Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson is ready to make changes unless his team improve their defensive record.
Having reached the play-offs in the past two seasons, Posh are 13th in League One, and only Blackpool have let in more goals than their 29 in 16 games.
However, Peterborough’s total of 32 scored is second only to leaders Wycombe – and, indeed, the second highest in the entire English Football League.
“I made clear to the players that if we were to continue [letting in] the goals we are, then they are going to give me no choice to, one, replace them, or two, try to change formation,” Ferguson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
“I can’t keep playing the same players if we keep conceding goals, it would be insanity really.”
Having lost 2-1 at home to Reading last weekend, Peterborough take a break from league action on Saturday when they host League Two side Notts County in the second round of the FA Cup.
And Ferguson will have one extra defensive option with Jadel Katongo, signed on loan from Manchester City, set to play his first game since 28 September.
“He’s ready to play, probably about an hour, we’ll see how the game goes, ” confirmed Ferguson, who will be banned from the touchline for Saturday’s game after accumulating three yellow cards this season.
“He gives us really good options in the back four or in midfield, but we don’t need him in there [midfield] as we’ve got good numbers, so [he’ll play] right-back or centre-half.”
Posh played back-to-back friendlies against Notts in pre-season, winning 1-0 and 4-3, but Ferguson is a fan of Stuart Maynard’s team, who are fifth in their division.
“There’s certain times in the game when they may get a little bit of control in terms of possession and that’s something we can’t get spooked about,” the Scot said.
“In the second half against Reading, they got a little bit more control and it’s important at that point that you don’t start jumping in, you follow what the game plan is and what we’ve worked on.
“(The game against) Cambridge is probably a good example of it [Peterborough won 6-1] when they had more of the ball than I wanted in the first 20 minutes but we were compact and then in transition we caused them all sort of problems.
“There’s two parts to the game – when you haven’t got possession, you can go and press, and you’ve got to be good at it, or stay in shape and wait. In every game we have to do both and Saturday will be no different.”