Still winless in the Premier League, Sunderland are in need of new ideas as they travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Saturday, and the League Cup defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday evening may have given the manager a few.
If the Black Cats want to register that first victory in the league before next month's international break, they are going to need to raise their game, preparing for fixtures against the Red Devils and an in-form West Ham United, and changes in personnel may be the way to do this.
Borini to remain in the middle?
Dick Advocaat tried a number of different things in the 4-1 loss, the most notable being his decision to deploy Fabio Borini as a central striker and drop Jermain Defoe to the bench.
Defoe missed two huge chances against Bournemouth at the weekend as his side lost 2-0, and this may have been a contributing factor in his manager's decision to prefer the Italian.
On Tuesday, Borini did manage to find the back of the net, only for it to be disallowed for a soft foul, but Advocaat did not give much away when discussing his striker's performance.
Speaking about his decision to play him where he did, via the Sunderland Echo, the Dutchman stated that he "wanted to see Borini in the middle" and now he "will think about whether he stays there" for this weekend's trip to Old Trafford.
Still, he hinted that he could, adding that "everyone deserves another chance, not just one."
Manager impressed with Cattermole
One man who did earn praise from Advocaat though was Lee Cattermole.
The club's vice-captain has disappointed so far this season, which has resulted in him being benched for the last two league games after giving away two needless penalties already and having been the victim of early first half substitutions due to his poor performances.
However, he replaced Jack Rodwell at half time on Tuesday, and the manager was pleased with his impact.
Speaking after the match, Advocaat said that "the way [he] came on in the second half was more promising" than other displays this season, with him being "aggressive but simple."
The Dutchman said this was something the side "need[ed]," putting the midfielder in line for a full return to the team at the weekend.
Advocaat remains positive
Despite the 4-1 result, the Sunderland manager was very positive post-match, especially in terms of his side's second half performance.
He said that he was "pleased with the 90 minutes" that many of the players lacking real match fitness got - name-dropping summer signings Borini, Ola Toivonen, Yann M'Vila and Jeremain Lens, as well as Adam Johnson, who only returned from injury at the weekend.
Advocaat revealed that his half time team talk was him telling the players "to show their commitment, not only [as a] team, but also as an individual," something he believes he saw after the break as his team "worked very hard."
However, the focus now switches to the coming games, with Manchester United up next as Sunderland pursue their first league victory of the season.