Neil Warnock could face the wrath of Liverpool fans after revealing that the rough justice befalling his Cardiff City team had led him to considering picking the under 23s against Manchester City on Wednesday.
There was no surprise that Neil Warnock was raging at the officials after Cardiff City's 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. For one that is Warnock's permanent state but more importantly he had reason for his fume after Cesar Azpilicueta's hugely offside equaliser.
The Cardiff manager screamed at the fourth official as he first saw two points disappear from his side's relegation battle and then Ruben Loftus-Cheek's injury time winner saw the Bluebirds go away empty handed.
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After the final whistle the former Sheffield United manager couldn't even bring himself to shout at the referee and instead just stayed staring at the officials in the centre of the pitch.
The Welsh side are now five points from safety, following Burnley's win over Wolves on Saturday, but they have a game in hand on Wednesday however it's against champions Manchester City.
Speaking after the match, via the Mirror, Warnock revealed he's considering playing his under 23s in midweek, with one eye on more important games, saying:
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"We keep getting knock-backs. I will probably play the U23s on Wednesday against Manchester City and try to keep it down to 10 or 11.
"It doesn't matter who you play at the minute, it is who has a flag in his hand and who has a whistle.
"I've had one kick in the teeth after another this season and the players have as well. But we've always bounced back. So we'll probably play the U23s at City and get ready for Burnley."
The news won't please Liverpool fans as a win for City would see them leapfrog them in the title race but Cardiff's survival could rest on Saturday's trip to Burnley so it makes sense for Warnock to rest players as victory over Pep Guardiola's side is unlikely even with a full strength side.
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Ironically back in 2007, when manager of Sheffield United, the 70 year old fumed when Manchester United rested players against West Ham on the last day of the season. The Hammers victory saved them from the drop and sent the Blades down instead.
That Carlos Tevez scored the winner didn't help Warnock's mood 12 years ago but Sir Alex Ferguson's decision not to play a full strength side, having already won the league title, because he had one eye on the following week's FA Cup final incensed the former QPR manager.
Now his own decision could positively impact his own side but negatively impact Liverpool's title race, something that certainly won't bother him.
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Can Cardiff avoid the drop?
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Manchester City, Liverpool, Football News, Chelsea, Neil Warnock, Cesar Azpilicueta, Premier League, Cardiff City
