Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut was unhappy with his side’s defeat to Norwich City on Saturday which helped to ease pressure on visiting coach David Wagner.
Cardiff were 2-1 up after 81 minutes, thanks to first-half goals from Callum Robinson and Josh Bowler before two goals in three minutes meant the away side took all three points.
The result saw them drop down to ninth in the Championship table, after sitting in seventh place just outside the play-off positions going into the weekend. It was a shock result for the home side, bringing an end to their six-game unbeaten run at home in the league.
It is only the second time that they have lost at home this season in the league, with the only other defeat coming in the way of a 2-1 defeat against QPR in August. The Bluebirds have picked up 16 of their 24 points so far this season at home, an improvement on last season, where they only picked up 25 points at the Cardiff City Stadium through the whole campaign.
The result also saw the Bluebirds lose their three-game undefeated streak in the Championship and is also the first time they have conceded a goal in the league, since their 1-0 loss away to Blackburn Rovers in late October.
Following a strong first half from Bulut’s side, they were unable to maintain their performance in the second half, as expressed by the gaffer.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Bulut said: “Today we saw two different 45 minutes. We dominated the first half. We conceded the goal from the corner kick and came back with two goals, we could have scored a third or even a fourth.
“But the game is 90 minutes, the second half I was expecting my team to play how we finished the first half, but we could not put that performance on the field,” he added.
The Bluebirds boss also stated that he was not pleased with the way his side conceded the goals that led to their defeat.
“We didn’t fight, we were not concentrated, we lost balls too quick and allowed the opponent chances. We knew exactly what they would do with the long balls in behind us.
“We cannot concede goals like this. The first goal from the corner kick, we practised this. The third goal also came from a corner. This cannot happen. We planned to take the three points today, but we are with zero,” added the 48-year-old.
Fullback Perry Ng missed the fixture due to injury, but Bulut believes that he will be available again after the international break.
“I think it’s not serious. He had a kick on his knee. His ligament. The medical department said he would not be available,” said Bulut speaking on the injury after the game.
The Bluebirds return to action after the international break with an away fixture to fifth-placed Preston North End.
Writer’s View
It was a disappointing result for Cardiff City yesterday, throwing away a lead late in the game, ending their six-game unbeaten streak at home. The result has come at the worst time for the Bluebirds heading into the international break as they now have a long wait before they can right the wrong, with some difficult fixtures coming up.
Overall, it has still been a very impressive start for Cardiff and they will be hoping to get back to winning ways and maintain a play-off push going into the new year.
