Cardiff City boss Mick McCarthy will switch up his side this weekend as he bids to try and change the fortunes of the club, according to Wales Online.
The Bluebirds may have looked solid under the boss last season but this campaign they have looked anything but that. With five losses in their last six games, they've fallen to 18th in the Championship table and pressure is now mounting on the former Ipswich Town manager.
After a humbling 4-0 defeat to West Brom in midweek (and an even more humbling 5-1 loss to Blackburn last weekend) calls are now coming in from Cardiff fans for McCarthy to lose his job. The defensive solidity and attacking acumen that they had in the 2020/21 campaign appears to have evaporated, with the side having conceded the second most goals in the entire league and having scored just 12 in ten games.
It means that this weekend's clash with Reading is now more important than ever - and he's ready to bring in wholesale changes to his squad in order to secure that elusive win.
Speaking to Wales Online, McCarthy said: "I think it might be time for a tweak. We still have to maintain the positive things we’ve done over the last seven months, maintain those, get shot of some of the things that are not working and try something else.
"But I still believe in what we’re trying to do."
In midweek, they looked a shadow of their former selves. With no shots on target all game, they barely tested opposition goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and both Ryan Giles and James Collins managed just one shot between them.
Defensively they looked shaky too and the club's top goalscorer this season remains Aden Flint - who plays as a centre-back.
Something does need to change then for Cardiff City going forward if they want to start picking up wins - and it looks like McCarthy is ready to do just that this weekend.
The Verdict
It's been a torrid start to the campaign for the Bluebirds and there hasn't been much sign of change judging from their last few results.
McCarthy's style of play clearly isn't working right now, so he's right to take a look at his side this weekend and bring in some much needed changes. The losses they've suffered over the course of the last week haven't even been close - instead they've been by four goals a piece.
If McCarthy switches it up, it could make things even worse, granted. But something does need to change and it could be just what they need to spark their campaign to life and get that much-needed win over Reading.