Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy says the club will have a new signing in place before Tuesday's Carabao Cup match against Norwich City. He highlighted a defensive injury crisis that forced the team to improvise against Derby County and stressed the need for a specialist centre-half before the competition’s third round.
Barry-Murphy made the comments after a 2-2 draw with Derby County at Pride Park on Saturday, a game in which the Blues had to play without a recognised centre-back. Four defenders were unavailable - Gabriel Osho, who had hyper-extended his knee in the opening 1-1 draw with Wrexham; Will Fish, who is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines; Dylan Lawlor, who remains out; and Calum Chambers, who has yet to return to training after a knee injury.
The injury crisis left the squad to improvise, with right-back Perry Ng and left-back Joel Bagan forming an unlikely centre-half pairing. Ronan Kpakio and Calum Scanlon filled the full-back positions, while Alex Robertson was asked to operate as the deepest midfielder in front of them. Despite the adversity, Cardiff twice led through Cian Ashford and Yousef Salech before Bobby Clark’s second-half equaliser secured the 2-2 draw.
"The players who played today did a great job and I'm very proud and pleased with their performance," Barry-Murphy said. He added that his intention had been to attack rather than simply contain Derby, and that the best form of defence for the team was to stay aggressive.
The manager acknowledged that Derby’s equaliser just four minutes into the second half was disappointing, but noted the hosts’ quality made life difficult. "They obviously have a really good team, a good manager, and they create situations that are difficult to defend," he said.
With the transfer window closing on 1 September, Barry-Murphy has made it clear that reinforcements are required. "I would expect so," he replied when asked whether he expected a new arrival before Tuesday. He said the club is looking to improve the squad and that the situation cannot continue.
Cardiff’s only brand-new signing of the summer is Jack Moylan, while the returns of goalkeeper Nathan Trott and left-back Calum Scanlon have provided welcome additions. Moylan was withdrawn against Derby after appearing to pick up an injury, but Barry-Murphy said he was a "dead leg" and would be fine. Rubin Colwill was another player whose minutes had to be carefully managed; he was withdrawn shortly before the hour mark after starting despite limited training.
The manager said the squad will be reassessed ahead of the Norwich game, particularly after Scanlon completed his first full 90 minutes in around two and a half years. "We haven't got many options at the moment, so hopefully we can have somebody in," he added.
Cardiff host Norwich at 7 pm on Tuesday with a place in the third round of the Carabao Cup at stake. Barry-Murphy insists the competition will be approached with the same winning mentality as every other game, but player welfare will have to be considered. "We treat every game with the intention of winning, and that won't change with regard to Tuesday," he said.
The point leaves Cardiff unbeaten from their opening two Championship matches following Monday's dramatic draw with Wrexham, but the defensive situation remains a pressing concern as the club looks to secure a specialist centre-half before the cup clash.
