To say the least, Cardiff City supporters have had a very good few months. A near-perfect transfer window, a new academy complex, financial issues that appear to be smoothing themselves out, and, of course, terrific performances on the field.
As the international break approaches, the Bluebirds are ninth in the Championship table, one point off the play-offs and three points off third place. It’s literally nosebleed territory for a team that has spent the previous two seasons fighting the looming threat of relegation.
So far, Erol Bulut has done a great job. He has his team well-drilled, scoring goals and becoming more stingy in defense.
Ahead of this campaign, supporters were purring over one position in particular – and it had been a problem position for Cardiff for some time. The lack of playmaker or attack orchestrator had hampered the Bluebirds in recent seasons, with the likes of Lee Tomlin and Harry Wilson a distant memory.
But, heading into the campaign, Cardiff boasted the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Callum Robinson and Rubin Colwill in that position, all vying for the No. 10 slot. Ramsey was sensational at the beginning of the season, pulling the strings and even getting on the score sheet – he netted three times in six games.
However, a rupture of his ACL has rendered him unavailable for the next two months minimum, which would be a major blow to any side at this level. But given the strength in depth mentioned above, that is now less of a problem than what it would have been in years gone by.
Bulut, though, has seen it differently. We were told of the manager’s pragmatic approach before his arrival, with Mehmet Dalman even saying that he does not lose games – if his sides don’t win they get a point, that was the thrust of the conversation. But until now we’ve seen the opposite, really. Cardiff were free-flowing, free-scoring and a little bit haphazard at the back, not really what City fans expected.
Perhaps we have seen what is more akin to a Bulut team in recent weeks since the Ramsey injury, though. The manager shored up the defence and made the midfield more robust, with the inclusion of Ryan Wintle over the likes of Robinson and Colwill.
It has sparked the fiercest debate yet among City supporters. Perhaps away from home or against teams who dominate, there is merit in that decision. But at home to Coventry City, Rotherham United and a struggling Watford team, for example, Cardiff fans were urging the manager to go more offensive. As it happens, City won two and drew one of those games, so perhaps Bulut was proven right in some respects.
But that final game before the break, against the Hornets, was a tired performance and smacked of a team which needed a freshen up or an injection of creativity in lieu of Ramsey. But when asked why he did not opt for Robinson or Colwill against Watford, Bulut offered a cogent response.
“I have a good reason,” he said. “If you see the game, of course I would like to play with two No. 10s. I didn’t use Rubin in the game because we didn’t want to lose more than two points.
“Defensively, Rubin is not at that level where I want to see him. I told him this. Football is not only offensive, if you lose the ball you also have to be defensive. Because of that, Wints was playing in that position and we can have more support in the defence.
“Because the game, we didn’t control it, we didn’t have enough possession. That’s why I put [Romaine] Sawyers on, so that we can keep the ball a little bit with him. That’s why Rubin didn’t play.”
Robinson has struggled with injuries this season, so he may not have showed what all City fans know he is capable of. Meanwhile, Colwill is perhaps in the best shape of his life, but he is still failing to match his manager’s defensive needs. Bulut appears to believe he doesn’t contribute enough offensively to compensate for what he takes away from the club defensively.
Since the summer, Colwill has six goals and three assists for club and country, albeit in the under-21s at international level, which is as good a return as he has enjoyed in his career to date. Indeed, few people in Cardiff’s entire squad boast those numbers. But, clearly, Bulut believes the 21-year-old must improve in more aspects of his game if he is to be trusted from the off.
Some wonder why he wasn’t sent out on loan, with Championship clubs understood to have registered interest in a move for him in the summer, if his game time was to be so thin on the ground. But that was Bulut’s call and it’s a long season. He will likely be needed at some stage. And if not, well, a January loan away might well be on the cards.
But when asked how much Colwill would have to improve to force his way into the side, Bulut replied: “I don’t know. It depends on Rubin. I said he is a really good young player, but he has to learn a lot of things. When he comes in, he has to play for the team and not himself. I told him that also. But he will learn.
“He makes mistakes, but he has to learn quickly because he is 21 and we need him. Everybody has to play for the team and not themselves. I will not allow anyone to play selfishly. He will learn, for sure.”