Leandro Bacuna: Cardiff City played 'old fashioned' football under Neil Warnock
- Published
Neil Warnock returned to football at Middlesbrough in June having left Cardiff in November 2019
Leandro Bacuna says Neil Harris has changed the "old fashioned" football Cardiff City played under Neil Warnock.
Cardiff will be reunited with ex-boss Warnock when they look to take another step towards the Championship play-offs at Middlesbrough this Saturday.
Midfielder Bacuna, 28, says Cardiff know what to expect from Warnock's team - but feels the Bluebirds are a different proposition under Harris.
"He has come in and changed the way we are playing," Bacuna said.
"He has just settled down the team a bit and given everyone a bit of confidence that everyone can still play football - it's not all about playing long balls."
Bacuna was brought to Cardiff by Warnock in January 2019 and says he respects his former manager's approach.
"He has been successful at what he's been doing - it's his type of way of playing football and it's worked," the Curacao international added.
"I personally think it's a bit old fashioned, but it still works for him and I enjoyed playing under him."
Asked if Cardiff are less old fashioned under Harris, who took charge after Warnock left the club in November 2019, Bacuna added: "I think so. It's a bit of both now.
"We just need to continue doing what the manager has given us as an option - trying to go in behind or trying to play from behind.
"Beforehand, we didn't really have a shape to our defensive play. Now we are working on a real good shape on the pitch. We don't play man for man like we used to and running all over the gaff. That's helped us."
Bacuna feels Cardiff's game has progressed since football returned last month, and highlights Lee Tomlin - their matchwinner against Derby in midweek - as a big influence.
Leandro Bacuna has also played for Reading and Aston Villa
"It's not all about playing long balls anymore. We try to play from the back as well," he said.
"Since we've been back from lockdown, we haven't really scored from a set-piece, which was one of our strengths.
"We have been scoring goals from open play. It's a different way we have been playing but it's successful."
Warnock was Cardiff manager for just over three years, and guided the club to the Premier League - the eighth promotion of his career - in 2017-18.
The club were relegated the following season and were 14th in the Championship when he departed.
He returned to football at struggling Middlesbrough last month and has won three of his six games to put the Teesside club on the brink of securing Championship status for next season.
Nevertheless, Bacuna is confident Cardiff can claim a victory which would seal their top-six spot if Millwall and Swansea City fail to win their weekend games.
"I think it will be nice playing against someone who signed me, but now I'm not really thinking about it," Bacuna said.
"It's all about us. If we do the right thing, work hard and play the tactics the manager gave us, I don't think we have got any trouble beating Middlesbrough."