Cardiff and Wales defender Dylan Lawlor has described club head coach Brian Barry-Murphy and Wales head coach Craig Bellamy as “so similar”, saying the ease of moving between the two environments comes from their shared football outlook. Lawlor has become a key member of Barry-Murphy’s Cardiff side, which last season secured promotion to the Championship, and believes both managers are detailed and see the game in the same way he does.
“They are so similar so it’s easy to switch between the two,” Lawlor said. “They’re so detailed and 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 had the same approach to games as former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. He referenced former Liverpool defender Andy Robertson’s comments about Klopp focusing on his own team’s strengths while predecessor Arne Slot would “constantly adapt to the opponent’s tactics”. Lawlor told the BBC’s Welsh-language podcast Y Coridor Ansicrwydd (Corridor of Uncertainty): “The most eye-opening thing for me is that it’s all about us. I saw what Andy Robertson said about Slot and Klopp and the difference. It’s obvious to me at Cardiff and for Wales that it’s all about us and not to worry about the opposition. You go into games full of confidence – it’s all about us.”
Barry-Murphy was appointed Cardiff head coach 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, coming on as a second-half substitute against Norwich City. He was given his opportunity by interim boss Aaron Ramsey, a fellow former pupil at Lawlor’s old school of Ysgol Cwm Rhymni in Caerphilly County. “He was someone I could look up to,” Lawlor said. “He was an inspiration to me when I was growing up and then I had the chance to work with him and then under him when he was starting his 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.”
At international level, the 20-year-old was handed his first senior Wales cap by Bellamy in September 2025, making his debut against Kazakhstan, and has made six appearances in the last year. He missed pre-season and the start of the Championship campaign because of a knee injury picked up playing for Wales against Ghana in June. He returned as a substitute in Cardiff’s Championship win over Charlton just before the recent international break, but that came too soon for involvement in Wales’ four recent Nations League games.
“To be honest I wasn’t in the picture to be part of the camp,” Lawlor said. “I think the most important thing for me is to focus on November and try and be fit for the games against Portugal and Norway.” He admitted he was “gutted” to miss out on facing Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Norway’s Erling Haaland. “Fingers crossed I will be able to play against them in November and prove myself against them,” he added.