Cardiff have reached the summit, but the hard work begins now

Top of the league at Christmas, after a celebrated cup run, with a central striker that has already reached double figures. A manager lauded inside and outside the club, that has successfully imprinted his identity on the group without missing a beat, winning 20 of his 31 games to date. And yet… it all doesn’t all feel quite as emphatic as you would probably expect it to.

Now, dear reader, some of this maybe due to the personality of your humble writer. As much as I may be enjoying this campaign, there is a part of me that is still waiting for the other boot to drop. While that may be partly personality driven, there is also still a healthy dose of distrust and cynicism after several years of failure and disappointment.

The last time Cardiff were in this sort of position was under Neil Warnock in 2018, when Cardiff built a head of steam in their pursuit of a top flight return. They had a real sense of momentum, but Cardiff were also the hunters, with Wolves the runaway leaders. They were the hunted too because hot on their heels were Fulham and Aston Villa. Not sure whatever happened to those guys though.

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That season, they forged a band of brothers, we shall not be moved vibe and as unlikely as their success sometimes felt, they never really waivered. This is a very different, no less likeable lot, but they’re on a very different path. They dominate the ball, the tempo of the game and ultimately, more often than not, the final score. After several years of defeats and disappointment, it’s been like a balm for all the wounds we’ve all built up.

It must be said at this point that League One is not very good. You can get away with an awful lot that you would be ruthlessly punished for in the Championship. Its also slower, which has certainly suited this group of players and teams typically back off you when you’re the big fish in a small pond. Having said that, Cardiff still conceded far more chances than you would expect and have certainly rode their luck at times.

I don’t think it’s cocky to say that, with this group of players, Cardiff should be getting promoted this season. They have too much quality and too much strength in depth. On Boxing Day, they had a bench consisting Will Fish, Ronan Kpakio, Joel Colwill, David Turnbull, Ollie Tanner, Chris Willock and Callum Robinson. All players that would walk into any other side at this level. In the same way that Chelsea rocked up with Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro in reserve for their quarter final, you knew that if the first 11 didn’t get you, the bench would.

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You don’t want to then get ahead of yourself, but your attention then moves to the Championship, a level we know all too well and the demands that come with it. Are Cardiff second tier ready? Not just yet and a lot of improvement would need to accompany their return.

League One has been the ideal proving ground for Brian Barry-Murphy’s methods and for this group to regain their confidence. You wonder if he would have been able to implement his ethos had Cardiff maintained their Championship status or if he would have had to adopt a more pragmatic approach because it’s a relentless, unforgiving division.

The difference between the two levels is athleticism and that still feels like Cardiff’s primary weakness. That’s also the one quality you can’t coach because you either have it or you don’t. The games where Cardiff have struggled this year have tended to be the ones most closely resembling Championship encounters. Rapid, end-to-end matches have left Cardiff looking leggy, which is easy to attribute to the sheer number of games and relatively small group, but this group was ultimately built for comfort, not speed.

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Much has been made of the relative size of this group, but rather than the obstacle some seem to think it is, it has probably proved to be Cardiff’s greatest strength. Barry-Murphy has heavily rotated and that may have been at the expense of certain bonds forming, but it has kept the squad fresh and largely free of injury. Certain players you may have expected to be dominant at this level, like Alex Robertson, Omari Kellyman, Willock and even Salech have not reached those sustained standards on a regular basis potentially as a result, but when the collective is thriving, the system clearly works.

I’m well aware that all of the above is out of step with the reality of a three point lead at the top of the table, but they remain valid concerns going forward. Where there’s a Barry-Murphy, there’s a way though. He has built up absolute trust on merit and it’s a beautiful thing when you have that in a manager. I’m very confident that he’s well aware of everything I’ve already mentioned and has suitable solutions in mind.

Cardiff have already slogged through 31 games, which is a mammoth amount before the turn of the year. With all that football already in their legs, there are still 25 to go and Cardiff are there to be shot at. Teams will have a plan for them second time round and as we’ve already seen, some will raise their game for such a big encounter. Blips and misgivings aside, it’s hard to imagine a better first half of the season, especially with all the baggage this group is carrying from previous years and regimes, but the hard work truly starts now.