Barry-Murphy brands Cardiff City attack 'anxious' as he delivers verdict on debutant

Wales Online

4 days ago

Barry-Murphy brands Cardiff City attack 'anxious' as he delivers verdict on debutant
The Bluebirds head coach spoke after the 0-0 draw with Port Vale
Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy
(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)
A frustrated Brian Barry-Murphy admitted Cardiff City fell short of the standards they set at the weekend after they battled to a goalless draw with Port Vale.
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The Bluebirds head coach, who watched his side open the League One campaign with a confident 2-1 win over Peterborough United on Saturday, conceded Cardiff "weren't at our best" as they struggled for rhythm and composure against the Valiants.
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'We weren't at the level we were on Saturday,' he said post-match. 'It was a difficult game for us. I thought Port Vale played really well and we weren't at our best.
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'A lot of things in the game were not as we would have wished. We didn't quite get our positioning right, and that made things stressful and rushed. We didn't show enough composure.'
While Barry-Murphy was pleased his side managed to 'stick to their task' and claim a point, he acknowledged the performance was far from where he wants it to be — especially in attack. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community.
'We had some good moments, but not enough,' he said. 'There was always an element of not having enough quality in the final third. It felt to me as if we were just a little bit anxious.'
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Despite the frustrations, the manager preached patience, pointing to the early stages of his tenure and the work still to come on the training pitch.
'We are very new together. It's my responsibility to show the players how to be in the right position, which will hopefully make the games more comfortable for us. That's my job,' he added.
'It's not going to be a smooth journey — it wouldn't be worthwhile if it was. There are going to be ups and downs. We're going to make mistakes. Tonight, luckily, we got away with it.'
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Barry-Murphy also praised debutant goalkeeper Nathan Trott, who was forced into several pressured moments due to Cardiff's disjointed positioning.
'I'm really pleased with him,' he said.
'He had to take some unnecessary risks, which we don't want. But in the second half, his interpretation of when to play long and short was really good.'
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The result leaves Cardiff with four points from their opening two fixtures.
While pleased with that tally, Barry-Murphy knows his side must improve if they are to control matches more convincingly.
'I always want more,' he said. 'It's a talented group but a young team. We want to take more control of games and have more control on the outcome based on the way we play.'