This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
QPR travel to Wales on Wednesday evening to take on Neil Warnock’s Cardiff, as Mark Warburton’s side look to quickly bounce back from the 2-0 defeat to West Brom on Saturday.
The loss against Slaven Bilic’s men ended a run of four straight Championship wins for the R’s, so they were going pretty strongly until the Baggies put them to the sword.
With Warnock’s Bluebirds, they have only won three league games so far amid a campaign littered with draws – they have ended four out of nine matches with a single point to show for their efforts.
When the Londoners head to the Cardiff City Stadium, however, they must avoid doing one thing.
What is it?
Warburton must instruct his side to keep the ball on the floor and avoid going long where they can, due to the aerial prowess of Cardiff’s two centre-backs Sean Morrison and Aden Flint.
Flint is the highest-rated player at the club so far this season, with WhoScored handing him an average rating of 7.11 – Morrison is closely behind him with a 7.01 rating.
What we’ll focus on more specifically – as aforesaid – is the pair’s dominance in the air.
How good are they?
Well, Morrison wins a whopping 5.7 aerial duels per game on average in the Championship this season, with the 6 foot 4 colossus’ physical ability proving to be effective when it comes to winning his headers.
His partner Flint averages 0.2 more successful aerials duels with 5.9 per game in the Championship, and as the former Bristol City man stands at a towering 6 foot 6, the pair truly are a formidable duo with 11.6 successful aerial duels combined.
Jordan Hugill and the 5 foot 7 Nahki Wells will almost certainly struggle to match Flint and Morrison in the air, so Warburton must demand his side to keep the ball on the floor and exploit the Bluebirds that way.
If he tries a long-ball approach, the numbers suggest QPR won’t have an enjoyable Wednesday evening in Wales.