He said: "I'm not talking about roughing anyone up, but there's no harm in rattling a few cages early in a match.
"I've heard that last season our first choice back four picked up only six bookings between them. That's an amazing statistic. You could say it's a sign of good discipline but it could also be argued that maybe they've gone too far the other way and can afford to throw a few tackles in.
"It's not just the defenders and midfielders who have to put themselves about. The attackers have to react too.
"I don't see it in the forward line at the moment and that worries me. The lads up front have got to show their battling qualities. Baros and Cisse are players who like the ball at their feet, but they've also got to mix it up when it gets physical.
"I've lost count the number of times balls in our opponents' box haven't been attacked by the strikers. I noticed it from day one. It's something they need to be taught on the training pitch. You've got to attack space in the box with conviction otherwise the goals won't come."