Cardiff and Wales defender Dylan Lawlor says club boss Brian Barry-Murphy and national team coach Craig Bellamy share similar views.
Lawlor was a key member of Barry-Murphy’s Cardiff team that secured promotion to the Championship last season.
The 20-year-old was handed his first senior Wales cap by Bellamy in September 2025 and has made six appearances in the past year.
“They’re very similar so it’s easy to switch between the two,” said Lawlor, who played under Barry-Murphy at Cardiff and under Bellamy in Wales.
“They are very detailed and they see football the same way, and to be honest, it’s the same way I see it.
“It suits me and it’s easy to switch between the two.”
Lawlor said both Barry-Murphy and Bellamy have the same approach to games as former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Former Liverpool defender Andy Robertson says Klopp focuses on his strengths, while his predecessor Arne Slott would “constantly adapt to the opponent’s tactics”.
“The biggest thing for me is that it’s all about us,” Lawlor told the BBC’s Welsh-language podcast (Y Corridor Ansicrwydd) (Corridor of Uncertainty).
“I saw what Andy Robertson said about Slott and Klopp and the difference.
“It’s clear to me in Cardiff and in Wales that it’s all about us and we don’t have to worry about the opposition.
“You go into games full of confidence – it’s all about us.”
Barry-Murphy was appointed Cardiff manager in June 2025 following the club’s relegation from the Championship at the end of the 2024–25 season.
Lawlor made his league debut in the final game of that season against Norwich City as a second-half substitute.
He was given the opportunity by interim boss Aaron Ramsey, a former pupil at Lawlor’s old school Ysgol Cwm Rhymni in County Caerphilly.
“He was someone I could look up to,” Lawlor said.
“He was an inspiration to me growing up and then I had the chance to work with him and then under him when I started my coaching career.
“He would pass on things to me, tips and things I could add to my game, and when it comes from someone like that, you have to take it.”