This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Cardiff City will be desperate to deliver a positive response to their recent defeat to Hull City when they host Middlesbrough in the Championship on Saturday.

A woeful run of form in recent months has resulted in the Bluebirds slipping to 21st in the league standings.

Given that they are only two points above Huddersfield Town who occupy one of the three places in the relegation zone, Cardiff know that they simply have to step up their performance levels under the guidance of Sabri Lamouchi.

Lamouchi was drafted in as Mark Hudson's successor last month and is the third individual to oversee proceedings at the club this season.

Here, three of our FLW writers have offered their thoughts on whether Lamouchi will be able to guide Cardiff to safety later this year.

Check out their views below...

Ned Holmes

"I'm not convinced Cardiff City will be playing Championship football next season but I do think Sabri Lamouchi was a good hire. 
"He knows the division, has plenty of experience and seems suited to the strengths of the squad that is now at his disposal.
"The fact of the matter is that the squad is a pretty weak one and with the January window now closed, there isn't a whole lot they can do to change that.
"Cardiff have got some big games coming up and if the tight margins go Lamouchi's way, I do think the Frenchman has what it takes to keep them up."

Justin Peach

"Sabri Lamouchi on paper is a good appointment. 

"He offers a style of football that any side fighting relegation would benefit from.

"It’s solid, hard to break down and ensures the opposition have a hard time putting the ball in the back of the net. 

"However, the problems at Cardiff run deeper than Lamouchi as he looks set to suffer with the same issues his predecessors did. 

"That is scoring goals and this Cardiff team just cannot do it. 

"Creating chances is an issue and you have to question whether it’s down to the system or the quality of the players. 

"With Cardiff, it’s probably a mixture of the two. 

"For example, in the summer the club needed creative options and extra strikers.

"Instead, they signed three central midfielders and six defenders - all of which have struggled to make a huge impact. 

"Couple that with Lamouchi struggling to find a system with his Nottingham Forest side making use of its attacking talent, sometimes playing too conservatively, and it doesn’t look like the suitable appointment. 

"With that in mind, it’s hard to see Cardiff staying up with Lamouchi in charge and they instead probably should have stuck with Steve Morison."

 

 

Josh Cole

"In order for Lamouchi to have any chance of guiding Cardiff to safety, he will need to resolve two key issues that have plagued the club this season.

"Cardiff have only managed to claim nine clean sheets in the 30 league games that they have participated in this season and thus will have to improve defensively in order to avoid being dragged into a battle for survival by the likes of Huddersfield and Blackpool.

"Lamouchi will also need to get the best out of the club's attacking players as Cardiff have scored the fewest number of goals in the second-tier by a wide margin.

"Having previously experienced a mixed spell in charge of Nottingham Forest, Lamouchi will know what he should and shouldn't do at this level from a managerial perspective.

"Whereas Cardiff's fans could be in for a rough ride, the Welsh outfit may be able to avoid relegation if their players are able to quickly adapt to Lamouchi's style of play."