Don’t get me wrong, the South Wales derby remains Swansea’s easiest game of the season, but maybe there are signs that Cardiff are finally ready to put up a fight.
The team on Saturday was largely as expected, although the selection of both Sory Kaba and Sheyi Ojo did make me wince a little. Nothing against either, for me at least, but I know their casual demeanours rub some the wrong way. With everything heightened on derby day, and if those sat by me are anything to go by, that was certainly the case. Maybe it would have been better to initially start with the intensity of Isaak Davies, who sadly never made it off the bench, or the nitrous oxide infused, giggling Connor Wickham?
This one started in much the same way as all the others. Russell Martin, who seems to take personal gratification from sticking it to Cardiff, walking across the pitch to gee up his supporters. Then the next thirty minutes were as soul-destroying as it gets.
This game is still the one where Cardiff practice social distancing. Nothing pains me like the sight of Matt Grimes, surrounded by 10 yards of space in every direction, but here we go again. Another early goal, followed by another and an inferiority complex like no other was back in full effect.
It may seem puzzling that, despite a huge turnover of players and staff, the scars and baggage from these games seem to be passed down the generations. There is certainly a clash of styles, but I think its actually far simpler than that.
Swansea use the ball to manipulate the opposition. They use it to move around the pitch and to pull you out of position. If Cardiff get too close, the pass takes them out and if they stand off, the time, space and movement also punishes them. As a result, they’re stuck between the two, frozen in time.
Cardiff may be slightly more sophisticated than they used to be, but this game always acts as a mirror and they’re still not particularly comfortable with their own reflection. Their patterns of play remain largely unsophisticated and their take on passing is often simply relief at being able to control and pass it, without much thought beyond that.
Jaden Philogene, who single-handedly carried a threat to Swansea in the first-half, caught them napping straight from the restart after the second goal and from there on, it was an actual contest.
For Cardiff to stand any chance in these games, they have to be disruptors. They have to drag Swansea down to their level and make them uncomfortable. They tried that in the reverse fixture, but were too fired up and got carried away. Swansea are evidently not as unbeatable as they look in these games because their recent record is pretty awful. They may not be as motivated for those games, but they’re not allowed to do as they please either.
With the deficit halved, Cardiff were suddenly playing with more intensity and purpose. They made a fight of it and while Swansea always remained a threat, Cardiff’s equaliser was not unexpected. It actually resulted from a bold substitution, with Sabri Lamouchi introducing a second striker and Rubin Colwill, who lofted the ball into the box for Kaba’s towering header. Cardiff fancied it and they had every right to.
As soon as Cardiff conceded a soft, inexcusable free kick on the edge of their box, deep into injury time, you could taste defeat. The goal that followed felt like the Leeds equaliser all over again. Progress and hard work undone in an inevitable instant. It was a very different kind of pain, but preferable to the humiliation of recent contests. Cardiff were in it until the very end, which certainly exceeded all my expectations.
It was a classic encounter, a step in the right direction and something to build on, but this has been the season of promise, false starts and ultimately disappointment. Cardiff now need tangible returns and numbers on the board if they’re to avoid the ultimate disappointment.