the period he was scouted by the Bluebirds. His debut came against the League Cup tie against Oxford United in 2011, and his league debut against Hull City in October, which was a memorable moment for himself and fans alike, scoring a scorching volley in a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the KC Stadium. Ralls’ first league start in a Cardiff jersey came in a 0-0 draw against Millwall.
Joe Ralls: Cardiff City’s breakthrough central midfielder
In recent years, Cardiff have developed young midfield maestros who have gone on to start in the Premier League, including Joe Ledley and, of course, Aaron Ramsey. The latter enjoyed a magnificent season with Arsenal last year and, most notably, a major role in Wales’ start of the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
The problem for young midfielders trying to break through into the first team at Cardiff has been the reluctance to drop Peter Whittingham, instead building the midfield around him. Although his class is permanent, his form has been far from consistent since the promotion campaign in 2012-2013; he has been found wanting far too many times. His free-kick ability has been matched by Craig Noone, playing on the flank, who has had a great start to the 2015-2016 campaign, netting two goals in two matches.
It would take courage to drop a player that has 72 goals in 339 games for the Bluebirds, but you have to take players on form and not reputation at Championship level. There must be a display of true correlation between form and double promotions to the Premier League from League One; this has been achieved by Bournemouth in 2015, Southampton in 2012 and Norwich City in 2013.
To produce the perfect team formula you need the right components within the squad; central midfield is one of the most important partnerships on the pitch. There is a profusion of midfield talent within the current outfit, and the only managerial headache is who will sit on the bench during the next match. With the options in the engine room of Kagisho Dikgacoi, Aron Gunnarsson and Stuart O’Keefe, it gives the more attack-minded playmakers such as Ralls and Whittingham the opportunity to be more expansive in the opposition’s half.
Looking in depth at the Cardiff squad and previous tactical experiments employed by Malky Mackay, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Russell Slade, decisions have all evolved around Whittingham; if he is to continue featuring, then his best position is involved in a five-man midfield with Ralls. This would be the most attacking position behind a lone striker, rather than the presently employed 4-4-2.
Ralls impressed in a Yeovil Town side that put in spirited performances in their 2013-2014 Championship campaign where most expected them to equal or better the lowest points record, bagging three goals in 37 appearances. This was the longest run in a team he has had since signing his professional contract in 2011. Already on the first team sheet for the opening fixture against Fulham, he impressed again and fans are calling for him to be the first midfield option for the upcoming fixtures alongside Gunnarsson, who has recently signed a new contract with Cardiff.
The Bluebirds travel to London with an evening kick-off against QPR at Loftus Road, who will be looking for an immediate return to the Premier League under Chris Ramsey, following last season’s relegation. A disappointing away performance against a rejuvenated Charlton Athletic resulted in a 2-0 defeat on the opening day of the season and the Hoops will be looking to revert to winning ways against Slade’s men. Their home form will have to dramatically improve to achieve promotion with only six home victories in last season’s Premier League campaign.
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