Plymouth Argyle might have solved big Tom Cleverley issue - Cardiff City success drops hint | OneFootball

The signing of Joe Ralls could solve a massive issue that Tom Cleverley has been facing with his midfield at Plymouth Argyle.

Plymouth Argyle supporters were left pleasantly surprised on Wednesday evening, as the club announced the signing of former Cardiff City midfielder Joe Ralls on an initial short-term deal until January.

Things have been far from rosy around Home Park in recent weeks, with Argyle winless in their last five matches in all competitions and currently stuck in a rut with four successive defeats, including a loss to county rivals Exeter City.

This has seen huge pressure mount on the shoulders of head coach Tom Cleverley, who is navigating an injury crisis amid poor form on the pitch, which has seen him respond by adding an experienced free agent in Ralls to his ranks as a short-term solution.

There is a sense of hope that this move can replicate the success of Toumani Diagouraga, who signed under similar circumstances eight years ago, and went on to have a massive impact in his two months at the Devon-based club.

Looking at Ralls' sensational stint at Cardiff, it's hard not to believe that the 32-year-old could have a similar impact on Argyle's wretched season, as he brings plenty of qualities to Cleverley's midfield, which could be the key to unlocking their creativity problems.

Joe Ralls will bring much-needed qualities to Plymouth Argyle's midfield unit

When you ask a Cardiff supporter for their favourite player over the last decade, plenty would respond by saying Ralls, who managed an incredible 409 senior appearances for the Welsh club, with the bulk of those coming in the Championship.

The 32-year-old made his senior debut for the Bluebirds in 2011, and other than a loan to Yeovil Town, would never leave South Wales, becoming a stalwart in the midfield, and helping the club to gain promotion to the Premier League in 2018, with seven Championship goals to his name.

Whilst he didn't feature much in his final year with Cardiff, the evidence of his qualities are on show for everyone to see when you look back on his lengthy stint with the League One side.

Firstly, Ralls has never made an appearance below the Championship in his almost 15-year-long playing career, bringing plenty of experience and pedigree to the table, which certainly won't go amiss in Plymouth's current predicament.

The former Bluebirds captain is best described as a tempo-controlling box-to-box midfielder, who boasts reliable long-ball and possession skills, along with steady defensive recovery numbers, and heaps of experience in game management.

In just 1,150 minutes of football last term, Ralls racked up impressive numbers in these departments. He created 21 chances (1.64/90), made 487 successful passes (38.1/90) with a pass accuracy of 80.6%, and made 22 tackles (1.72 /90), 14 interceptions (1.10 /90), and 58 recoveries (4.54 /90).

This mix is ideal for a midfield pivot who needs to keep possession, progress the ball and also break up counters, which is exactly what Plymouth are struggling to do currently, with their midfield often being bypassed too easily.

How Joe Ralls stacks up against Plymouth Argyle's current options

The Pilgrims' midfield started the season strongly, with both Malachi Boateng and Bradley Ibrahim impressing, with Law McCabe, Caleb Roberts and Brendan Wiredu acting as back-up options to the main two.

However, in recent weeks, that midfield unit has found itself easily overrun by opponents, and has often been bypassed far too easily, whilst not providing the service to the frontline, which has seen the goals dry up for Cleverley's side.

Adding Ralls to the mix could be the perfect tonic, as he offers a skillset which the current options don't. So far this season, Ibrahim, who plays a similar role to what the new signing could, has lower numbers than Ralls averaged last term with 29.6 successful passes per 90, and 12 chances created (1.16 /90).

The 21-year-old is more combative than his new colleague, offering a stronger tackling rate per 90 (2.7 vs Ralls’ 1.7), but the 32-year-old trumps his younger teammate in the creative department, with calmer ball progression and more consistent chance creation based on his Cardiff stats.

As for Boateng, he's more of a defensive-minded midfielder, and has rightly received plenty of plaudits so far this season for his control and composure in the middle of the park.

His defensive numbers are certainly superior to Ralls', with 2.48 tackles per 90, 37 aerial duels won, 11 interceptions (0.80 /90), and 39 recoveries (2.85 /90), but his chance creation and range of passing is much lower, as is to be expected from a number six.

With that in mind, Ralls is the perfect player to compliment an already strong midfield partnership with his progressive passing qualities, and offer an extra outlet going forward with his chance-creating skills.

It will be interesting to see if Cleverley opts to run a three-man midfield with Ralls, Ibrahim, and Boateng, which could solve the issues of being bypassed too easily, help find that creative spark that's been missing, and get the very best out of all three players, who are all excellent options at League One level.