Yousef Salech injury has unlocked serious Cardiff City weapon - Brian Barry-Murphy will be licking his lips | OneFootball

Yousef Salech's neck injury has allowed Omari Kellyman to prove why Chelsea bought him for an eight-figure fee

When Yousef Salech went down with a rather serious-looking neck injury against Stockport County, Cardiff City began to fear the worst.

The Danish forward had been the focal point of the Bluebirds' attack throughout the campaign thus far, netting 12 times across 27 games.

At the time, not many of Salech's teammates were close to him in terms of goalscoring, and with veteran frontman Callum Robinson as the only natural replacement, who had cultivated himself as a reliable back-up throughout the season, many were wondering who Brian Barry-Murphy would turn to.

What would also deter the obvious switch from being to bring in Robinson was that the 31-year-old doesn't have the physical properties of Salech. Standing at six-foot-four, the 24-year-old scored many headers, was lethal in and around the six-yard box, and distracted defenders with his presence in a way that Robinson wouldn't.

Barry-Murphy couldn't have just done a like-for-like striker switch and resume play as it's been for the majority of the campaign thus far, so he instead leaned on the possession-heavy style that his side has deployed throughout the season, and played with a false nine.

The man who has led the line, Omari Kellyman, has produced incredible results, and with Salech's return to training announced last week, it's only a matter of time before their goalscoring prowess is paired together.

Omari Kellyman has given Cardiff City a different goalscoring option from Yousef Salech

Firstly, it has to be said that Kellyman has taken on the scoring mantle impeccably since being relied on to lead the line in Salech's absence. He's scored five in six since the towering Dane hit the sidelines, including both in their hefty 5-2 defeat at Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

But what's even more impressive, and exciting for Cardiff fans, is the difference in goals that the new Bluebirds' striker is scoring compared to the man he has replaced over the past month.

Looking at their respective goal maps, of Salech's 12 goals this season, the furthest in terms of distance was the penalty he scored at Wigan Athletic. Of his 11 non-penalty goals, six have been headers.

When compared to the seven that Kellyman has scored this term, and more specifically the five he's netted in this run of games where he has had to lead the line, all have been with his left foot, and, barring his first against Plymouth, all have been between the penalty spot and the edge of the 18-yard box.

Whereas before, Cardiff's patient build-up led them to deliver high balls in the area for Salech to attack, now they've essentially added an extra midfielder into their attacks, and have used that to try and wear their opponents down.

Barring Saturday's drubbing at Plymouth, they've been able to do that to great effect, and those who were worrying about what this Bluebirds side would look like without their talisman have had those concerns put to bed almost immediately.

Yousef Salech's return will give Cardiff City a frightening attacking duo

A little under two years ago, Kellyman was bought by Chelsea for £19 million, and in the last month, he's been able to showcase why.

It's been a difficult year so far for the 20-year-old. Cardiff's youthful attacking depth has meant that the Chelsea loanee has struggled to really stamp his authority in the starting line-up, which has led to disjointed performances and a lack of goals.

As it happens, this current six-game starting run is the longest he's had so far in League One this season, and it's yielded incredible results. Now, Kellyman looks to be the first name on the teamsheet.

There was good news out of the Cardiff camp last week, as Salech is back in training following the neck injury he sustained against Stockport.

However, this shouldn't spell the end of Kellyman's time in the starting lineup. If anything, it should give extra excitement, as the 20-year-old has proven that he's a goal threat between the 12 and 18 yard area, providing the perfect companion to the aerial dominance of Salech.

Now, defences can't just pack the box and prepare for crosses into the Dane. Cardiff have always had midfield quality, but in Kellyman, they have someone who can take up space and find goals from that midfield area.

Lincoln City were able to close the gap in the ongoing title race last weekend after Cardiff fell in Devon. Evidently, while promotion is the goal, the focus in the Welsh capital will be to win League One, and they'll need all hands on deck to make that happen.