Bluebirds must break the shackles
By Glen Williams
Thursday 29th October 2020
Let's be frank, Cardiff City have not been at the races so far this season. They have scrapped and battled their way, for the most part, to earn 10 points from eight games and it has made for frustrating viewing.
It leaves a team many Bluebirds fans feel are good enough to challenge for promotion languishing down in 14th place, already 12 points behind pace-setters Reading.
Against Derby, the Bluebirds turned in their worst half of football this season in the first 45 minutes.
They rarely completed a penetrative pass and scarcely laid a glove on the hosts. After the Rams had shown City a lot of respect in the opening 10 minutes, they soon realised these Bluebirds were there for the taking.
Cardiff's attacking play was littered with inaccuracies and a glaring lack of penetration. Cross-field balls were over-hit, simple passes went awry and a number of crosses into the box were nowhere near their targets.
And, cards on the table, this is quite possibly the poorest Derby side many have seen in quite some time. They didn't even have Wayne Rooney on Wednesday night, either.
There was no Harry Wilson or Lee Tomlin for the Bluebirds, the Welsh side's two most creative players, so that might go some way to explaining the lethargic Pride Park display.
But they have been timid in attack all season, really. Again, we might as well be frank about that.
Just seven goals from the opening eight games of the season is not the return this new-look City front line would have envisaged.
Kieffer Moore is doing his utmost to win countless aerial duels every match, but is struggling for runners in behind him. Joe Ralls doesn't do it in that No.10 role and Sheyi Ojo and Junior Hoilett are ball-players and dribblers, rather than spin-off-the-shoulder wingers.
Nor do the wingers get to the byline to cross for Moore.
Often there seems to be a real lack of purpose in the City build-up play, particularly early on, which is why they inevitably turn to a more direct approach as games wear on.
Once they gain momentum from that, and the match subsequently breaks up a little, players then have space to run at their opposite number, evidenced by Ojo's lovely assist for Moore's equaliser at Pride Park.
It is why Cardiff are often far better finishing games than starting them. But why does it take so long to rough up the opposition?
That sort of in-your-face football we are so used to seeing from Cardiff City down the years just isn't there at the minute. They are lacking a cutting edge.
With no Wilson or Tomlin, would Josh Murphy have been a better option than Hoilett, to try to assuage the lack of creativity?
There has to be an element of caution and structure, of course, but Cardiff just seem to be held back by something at the minute.
Neil Harris suggested it might be that the players are placing too much expectation on themselves, other theories range from Cardiff being being overly defensive to lacking a nailed-down style of play.
Whatever it is, it's just been too stagnant and timid to date.
But the shackles really do need to be broken.
The defensive shape is largely fine and Cardiff are tough to break down - barring the odd silly mistake and set-play gaffe - but as a team they have to show far more ambition and go-forward.
It has to start at QPR on Saturday for the Bluebirds to begin climbing the table.
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