Erol Bulut says he learnt a lot about Cardiff City players in Blackburn drubbing and tells star how to get to next level
The manager spoke after the 5-2 drubbing inflicted on them by Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup
Erol Bulut said he has learnt a lot about some Cardiff City players in the 5-2 defeat by Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup and admitted his team were comfortably second best at Ewood Park.
Cardiff threw together another rag-tag team like they did in the previous cup win over Birmingham City, however the results were nowhere near as positive. The defence was shoddy and they shipped five goals, but it could have been much more, with players playing out of position and youngsters coming on for their debuts late on in the piece.
But Bulut insists the league is his priority and rightly so. Cardiff are on the back of three successive league wins and the cup exit only serves to narrow the focus on the Championship. Even so, the Bluebirds boss reckons the loss at Ewood Park showed him which players can help him during this season’s league campaign.
READ MORE: Blackburn Rovers 5-2 Cardiff City: Bluebirds dumped out of Carabao Cup after chastening defeat
“I said in the cup we will try to go as far as we can,” he said after the match. “Today was the end for us against a good Blackburn team. At least we saw the difference between the young players and the team. They have good players and played today much, much better than us.
“In the first half we didn’t make a lot of chances, but make it 2-2. In the second half the opponent continued to play good but we didn’t continue. We was not concentrated or focussed enough. The opponent was better. The two key things in football, focus and concentration, and for us it was not enough.
“For the club, the priority is the league. That’s why we didn’t bring many players with us. Also, our system today, we made defenders from full-backs, wingers to full-backs. At least we saw today that in the future, which players we can use in our main team that can help us. Today it was only a few, not as many as I was expecting. But there were a few players who can also help us in the league.
“Even training games I want to win. But sometimes the opponent is better than you and you have to accept it, like today, the opponent was better. But the priority is the Championship and the league and we will give everything on the weekend.”
Callum Robinson is no doubt someone who has an important part to play in City’s league campaign. A niggling back injury has hampered his start to the season but he took his chance well when he scored from 25 yards to get the Bluebirds on the board. It was a welcome return to the starting lineup for the Republic of Ireland international, but Bulut believes he has a bit further to go until he is fully fit.
“He was injured in the start of the season,” the manager said of Robinson. “A long injury and then he came back again and was three weeks out. He came back slowly and today he played 70 minutes, he scored. He needs a bit more time to be fully in the game.”
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Rubin Colwill was another positive for Cardiff, playing 90 minutes and was the major creative spark throughout the match. He found space, dribbled past players – which he did before laying off Robinson – and looked a cut above when the youngsters came on around him late on.
But Bulut is demanding of the Cardiff academy graduate and believes he must still master other aspects of his game if he is to reach the next level.
