By Gareth James

Sabri Lamouchi insists he thinks Cardiff City can stay in the Championship, but admits: “I am not a magician.”

The Bluebirds’ 3-1 defeat at home to Middlesbrough on Saturday means they have lost all three games since the Frenchman took charge.

There has been no sign of a new manager bounce and Cardiff’s winless sequence now extends to 14 matches.

They are only above the relegation zone on goal difference but the three clubs beneath them all have a game in hand.

Lamouchi tried to put a brace face on the situation and vowed: “ “This is a tough challenge and I am not a magician, but I still believe we will do it (stay up). 

“I must be positive. We just need to get some confidence to get results. 

“I think the players believe, they fight and they have the quality to make a difference. Middlesbrough is one of the best teams in this league.

Hasselbaink: ‘It’s not stable at Cardiff. They have a really good manager in Sabri Lamouchi. He knows the league, I was quite happy for Cardiff when they got him, but the club needs stability. They need to give him time and not panic if he goes five or six games without a win.’ pic.twitter.com/xNC0Zmhg2F

— Scott Johnson (@roathboy) February 12, 2023

“For my first home game I was expecting a different result but we must be honest, they played well. 

“We gave them the first goal, we came back quickly but you saw the difference between one team playing with confidence and the other without it. They deserved the three points. 

“We tried to have a different energy and mentality in the second half and we competed more. We tried everything but unfortunately it was not enough. I have maximum optimism, we just need to work.”

First-half goals from Marcus Forss and Cameron Archer and a 90th-minute Riley McGree strike earned Michael Carrick’s men their fifth victory in six games and kept them in pole position for a play-off place.

Defeat for the Bluebirds – who equalised through Sory Kaba in the 25th minute – leaves manager Lamouchi still searching for his first point since taking over from the sacked Mark Hudson three weeks ago.

Just 4 seasons ago, Cardiff City were in the Premier League.

They’re now on the verge of being relegated to League One with more than £100 million of debt.

How did they get here?

Let's find out.

Here's Cardiff City – the Vincent Tan era.

(THREAD 🧵) pic.twitter.com/O5lbGvzqMj

— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) February 7, 2023

The Frenchman presided over 1-0 losses to Luton and Hull prior to this, and could already be said to be under pressure as his goal-shy side search desperately for some inspiration.

The contrasting fortunes of these two teams could not have been more apparent throughout the first half.

Middlesbrough finished it leading 2-1 having dominated possession and territory, restricting Cardiff to sporadic breaks.

The opening goal arrived in the 17th minute and was the product of a pinpoint Middlesbrough passing movement.

McGree and striker Archer combined to give Finnish midfielder Forss the chance to rifle his shot into the roof of the Cardiff net.

It looked ominous for the Bluebirds at that stage, but against the run of play they hauled themselves back into it in the 25th minute.

Boro had only themselves to blame as right-back Tommy Smith conceded possession to Callum Robinson.

The Cardiff striker advanced down the left flank and his low cross was on a plate for Kaba, the Guinea international signed from Danish club FC Midtjylland last month, to calmly roll the ball home.

Cardiff City have become the club that Vincent Tan deserves.

— Cennydd (@Cennyddball) February 11, 2023

Bluebirds supporters, who had previously seen their team score just 22 times in the league all season, responded with ironic chants of “We’ve scored a goal”, but their joy was short-lived.

Seven minutes before the break, Callum O’Dowda carelessly gave the ball away in midfield and Hayden Hackney’s through ball to Archer saw the Villa loanee round Ryan Allsop in the Cardiff goal to restore the visitors’ lead.

The home side improved after half-time, pushing back Carrick’s men with a more urgent tempo, but their lack of genuine goal threat remained.

It did not help Cardiff that their best chance fell to defender Cedric Kipre, the Frenchman failing to work Boro goalkeeper Zach Steffan with a header direct from a corner.

In the closing stages Middlesbrough’s threat was on the counter-attack and Chuba Akpom should have made victory certain when his close-range attempt to covert a Ryan Giles cross struck a post.

However, Boro did not have to wait much longer to seal the points as the unmarked McGree slotted home his side’s third goal from a cross by substitute Matt Crooks.

https://twitter.com/MufcWonItAll/status/1624704400219336704?s=20

Middlesbrough’s Michael Carrick said: “I’m really pleased, we knew it would be a hard game and we expected it, but we were ready for it. 

“It was a game of two halves in terms of our style, in the first half we played some of the best stuff since I came here. In the second half we had to dig in, but the boys who came off the bench made a really big difference for us.

“I was proud of the efforts the boys put in and they got their reward. The way we responded to giving the goal away was pleasing, and in the end I am really happy.”