Neil Warnock has warned his Cardiff City players to beware any red mist that could produce red cards in Sunday’s derby clash at Swansea City.
The Bluebirds manager has compared the composure needed to that required by Wales in their Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa, which kicks off just three hours beforehand in Japan.
In what Warnock described as the “best armchair day of the year” for Welsh sports fans, Wales face South Africa at 9am before Swansea host Cardiff in the Sky Bet Championship at midday, live on Sky Sports.
Warnock wants his players to be prepared for an intense atmosphere at the Liberty Stadium, but has warned against the danger of a red card, such as the one for France that Wales benefited from in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
“It’s a little bit like the rugby at the moment with the semi-finals coming up,” Warnock told Sky Sports News. “You don’t want a red card, you don’t want some stupidity.
“I think everybody in Wales knows that France might have beat Wales if the lad hadn’t have elbowed him in the face. You just get carried away.
“You want your lads to play strong and play hard but don’t do anything stupid, don’t do anything reckless.
“You do reiterate that in training that you need cool heads, but talking and doing it is two different things.”
Cardiff are 13th in the table having won just one of their last five games, but Warnock’s side are proving difficult to beat, having lost only one of their last 10.
Following a strong start to the season, Swansea have won just one of their last seven, and sit four points above Cardiff in ninth.
In his long managerial career, Warnock has been involved in 24 derby fixtures, but this will be his first in Wales and the first between the clubs for five years.
Warnock adds: “I’ve been involved at Palace and QPR with London derbies and Sheffield derbies were special. My sister was a Wednesdayite.
“I’ve been told what it’s like and I’m expecting it to be the same. I know what the other derbies meant to people and how much people look forward to it.
“They are always special atmospheres. It’s why we are all involved really. Your heart beats a bit quicker and you have a few more nerves the night before.
“It is a big clash of styles. Going back to (Roberto) Martinez, and I always liked playing Garry Monk sides, it’s just how they are. It’s the way modern football is. A lot of managers want to play that way and good luck to them.
“If you can get the happy medium, I think Liverpool played more direct balls a few weeks ago than we did. But because it’s Liverpool it doesn’t get noticed. I just want to play in the opponent’s half.
“If you want me to pass the ball to Morrison on the six-yard box that’s not me.
“Quite easily we could have had seven or eight more points and you look at the league table and where that would have put us.
“We haven’t got that ruthlessness and we need to get that.”