Four things Erol Bulut and Cardiff City must examine during break

Cardiff City have an extra week off ahead of their next game, with their early FA Cup elimination leading to a postponement. Erol Bulut’s men are next back in action against Watford on February 3, against Watford, but the break should allow for some soul-searching.

With the club still struggling to pull off new signings, three consecutive defeats across all competitions should lead to manager Bulut to examining his side and where they have been going wrong of late. With that in mind, we have taken a look at some of the issues Bulut and his staff should be paying special attention to during this break.

Make signings

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. City need to sign players and fast. Just a matter of days remain in the January transfer window and we still haven’t seen any signings who will be at the club between now and the end of the season.

City need a striker, they need a holding midfielder, and they could do with more cover at the back. Without the first two of those, at least, their chances of mounting a serious playoff run are limited.

Ensure returning players hit the ground running

Aaron Ramsey should finally return from his injury after this break having spent months on the sidelines, while the hope is that Callum O’Dowda can do the same after a recent setback.

The Bluebirds are crying out for someone like Ramsey who can keep the ball and make incisive passes, while O’Dowda’s pace would be a huge help, with City looking all too predictable in attack over recent weeks, heavily relying on set-pieces for their goals. Injury recoveries may be out of City’s hands to a degree, but it would be wise of the Bluebirds to get these

Game plan tweaks

Bulut has done a solid job of getting more out of this City group than others might have, but a clear weakness has emerged over recent weeks. When opposing teams put quick passes together and show some intensity, City just can’t keep up. Whether it’s top-quality opponents like Leicester and Leeds or lower-level teams like Plymouth Argyle, the Bluebirds are struggling to cope with intensity.

With or without new signings, Bulut needs to find a way to slow games down and to ensure his team can take back control of the flow of the game when teams pick up the pace. That may not be an easy job with the tools he has, but it is his job to find answers, and this break should be the perfect opportunity.

Sure-up the right side

Perry Ng has been a solid player for the Bluebirds during his time at the club so far, but he has shown limitations over recent weeks, with pacey players getting the better of him too often. Goals against Plymouth and Leeds came from down Cardiff’s right side, starting with pacey wingers, and Cardiff need to make sure they stop, or at least reduce that problem.

That’s not to say Bulut should drop Ng, especially with the full-back providing plenty going forward, but City need a better plan for defending teams with quick forwards before it becomes a trend.