Cardiff City: Omer Riza must take Sivert Mannsverk action following Leeds United humiliation | OneFootball

Omer Riza should be making a couple of key selection calls following Cardiff City's 7-0 drubbing at Leeds United over the weekend

Cardiff City will be looking to move on as quickly as possible and steer clear of any potential hangover incurred by Saturday afternoon's 7-0 drubbing away to league leaders Leeds United, with an uplifting eight-match winless streak mercilessly slashed at Elland Road.

After an unexpectedly-positive January month, which Cardiff completed unbeaten with the notable inclusion of a 3-0 thrashing of bitter rivals Swansea City in the south Wales derby while making two additions in Yousef Salech and Sivert Mannsverk, Cardiff started February off in the worst manner imaginable but will be desperate to make amends and put things right.

The Bluebirds, who are 19th in the Championship but have seen their relegation fears alleviated somewhat in recent weeks, are next in action on Saturday afternoon as they travel to second-tier rivals Stoke City for an FA Cup fourth-round tie before a crunch showdown away at 20th-placed Portsmouth next Tuesday.

Cardiff City's humiliating 7-0 defeat at Leeds United is a cause for concern

Naturally, expectations were modest heading into the trip to West Yorkshire, in which Cardiff were always going to be considerable underdogs.

A fighting display, you can imagine, along with an attempt to keep the scoring down and avoid a fresh hit to the goal differential, would have satisfied many supporters, who viewed the contest as something of a free hit considering Cardiff's inferiority to Daniel Farke's title-chasing side.

That's not exactly how it played out, of course. Leeds' direct wide-play, spearheaded by electrifying transitions from Dan James and Manor Solomon, proved a real threat from minute one, with the visitors immediately pinned back under the cosh. Initial waves of pressure resulted in Brenden Aaronson opening the floodgates after just six minutes with one of the easiest goals the USA playmaker will score - he had been left with a tap-in after star man James rounded Jak Alnwick.

The Welsh international - formerly of Swansea, of course - was a thorn in Cardiff's side and set up his side's second goal minutes later when he squared the ball across the face of goal for Solomon to poke home at the far post.

James himself then wound up on the scoresheet five minutes into the second half, before a Joel Piroe brace and goals from substitutes Willy Gnonto and Mateo Joseph rounded off a chastening afternoon for Omer Riza's side.

Cardiff were powerless to prevent a rampant Whites side from running riot and consigning them to their heaviest league defeat since 1966, and must now make changes heading into the upcoming fixture schedule.

Leeds' might, of course, has to be considered - the Yorkshire outfit are top of the Championship for a reason, aided by an enormous budget, glittering starting side and imperious squad depth by second-tier standards - and a trip to Elland Road is perhaps the hardest match of the season for any team in this division too, but the way in which Cardiff were played through and split open to end should bang the drum for rethink.

Omer Riza must start Sivert Mannsverk following Leeds United drubbing

Mannsverk was just about the only player to show any flashes of positivity in a Bluebirds shirt, even if it remains a debut the Dutchman will be all-too-eager to forget.

The 22-year-old, who became Cardiff's second signing of the window by joining on loan from Ajax in a hotly-anticipated deal, was hardly going to set the world alight after being hauled on as a 68th minute substitute, by which point Leeds were already four goals to the good, but he did offer some flashes, with his coolness and composure in possession representing small signs of encouragement in an otherwise-dismal display for City.

His profile, however, is what Cardiff lacked in the middle of the park for much of the contest and would be well-served by elevating in the days and weeks to come.

A deep-lying number six or eight by trade, the Norweigan's physical frame naturally allows him to engage and win duels and be combative when his side are behind the ball, but, having gained experience with Ajax - for whom he has represented on 18 occasions since signing in 2023 - possesses the requisite awareness, reading of the game and composure on the ball to help dictate the tempo.

Having any possible say in the dominion of the afternoon away to Leeds was always going to be a tall order for Cardiff, and Mannsverk's inclusion as a starter would not have changed that. But, as well as the Whites' devastating wing play, Cardiff's inability to win battles in midfield and keep play ticking over was a hallmark of their defeat as Leeds hunted in packs, capitalised on their sloppiness in possession and steamrolled them centrally from the first to final whistle.

The question is, where do Cardiff go from here? Joe Ralls and Calum Chambers have, and will return to have much, much better games for Cardiff, that's for sure. Changes will be made, one would like to imagine.

It's not too easy to call the side that may be fielded against Stoke - it is the cup, after all, and whether Riza will look to exercise rotation or stick with what he believes to be his strongest line-up in a fixture where the Bluebirds have a good chance at progressing to the next round, remains to be seen.

The trip to Pompey, though, is of greater importance. Portsmouth are no pushovers either, especially not in the cauldron of noise that is Fratton Park - John Mousinho's side have lost just four times on home soil all season and have notably thrashed the likes of Stoke, Swansea, Coventry and Bristol City on the south coast in recent months.

Portsmouth thrive off a bouyant home crowd and often attack with plenty of momentum and thrust, while attacking outlets such as Colby Bishop and, of course, ex-City winger Josh Murphy help them to play on the front foot.

They're no Leeds United, but they too pose a real threat and could also punish Cardiff in rather cruel fashion if they fail to learn from their mistakes and exert any real degree of control, both in possession but also in terms of duel-winning without the ball, next week.

Mannsverk, then, with his skill-set, could be integral to helping Cardiff control the game as well as being less timid out of possession, and Riza really should hand him his first league start against the Blues.