Cardiff City have all the talent to shoot for the top of the table but they look gripped by fear
Scott Johnson believes the Bluebirds can challenge right at the very top, but they need to shake the notion of being afraid of losing
Says Scott Johnson
Saturday 31st October 2020
A ridiculously congested schedule, with three games a week, necessitates that Neil Harris often appears before the press six times a week. It’s the nature of the beast, but it's overkill really because there’s not that much to report.
As they all start to bleed into each other, certain narratives start to emerge and one in particular has become something of a recurring theme. The idea that if you do not win, you must not lose.
There’s nothing too radical in that statement and it’s common sense really. One point is better than no points after all. When you repeat it though, the must-not-lose part feels far more powerful and pressing than the winning bit.
Ordinarily, something like this might not seem significant, but at the moment, Cardiff don’t look right. It’s just not clicking.
Harris himself pointed out after the drab and disappointing draw at Derby that Cardiff have yet to find any rhythm. I would go one further than that and say that Cardiff look gripped by fear, which is strange really because they have absolutely nothing to fear in this division.
The expectation was that a brilliant end to last season would carry over to this one, but that has not happened. Where did that confidence and momentum go? From the outside looking in, I keep returning to this idea that they simply must not lose.
It feels like the fear of losing has taken hold and has left them paralysed. They look nervous and tentative, at both ends of the pitch, and are being punished for it.
The focus is often on the nature of the goals conceded, the fact that they are often from individual mistakes or set pieces. That is a genuine and pressing concern, as is always conceding first, but it also masks a multitude of other sins. There is also plenty not quite right elsewhere.
You can look at Wednesday night’s game and say that Cardiff picked up a decent point away from home and hit the post twice, so were unlucky not to win. That would be true, but what that does not tell you is just how poor Cardiff were in general.
Derby, who are in a rotten run of form, looked wary of Cardiff in the opening stages, then quickly realised that they had nothing to be wary of and proceeded to dominate the half. The visit of Cardiff proved to be an ego boost for them.
You can still see glimpses of the old Cardiff though. Their goal was brilliant and offered a timely reminder of what they’re capable of when they start to swagger. Sheyi Ojo, who was by far Cardiff’s best player on the night and is improving with every game, drove through the heart of the Derby defence, evading challenges before threading a pass through to Kieffer Moore, who calmly stotted past their keeper.
They made it look easy, but it should be easier, for a team of this quality against such a vulnerable opponent.
Moore was assured in converting his chance and a lofted high ball in the first half saw him head against the woodwork, but he is starving for chances up front. This is a long-standing issue that pre-dates Harris and should be relieved by the returns of Harry Wilson and Lee Tomlin.
Maybe it won’t though. Cardiff never field a side short of talent or attacking ability, it is their approach that too often holds them back. Their goal on Wednesday was a reward for being bold, so why not be bolder? With a strong defence behind them and plenty of firepower, they have no excuses really.
As the goal went in, Josh Murphy was stripped and ready to come on, but when Cardiff restored parity, he was stood down and sat out the remainder of the match. They settled for a point at a time when they could have instead pressed home their advantage and gone for all three points.
I’m not suggesting that Cardiff should go all guns blazing, just more guns blazing. They may only be four points off the top six, but they’re already 12 points off the top and that is where they should have their sights set because they can be as good as anyone in this division.
It feels like Cardiff’s season hasn’t got going and its not been much fun yet either. If Cardiff have adopted a fear of losing, then my fear is that this season will be uneventful and may start to slip away. I fear that all the progress made last season is going to waste and that the longer it takes Cardiff to find their groove, the bigger the mountain they’ll have to climb.
My greatest fear though is that Cardiff won’t find a way to turn these draws in to wins unless they find a way to be fearless. Rather than foster caution, Harris needs to once again promote expression and encourage playing on the front foot.
We know Cardiff are better than this because we’ve seen it and they’ve also already shown us how a bold approach can shoot you up the table because this is the sort of position they were in when Harris took charge.
They head to Loftus Road at the weekend, the scene of by far the greatest low in the Harris tenure, when they were humbled 6-1 on New Year’s Day.
What better way to exercise those demons than by finally throwing some caution to the wind and registering a much-needed win. More of the same doesn’t bare thinking about.
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