There are three certainties in life. Death, taxes and sadly, Swansea thrashing Cardiff.
At least we only have to play them twice a year. That is more than enough and any more pain than that would be too unbearable to withstand. What can be done about it though? How can Cardiff better equip themselves for these encounters because time and again, they look woefully out of their depth.
The problem is that is you asked 10 people what the problem is, you would get 10 different answers and the likelihood is that all of them would have raised valid points.
The build up to this encounter was all about how Cardiff ‘don’t get’ the derby. That if they embraced the madness a little and went toe-to-toe with Swansea, that they might have a puncher's chance. There was a concerted effort to emphasise that the players were being made well aware of the history and significance of the encounter.
That was evidenced in the opening exchanges, as Cardiff pressed for their lives and flew in to tackles with wild abandon. Then they crossed a line, lost a player and it quickly became a damage limitation exercise
In terms of the personnel involved, there has been such a high turnover in recent years that you cannot blame individuals. Cardiff have scored a solitary goal in the last seven encounters, but during that period, Swansea have faced five very different managers. Mick McCarthy managed to return from Swansea with a win, but that was during exceptional circumstances. There were no fans present and Cardiff managed to bully their hosts, but a physically intimidating Cardiff is a thing of the past.
Cardiff are no longer capable of beating you up or punishing you from set pieces. The strict passing game that was starting to bear fruits under Steve Morison is gradually disappearing, so at present Cardiff are equal parts unremarkable and ineffective, as reflected by their league position.
That excuse carries little water though because Swansea have also lost plenty of managers and players during this time. The difference is that they tend to move on to bigger and better things, with the likes of Steve Cooper and Graham Potter currently impressing in the Premier League, while players like Connor Roberts and Ollie McBurnie have produced substantial transfer fees. All of this is in turn reinvested, whereas most of Cardiff’s players tend to leave as free agents and their managers tend to get sacked.
The difference is that Swansea are working to a model, a clearly defined vision that everyone can see and subscribe too. They sign players and managers of a certain type, in a certain mould. Morison brought in a whole new squad to play a certain way and was dismissed a few weeks later, so had no chance to knit anything together. The next guy, who will undoubtedly be fire-fighting, may have a very different, more pragmatic approach.
So, who do you blame, because someone always has to carry the can for losing the derby, and how do you end this vicious cycle?
Well, Callum Robinson is the easy target this time round because he let the team down, but does that account for conceding 83% of possession?
I believe there is clearly an inferiority complex at play, so also a hefty superiority complex on the Swansea side, which is like playing with a goal head start, or an extra man that they really don’t need.
The biggest problem is that these games reflect all of Cardiff’s problems back at them. The poor signings, bad managerial appointments, huge turnover, waste, lack of patience and lack of any sort of a plan. The only change, if any, is likely to be the manager and the whole process starts again.
No one knows what Cardiff is or wants to be and there is no sign of a plan or any light at the end of the tunnel. They have another interim manager, working with his hands tied behind his back and are creeping back towards the relegation places. They say that a fish rots from the head and in my opinion this is the trickle down from aimless drift.
The worst part is that I fear when Swansea return in the new year, they will pull our pants down again. Football is the ultimate meritocracy and twice a season, every season, Cardiff get what they deserve.
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