Iwan Roberts says Cardiff City must sharpen up or face the drop after watching the Bluebirds slump to defeat against Preston North End.
Cardiff were beaten on their own patch by a struggling Preston side who had not won away this season before their midweek trip to Wales.
The Bluebirds were booed off after their latest setback, with Omer Riza’s team in the Championship bottom three going into Saturday’s game at Stoke City.
“There’s a lack of energy. they are pedestrian – they have become so predictable,” former Wales striker Roberts told this week’s Feast of Football podcast.
“Some of the players are playing like prima donnas at the minute. They look scared of making mistakes. They are not going into certain areas just in case they get the ball [because] if they make a mistake, they get a negative reaction from the supporters.”
Roberts is unimpressed by Riza’s suggestion that Cardiff’s players were tired following an upturn in form after the sacking of Erol Bulut which saw them claim 14 points from seven matches.
Since then, Cardiff have failed to win in six to slip from 17th in the table to 22nd.
“I think they have got too good a squad to go down, but there have been better squads who have been relegated from this division,” Roberts added.
“If they don’t sharpen up, they are going to be bang in trouble.
“They came close two years ago – they got away with it by the skin of their teeth because of Reading’s points deduction. They are in a similar situation now.”