A youthful Sunderland side against a toiling Cardiff. An early goal conceded, a 2-0 defeat and familiar frustrations, but enough about last March!
A new season is not supposed to feel like the summer never happened, but Saturday felt like a game lifted directly from last year. There were two new players on show, but Callum Chambers was playing the role of Nat Phillips and Chris Willock, one of the better performers, proved an able deputy for Karlan Grant. Yet somehow, you still expected something shiny and new.
There were flashes of a more progressive outlook, but ultimately, Cardiff’s inadequacies are baked in by now. They remain a mid to low-tempo side in a high-tempo division, so every week a lack of pace puts Cardiff at a distinct disadvantage. By the time Cardiff make their way up the pitch, their opponent has nine men behind the ball in a low block and breaking it down feels nigh on impossible.
This is the primary reason why Isaak Davies sustaining a long-term injury was such a blow. He remains one of the few high intensity options, but Callum O’Dowda is back and was at his rampaging best. Sorely missed last season, he may be Cardiff’s most important player because he’s versatile and fit enough to cover the whole left flank while raising the levels of intensity. His sustained fitness is of paramount importance.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was also great to see Aaron Ramsey back. Never the quickest, he’s always relied on his superior technique and match intelligence. Never more so than now and for Cardiff to get the best out of him, he needs quick players around him. The fact that he hasn’t currently got that only serves to make him appear even slower.
That Ramsey played the full 96 minutes was also a cause for concern. I understand the temptation to leave him out there, especially when trailing, but that feels like it’s asking for trouble. Ramsey exceeded all expectations last season when he instantly became instrumental in the Cardiff attack, but his playing time grew from 60 minutes, to 70 and when he finally broke down against Swansea, it was in injury time. If we want him to play 30 games, as opposed to 10, his playing time needs to be restricted, for the greater good.
Cardiff’s relative lack of pace is nothing new. For as long as I can remember, they’ve been rather one-paced. They’ve always had the odd nippy player, but on the whole a bit sluggish. It has not always proved a barrier to success though. A fairly slow side was promoted under Neil Warnock by maximising their strengths and going from back to front as quickly as possible. Different strokes for different folks.
Short of still signing players with raw, blistering pace, there are ways of compensating. Simply moving the ball quicker would help, which is where the likes of Alex Robertson and David Turnbull will earn their corn. Ramsey, Willock, Callum Robinson and eventually, Anwar El Ghazi will also make Cardiff more unpredictable in attack.
Embed from Getty ImagesWe’re also only talking about week one though and it’s easy to get carried away or read too much into a single game. Everyone has been crying out for more continuity and no one wanted any more upheaval, but familiarity also breeds contempt. Erol Bulut has said all the rights things about addressing Cardiff’s failings in the build up to the season, so it was disappointing to see Cardiff still playing like the away side at home.
With Cardiff one down with 20 minutes remining, Robinson was replaced by Wilfried Kanga. At a time when they were chasing the game and could have restructured to keep two strikers on, it was like for like and more of the same. Bulut has proven to be conservative to date, so it seems futile to expect him to be more cavalier, but it does feel like both sides may need to meet somewhere in the middle eventually.
After all transfer business has been completed and everyone is up to speed, Cardiff may look and feel very different and we’ll look back on this game as some sort of throwback. Although, the elements that are starting to grate on some are dyed in the wool. Inherited, but not yet rectified and a hinderance, but nothing we haven’t already seen many times before.