Football League World
·18 October 2024
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·18 October 2024
The Greens are yet to win on their travels under their new boss
This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Plymouth Argyle head to Cardiff City this weekend looking to claim a first win away from home of the 24/25 campaign.
After winning their last three matches at Home Park, the Greens will be looking to take some of that form on the road on Saturday, as they face the side who are currently propping up the table after the international break.
With just one point from their opening four games out of Devon, Argyle boss Wayne Rooney will be looking to get the monkey off his back surrounding the Pilgrims’ woes on their travels, and will be looking to add to the one goal they have to their name from those fixtures.
Having defeated Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in their last outing, Rooney will be looking to keep that momentum going after last weekend’s off-week, and Football League World’s Argyle fan pundit Chris predicts what to expect from the starting lineup in the Welsh capital.
In what seems typical Argyle fashion these days, they left it late to claim all three points against Rovers last time out, with Morgan Whittaker’s header deep into stoppage time sealing the win in the most dramatic of circumstances.
Having taken the lead through Michael Obafemi’s first goal for the club, Argyle continued to dominate possession, but a lack of cutting edge saw them unable to double their advantage, which almost came back to bite them.
Joe Rankin-Costello’s late header looked to have rescued a late point for the away side with the Pilgrims ruing missed opportunities, before Whittaker was on hand to save the day once again with his late effort.
As a result of that attacking intent shown against an early-season frontrunner, Chris is of the belief that very little needs to be changed against a side with just one league victory all season, with Rooney likely to keep the same side as was victorious last time out.
When asked about any potential changes for Saturday, the Argyle fan said: “Many Argyle fans, as well as Wayne Rooney, will be eager to chalk off our first away win of the season, and no better opportunity presents itself, than against bottom of the table Cardiff City.
“With this in mind, I think the team that we put out will be a very similar one to the one we played at home against Blackburn Rovers.
“That side showed plenty of attacking prowess, as well as solid defending from Lewis Gibson and Kornel Szucs at the back.”
With Obafemi opening his account for the club in his last outing, it would be hard for Rooney to drop him for the trip to Wales, given his impact on the Greens as an attacking force.
With his power, pace and link-up play, the Burnley loanee is proving himself to be at the top of the pecking order as he establishes himself at Home Park, although he is yet to start a game for his temporary side away from home.
Fellow frontman Ryan Hardie has often been preferred in games on the road, with the Scot's boundless energy proving beneficial when playing on the break, although he has only found the net once in the league this season, with a spot-kick against Sunderland at Home Park.
With the addition of Andre Gray on a short-term deal until January, Rooney has options when it comes to who will lead the line on Saturday, with that central role likely to be the only consideration the Argyle boss has to make, with the rest of the team performing so highly in recent weeks.
The Green Army member continued: “The only change that I could possibly see would be the frontman being either Michael Obafemi or Ryan Hardie.
“Obafemi did perform very well against Blackburn Rovers, and as such I don’t think he will be swapped out against Cardiff City.”