Cardiff City take on West Brom on Wednesday night, with manager Steve Morison certain to promote a new central defender to his starting XI.
The Bluebirds boss would likely have wanted to keep the same team which convincingly beat Birmingham on Saturday, but on-loan centre-back Cédric Kipré will be missing as he is not allowed to play against his parent club.
It provides a real poser for Morison, with four potential options and no obvious leading contender less than 48 hours from the match.
The Bluebirds' defensive issues were often to blame for the team's struggles in last season’s 18th-placed finish. Both Aden Flint and Ciaron Brown have gone, while ex-captain Sean Morrison is still recovering following an injury to his ACL back in February, sustained against Barnsley.
Based on the fact Curtis Nelson is the only other central defender to start a league game this season, he would appear the most likely option. But his poor showings against Reading and Portsmouth cast serious doubt on his selection for such a big game. The 29-year-old came in to replace the suspended Perry Ng against the Royals and was at fault as he gave away the early penalty which ultimately cost the Bluebirds the game.
Nelson was dropped from the Cardiff squad completely for the Birmingham match and, with multiple unsteady performances and yellow cards building up, many will question his credentials on current form to come back into the side. His experience, however, compared to the other candidates should not be overlooked.
Mark McGuinness is another option. The Republic of Ireland U21 international signed from Arsenal during last season’s transfer window under Mick McCarthy and proved to be a success story. But he has found himself ousted from the team by Kipré's arrival and appears to have slipped down the pecking order.
Despite his age and lack of experience, McGuinness was called upon to lead from the back last season and showed his quality at times despite results. The towering 6ft 4in defender showed promise with his clever interceptions and aerial duels, even if there was the odd mistake thrown in too. McGuinness is yet to play a minute this season and there has even been a suggestion from Morison the club could look to loan him out.
If McGuinness or Nelson are not the right men, perhaps homegrown talent Oliver Denham could be? The 20-year-old, who was called up to the Wales squad in June and signed a new contract back in March, is definitely part of Morison’s future plans but is still raw.
The manager is a clear fan and the youngster was the rock at the back for Cardiff's U23s throughout the campaign when Morison was in charge. He went on to play 90 minutes in five of the last six matches in the Championship last season, showing confidence with the ball at his feet. At times he had the highest pass success rate in the team but he is still a work in progress and some have questioned his physicality for the Championship at this stage of his development.
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Finally, perhaps the new face in the Bluebirds ranks is who Morison will turn to. Jack Simpson joined Morison’s team as their 15th signing of the summer, declaring himself a ball-playing centre-half who the manager said would bring balance to the defence. He is yet to start a game for the Bluebirds this season, with Morison saying he is not quite yet match fit after missing out on pre-season at the club, but he has a decent pedigree having played 11 times in the Premier League for Bournemouth.
Morison's excitement when signing Simpson suggests he will be keen to use him if he can prove he is physically up to it. "He is a fantastic player," the manager said. "He has a beautiful left foot and is someone who wanted to come and be part of it. Jack's here with a smile on his face, and ready to get to work. He's an excellent addition to the group."
Cardiff will want to continue their bright start to the season to give themselves a better chance of playing for those promotion places at the end of the season. Another win on Wednesday could be huge for Steve Morison’s men. It is yet to be seen who will line up alongside Perry Ng in the centre-back role. However, it should be safe to stay the rest of the back four, including Mahlon Romeo and Jamilu Collins, will retain their positions following heavy praise from Morison after the weekend’s victory.
