Top 10 Young Football Managers (Part I)

8. Malky Mackay

Age: 41

Nationality: Scottish

Current club: Cardiff City

Previous club: Watford

Major Honours/Accolades: 1 Football League Championship (2012-13)

Expert View: Malky Mackay turned Cardiff into one of the hardest working teams when out of possession and a team that throws in more crosses than any other team in the Championship (at one point) and I am confident is saying no other team scored more headed goals than Cardiff did. There really is a mechanical feel to the way in which Mackay’s system works and yet at the same time, despite all the individual roles, a flexibility that would allow any one of the outfield players to join in with an attack.

Mackay usually plays a 4-2-3-1 and expects both full backs to push forward and look to cross the ball. The two midfielders that sit behind the three creative players are generally ‘battlers’ – Gunnarson, Mutch etc. Three creative midfielders are typically two wingers (Bellamy, Noone, Conway) and they are accompanied by a playmaking central attacking midfielder (Kim, Whittingham) Mackay expects his striker to do all ‘the hard work’ and much of the initial pressing up front, with support from the three behind him.

You’ll notice that Mackay is flexible with the profile of this player; it may be a player than runs the channels and looks to sit on the last man or a big strong target man. It’s clear that Mackay has place in his philosophy for two strong towering central defenders and takes advantage of these through Gunnarson’s forty yard driven throw-in’s.

Despite favouring the crossing game, Mackay also appreciates good football being played and does look to play the ball out from the back, through the midfield (rather than the Dave Jones long ball method Cardiff fans got annoyed with!). Mackay’s approach has all the right elements to launch Cardiff City into the Premier League scene and really challenge for the mid-table positions along with the likes of Swansea, Norwich, Southampton etc.

In short, Mackay’s approach is all about having different options in attack and playing through the basic principles of football (using the width and playing through midfield etc).