Blackburn Rovers picked up another point in their attempts to steer clear of the Championship relegation zone on Tuesday night.
After a 2-2 draw with Preston North End on Saturday, John Eustace now took his side to the Welsh capital.
There, they took on Cardiff City. The match proved to be much less eventful, a game of few chances finishing in a goalless draw.
As a result, Blackburn Rovers have now moved to 16th in the Championship table, six points clear of the relegation zone.
However, one member of Eustace’s side who seemingly found the going tough in that game, was Yasin Ayari.
A first start for Yasin Ayari
After spending the first half of this season on loan with Coventry City, Ayari was recalled by parent club Brighton in the January transfer window.
The midfielder then returned to the Championship shortly after. This time he made the move to Ewood Park, joining Blackburn Rovers, on another loan deal until the end of the season.
Prior to Tuesday night’s match, the 20-year-old had made three substitute appearances for his new club.
Against Cardiff City, Ayari was then handed his first Blackburn Rovers start since that move. The Sweden international was then substituted, just before the hour mark.
Writing about Ayari’s performance in that game, the Lancashire Telegraph said: “Couldn’t get into the game with Rovers sloppy in-possession beyond the halfway line. Taken off just before the hour mark.”
As a result, the Blackburn Rovers man was given a rating of 5/10 for his performance against the Bluebirds.
Indeed, according to SofaScore, Ayari did seem to struggle to get into the match. The Swede had just 39 touches during his time on the pitch. Only the attacking duo of Sam Szmodics and Sam Gallagher, and substitutes Tyrhys Dolan and Andrew Moran, recorded less touches in the game.
Meanwhile, the midfielder recorded a pass success rate of just 59%. Only centre forward Gallagher had a lower success rate when it came to finding another Blackburn Rovers player.
Operating in a number ten role behind Gallagher and Szmodics, Ayari also failed to muster a single shot while on the pitch. Elsewhere, he was also unsuccessful with both of his attempted dribbles.
Yasin Ayari may struggle to keep his Blackburn Rovers spot
In fairness to Ayari, he was not the only player to struggle in the early part of this game.
Many of his Blackburn Rovers teammates also often seemed to be found wanting when it came to picking the right pass or making the right run.
However, it was when Dolan and John Buckley that things seemed to change for Eustace’s side.
Providing the attacking spark Blackburn Rovers had been looking for from Ayari, the visitors lookked much improved after the duo’s introduction.
That sort of impact is one that Eustace is going to need more of from his side going forward.
Given Buckley and Dolan provided more of that, they may now be ahead of Ayari in the pecking order.
As a result, it could be something of a surprise if the Brighton loanee is still in the Blackburn Rovers starting XI against Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.