Cantwell and competition

No criticism of the lad but this year he's not only needing to carve out a role in the new formation, but he's got far more competition for those roles.

Rashica, Gilmour, Sargent all had good games yesterday. (I think there's merit in playing Rashica and Sargent together, in view of their familiarity)

There's also Tzolis and dowell in the mix depending on formation /tactics.

A fit and motivated Cantwell can definitely mix it up with that list of names, but making him an automatic pick to try and get him fit and sharp just seems madness to me.

In my view he's in a similar situation to Buendia last year, undoubtedly good player, but at the stage of his career where he needs to be adding to his game and his consistency to become a solid premiership player.

That Smith gave him a shot is a huge vote of confidence, which he didn't look ready for. If he puts the effort in in training he'll get further chances this year, but suggesting that he is essential to our survival this year, over the names listed above (as some were arguing in the run in to Farke getting the push) feels like a nostalgic/sentimental view, when watching performances of the team this year.

Posted By: Cardiff Canary, Nov 21, 10:07:50