Now we know. That win earlier in the season was not the turning of a page, it was simply the confluence of exceptional factors in Cardiff’s favour. A fit and firing Aaron Ramsey, a bear pit atmosphere, a rare Swansea manager that didn’t quite get it. It all conspired to create a glorious and all too rare victory over their fiercest rivals.
The game on Saturday was a reality check. A hard reset. This Swansea are not the ruthless Russell Martin vintage that wanted to inflict pain on Cardiff. It may no longer be death by a thousand cuts, but it was another hiding and felt like more of the same. To say they were up for it would be a massive understatement. They were frothing at the mouth and from the opening exchanges, they swarmed all over Cardiff.
There was a passage late in the game, with Swansea defending a single goal lead, where Oli Cooper threw himself in the way of a Cardiff attack and his team mates aggressively descended on him to congratulate his bravery. They were as pumped up in the closing stages as they were in the opening moments.
Embed from Getty ImagesYou would think that Cardiff would know the drill by now, but as always, they looked slightly bewildered by it all. In fairness, it’s rare that you see a side as fired up as Swansea always are for these games. Even when you watch some of the biggest rivalries in the world, they still tend to have more chill than Swansea. You imagine their fans must wonder where this Swansea is for the other 44 games, but that degree of intensity would be unsustainable. They would be spent by Christmas if they played every match like that.
Its only one game, worth the same three points as any other, but of course it’s not really. Cardiff are further up the table and were in a fine run of form, but suddenly the narrative feels very different. This result and performance will fester over the international break and cast a shadow over the final eight games. It shouldn’t stall Cardiff’s progress or alter their course, but their vulnerabilities have been exposed again and this game has returned to being something that needs to be endured biannually.
I don’t for a second think that any other combination of variables would have made any significant difference, but it strikes me as bizarre that Joe Ralls did not play a single minute of either game.
Having experienced so many hammerings over the years, I felt bad that Ralls missed the win, but they really needed him out there this time. Cardiff always play better with him in the side and your captain should play your derbies, otherwise why is he even captain in the first place? Ralls is absolutely the right man to lead Cardiff, but omitting him undermines his authority and sends a mixed message. He can’t have been best pleased and understandably had a face like thunder throughout.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn terms of how Cardiff can better prepare or compete in these games, at this stage, it’s hard to arrive at a viable solution. The managers and players change, on both sides, but the difference in approach and attitude does not. They’ve tried to stand off and have been passed off the park. They gave intensity a go and were quickly reduced to 10 men.
I do think that a lack of pace is a chronic, long-standing issue for Cardiff and it is never as badly exposed or highlighted as in these games. They cannot up the tempo if required because they had very little tempo to begin with. It will serve as another lesson learned for Erol Bulut, who was aiming for the derby grand slam, but three wins from four remains an impressive return and will likely go a long way towards earning him a new deal.
With a couple of weeks to regroup and lick their wounds, Cardiff face an intense final month where another good run could inexplicably put them in the play-off mix. Hopefully Bulut’s future can be resolved before the season draws to a close, but this game, which has seen off so many of his predecessors, will remain a stain on his name, despite his achievements to date.