Playing Cardiff City is Swansea's easiest game of the season
Mon Apr 04, 2022 3:08 pm
Playing Cardiff City is Swansea's easiest game of the season amid Bluebirds' inferiority complex
The Bluebirds were thrashed by the Swans during a disastrous South Wales derby on Saturday
By Scott Johnson
Monday 4 April 2022
Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before.
Another South Wales derby has brought with it another impotent Cardiff performance and it was all too familiar. Cardiff fans have become accustomed to the club either challenging at the top end of the Championship or struggling to stay in the top flight, so a season with very little riding on it by April is uncharted territory in their recent history.
As a result, the derbies probably take on added significance and Cardiff have lost all of them this season. The inquest is well and truly up and running, again, but there never appears to be any sort of conclusion drawn.
We’ve all seen this movie many times now. Swansea turn up with a gameplan, and it's always the same gameplan. They pull Cardiff all over the pitch at will, treasure the ball, exploit the space and punish their fiercest rivals. At will, over and over again. Its painful to watch and it never changes, regardless of the manager in the dugout or the players left chasing shadows.
The atmosphere was fantastic, the sort of crowd we’ve all craved all season, but Swansea killed it with an early goal, as per usual. When Cardiff lose to Swansea, its like they lose twice. Not only do they lose local bragging rights, but they also lose a beauty contest.
Cardiff and their supporters have a very complex relationship with aesthetically pleasing styles of play. When Cardiff are winning, no one really seems to care how they do it. Their brand of football is always different degrees of functional and as we know all too well, that only takes you so far once you reach the Premier League.
When things start to go pear-shaped, the cries for an evolution in style begin. The truth is that Cardiff are not equipped for tiki-taka or an expansive passing game. It’s not in the club’s DNA and to change that would require a top to bottom reform. Basically, a plan.
Conversely, when Cardiff beat Swansea, they win twice. Not only do they get one over on them down the road, but they also beat the odds.
Some sneer at Swansea’s desire to dominate the ball and claim its often sterile possession. That may at times be true, but at least they stand for something and have a clear identity. Keeping the ball is a noble pursuit and should be the goal for all teams. If you have the ball, your opponent can’t hurt you, after all. When it all syncs up, and it always does against Cardiff, it can also be devastating.
The truth is that Swansea are Cardiff’s worst nightmare. If you pit a technically gifted boxer against a big puncher, chances are that brains will more often than not overcome brawn. There is always the chance that a knockout punch will land, but usually the puncher will never get close enough to land that blow. Cardiff never lay a glove on Swansea.
Cardiff rarely play as ugly as their reputation suggests, but against Swansea, they look basic and fatally flawed. That is partly due to the contrast between the two styles, but also because Cardiff seem to shrink for these encounters. They look almost as embarrassed as the rest of us at the disparity between the two sides. Cardiff stop doing what they do well and instead fall into the clearly marked trap laid for them.
There is also the belief that Cardiff just don’t get these games. The build up always feels like the occasion is played down and dismissed as just another game. That does not appear to be the case at Swansea, where their social media accounts play up the game. There are reports that former players give motivational speeches and fan videos are shown to the players. They are left in no uncertain terms of their responsibility and what this means to the community.
This was always going to prove a test of Steve Morison’s soft skills and when he says “hopefully we don’t dwell on it too long because the remit when I took the job was to keep this club in the Championship next year, not to win certain games,” it only adds fuel to the fire.
Social media is ablaze with people ripping into the players, manager and club, but I can’t get too worked up about a game as predictable and one-sided as this. Cardiff were comprehensively outplayed and outmanoeuvred. I was far more frustrated by the defeat at Bristol City because I felt like Cardiff should have got something from the game and blew it.
Morison has done a great job at Cardiff and while he must shoulder some of the blame for this defeat, the problem is far bigger than just him. It’s institutional. He has made real progress this season, but that is about to be ripped up when up to 15 players walk out the door at the end of June, never to return.
What happens next? Morison, like all Cardiff managers, began with the best of intentions and wanted his players to love the ball, but he soon discovered what all of his predecessors eventually learned; that Cardiff play better without the ball. Possession then dropped and results picked up.
Does Morison now target players to play with or without the ball? If he brings in players that are comfortable playing with 50% of the ball, but results take a turn for the worst, do things revert back?
If they don’t, it may cost him his job. It’s the catch-22 situation that Cardiff endlessly wrestle with and as long as they continue to chase their own tail and perpetuate their own inferiority complex, the derby will continue to be Swansea’s easiest game of the season.
The Bluebirds were thrashed by the Swans during a disastrous South Wales derby on Saturday
By Scott Johnson
Monday 4 April 2022
Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before.
Another South Wales derby has brought with it another impotent Cardiff performance and it was all too familiar. Cardiff fans have become accustomed to the club either challenging at the top end of the Championship or struggling to stay in the top flight, so a season with very little riding on it by April is uncharted territory in their recent history.
As a result, the derbies probably take on added significance and Cardiff have lost all of them this season. The inquest is well and truly up and running, again, but there never appears to be any sort of conclusion drawn.
We’ve all seen this movie many times now. Swansea turn up with a gameplan, and it's always the same gameplan. They pull Cardiff all over the pitch at will, treasure the ball, exploit the space and punish their fiercest rivals. At will, over and over again. Its painful to watch and it never changes, regardless of the manager in the dugout or the players left chasing shadows.
The atmosphere was fantastic, the sort of crowd we’ve all craved all season, but Swansea killed it with an early goal, as per usual. When Cardiff lose to Swansea, its like they lose twice. Not only do they lose local bragging rights, but they also lose a beauty contest.
Cardiff and their supporters have a very complex relationship with aesthetically pleasing styles of play. When Cardiff are winning, no one really seems to care how they do it. Their brand of football is always different degrees of functional and as we know all too well, that only takes you so far once you reach the Premier League.
When things start to go pear-shaped, the cries for an evolution in style begin. The truth is that Cardiff are not equipped for tiki-taka or an expansive passing game. It’s not in the club’s DNA and to change that would require a top to bottom reform. Basically, a plan.
Conversely, when Cardiff beat Swansea, they win twice. Not only do they get one over on them down the road, but they also beat the odds.
Some sneer at Swansea’s desire to dominate the ball and claim its often sterile possession. That may at times be true, but at least they stand for something and have a clear identity. Keeping the ball is a noble pursuit and should be the goal for all teams. If you have the ball, your opponent can’t hurt you, after all. When it all syncs up, and it always does against Cardiff, it can also be devastating.
The truth is that Swansea are Cardiff’s worst nightmare. If you pit a technically gifted boxer against a big puncher, chances are that brains will more often than not overcome brawn. There is always the chance that a knockout punch will land, but usually the puncher will never get close enough to land that blow. Cardiff never lay a glove on Swansea.
Cardiff rarely play as ugly as their reputation suggests, but against Swansea, they look basic and fatally flawed. That is partly due to the contrast between the two styles, but also because Cardiff seem to shrink for these encounters. They look almost as embarrassed as the rest of us at the disparity between the two sides. Cardiff stop doing what they do well and instead fall into the clearly marked trap laid for them.
There is also the belief that Cardiff just don’t get these games. The build up always feels like the occasion is played down and dismissed as just another game. That does not appear to be the case at Swansea, where their social media accounts play up the game. There are reports that former players give motivational speeches and fan videos are shown to the players. They are left in no uncertain terms of their responsibility and what this means to the community.
This was always going to prove a test of Steve Morison’s soft skills and when he says “hopefully we don’t dwell on it too long because the remit when I took the job was to keep this club in the Championship next year, not to win certain games,” it only adds fuel to the fire.
Social media is ablaze with people ripping into the players, manager and club, but I can’t get too worked up about a game as predictable and one-sided as this. Cardiff were comprehensively outplayed and outmanoeuvred. I was far more frustrated by the defeat at Bristol City because I felt like Cardiff should have got something from the game and blew it.
Morison has done a great job at Cardiff and while he must shoulder some of the blame for this defeat, the problem is far bigger than just him. It’s institutional. He has made real progress this season, but that is about to be ripped up when up to 15 players walk out the door at the end of June, never to return.
What happens next? Morison, like all Cardiff managers, began with the best of intentions and wanted his players to love the ball, but he soon discovered what all of his predecessors eventually learned; that Cardiff play better without the ball. Possession then dropped and results picked up.
Does Morison now target players to play with or without the ball? If he brings in players that are comfortable playing with 50% of the ball, but results take a turn for the worst, do things revert back?
If they don’t, it may cost him his job. It’s the catch-22 situation that Cardiff endlessly wrestle with and as long as they continue to chase their own tail and perpetuate their own inferiority complex, the derby will continue to be Swansea’s easiest game of the season.
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Re: Playing Cardiff City is Swansea's easiest game of the se
Mon Apr 04, 2022 3:39 pm
This just shows the lack of bottle in our squad, to lose ALL the derbies and not even draw is embarrassing, not to mention the 2 rivals we got doubled by are bang average teams
Re: Playing Cardiff City is Swansea's easiest game of the se
Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:25 pm
Totally unacceptable performance’s, and totally unforgivable. SM has gone from hero to zero in less than 90 minutes, IMO. As for the Dubai situation, if true, allowing senior players to go for a “Jolly”, during the International break, then that’s scandalous,,,, and senior officials at our club should be seriously Investigating this matter,,, that is of course, if they care anymore???
Re: Playing Cardiff City is Swansea's easiest game of the se
Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:41 pm
RICK+CCFC wrote:Totally unacceptable performance’s, and totally unforgivable. SM has gone from hero to zero in less than 90 minutes, IMO. As for the Dubai situation, if true, allowing senior players to go for a “Jolly”, during the International break, then that’s scandalous,,,, and senior officials at our club should be seriously Investigating this matter,,, that is of course, if they care anymore???
What, like you would never do such a thing as take a short break during your time off work?
Sorry, as much as I think the 'stick' is warranted after that performance, taking a break wasn't the issue here. It was simply the unwillingness to match the 'fight' of the 'Jacks' on the day
Re: Playing Cardiff City is Swansea's easiest game of the se
Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:49 pm
Sven wrote:RICK+CCFC wrote:Totally unacceptable performance’s, and totally unforgivable. SM has gone from hero to zero in less than 90 minutes, IMO. As for the Dubai situation, if true, allowing senior players to go for a “Jolly”, during the International break, then that’s scandalous,,,, and senior officials at our club should be seriously Investigating this matter,,, that is of course, if they care anymore???
What, like you would never do such a thing as take a short break during your time off work?
Sorry, as much as I think the 'stick' is warranted after that performance, taking a break wasn't the issue here. It was simply the unwillingness to match the 'fight' of the 'Jacks' on the day
Not during the season, No. And not when other team players were on International duty at the same time, and definitely not when we were scheduled to play our most important home game of the season ( for the fans) at the end of it.
Piss poor management, that resulted in an even piss poor result. No excuses!!!
Re: Playing Cardiff City is Swansea's easiest game of the se
Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:53 pm
Sadly I cannot argue with this article one bit
Re: Playing Cardiff City is Swansea's easiest game of the se
Mon Apr 04, 2022 7:06 pm
I think this is one of the first times i have agreed with Scott Johnson
Styles makes fights and we are just right for Swansea at the moment. It was over before the whistle sounded. We are so rigid, defensive and unimaginative.
Everything good we have done relies on the two wing backs making a 5 midfield as the three central guys are quite tight. Martin pushed his fullbacks high and we went 5 at the back, so we only had 5 outfield players against their 8. They just kept on pulling their spare bod outside Doyle and Ralls, when they rushed to close down Grimes or the other one just dropped in the vacated space.
We wasn't out fought we were out thought.
Styles makes fights and we are just right for Swansea at the moment. It was over before the whistle sounded. We are so rigid, defensive and unimaginative.
Everything good we have done relies on the two wing backs making a 5 midfield as the three central guys are quite tight. Martin pushed his fullbacks high and we went 5 at the back, so we only had 5 outfield players against their 8. They just kept on pulling their spare bod outside Doyle and Ralls, when they rushed to close down Grimes or the other one just dropped in the vacated space.
We wasn't out fought we were out thought.
Re: Playing Cardiff City is Swansea's easiest game of the se
Mon Apr 04, 2022 11:42 pm
RICK+CCFC wrote:Sven wrote:RICK+CCFC wrote:Totally unacceptable performance’s, and totally unforgivable. SM has gone from hero to zero in less than 90 minutes, IMO. As for the Dubai situation, if true, allowing senior players to go for a “Jolly”, during the International break, then that’s scandalous,,,, and senior officials at our club should be seriously Investigating this matter,,, that is of course, if they care anymore???
What, like you would never do such a thing as take a short break during your time off work?
Sorry, as much as I think the 'stick' is warranted after that performance, taking a break wasn't the issue here. It was simply the unwillingness to match the 'fight' of the 'Jacks' on the day
Not during the season, No. And not when other team players were on International duty at the same time, and definitely not when we were scheduled to play our most important home game of the season ( for the fans) at the end of it.
Piss poor management, that resulted in an even piss poor result. No excuses!!!
Sorry, I can't agree; our players (and manager) had plenty of time to prepare once they were all back together
Many clubs do it and it's (usually) a good chance to recharge the batteries
When all is said and done, our players simply didn't perform aa a team on the day
Re: Playing Cardiff City is Swansea's easiest game of the se
Tue Apr 05, 2022 7:50 am
llan bluebird wrote:I think this is one of the first times i have agreed with Scott Johnson
Styles makes fights and we are just right for Swansea at the moment. It was over before the whistle sounded. We are so rigid, defensive and unimaginative.
Everything good we have done relies on the two wing backs making a 5 midfield as the three central guys are quite tight. Martin pushed his fullbacks high and we went 5 at the back, so we only had 5 outfield players against their 8. They just kept on pulling their spare bod outside Doyle and Ralls, when they rushed to close down Grimes or the other one just dropped in the vacated space.
We wasn't out fought we were out thought.
Yep when we were on holiday in Dubai and wherever, they were in work planning for their World Cup final, they obviously wanted it more and were better prepared!