Planet Swans ArchivesMake no bones about it this was a sub standard performance from a team that for the first time in many a year looked as if they were advancing backwards and not just in the direction of the pass but also in the ability to string those passes together in the first place.
The first half I would have said we were the better side but whatever was said at the interval did not do the desired trick as Cardiff took to the ascendancy and were the better of two sides which at the moment look average at best based on today’s performance alone.
From an early promising start where Michu (twice) and Dyer had chances to score it went downhill rapidly as the Swans lost their way and never really troubled Marshall bar a late effort from Pozuelo that was easily saved by the home side’s keeper.
From the Cardiff perspective they never really troubled Vorm with anything of any threat until Caulker headed home from a corner and at that point you suspected that the game was over. Michael tried to change things with Bony, Pozuelo and Vazquez introduced but we never really threatened an equaliser.
For me we lost the game in midfield with Medel controlling large parts of that in the second half in particular. After the half time break we never really threatened the Cardiff defence at all and Marshall – so busy at Norwich last week – was almost a passenger for much of the second half of the game.
We had started promisingly and held the ball for over a minute at the start before Cardiff got a touch and they got just three touches – all hoofs – in the opening two and a half minutes of play. In the early stages, the best chance fell to Michu who controlled the ball and turned to shoot but fired well over the goal to the amusement of the Cardiff fans behind that goal.
Dyer wasted an arguably better chance minutes later when he found himself in space but fired hopelessly wide as the Swans looked set to try and dominate the game having spent most of the early stages in the Cardiff half. Michu again came close from outside the box but his powerful shot was parried away by Marshall and the first half petered towards a goalless scoreline.
As stated before I think it is safest to say that the Swans never really turned up in the second half. Cardiff had clearly been told to press us further up the pitch and they did this from the first minute and started to force mistakes in the Swans game as they moved up. The passages of play were again at the opposite end of the pitch to where the Swans fans were gathered and the home side were definitely on top at this stage.
Having said that it always felt as if the game was destined to be 0-0 until former Jack Steven Caulker rose highest to head home the corner in the second half.
I’m not sure exactly what it is that we have lost in recent weeks but the fluent passing football seems to have gone – whether that is team orders or lack of confidence remains to be seen but we need a couple of big performances in the next week to remind us exactly what we can do.
