BBC Sports Cardiff City: Omer Riza must take long-awaited Chris Willock action given Stoke City evidence.
Cardiff made the tricky winger their first acquisition of the summer transfer season, signing him when his contract with Championship rivals QPR expired, in a move that seemed very intriguing at the time.
The signing of Willock, who had previously been touted as one of the best wide players in the Championship, was met with widespread approval from fans.
Willock was an early favourite of Erol Bulut, who started him in four of Cardiff’s first six league games before being sacked of his responsibilities despite a dismal start to the season, but Riza has clearly not been as impressed with the 26-year-old.
Indeed, Willock has started fewer games under Riza, who has been in charge for nearly three months after initially taking over on an interim basis before finally being appointed full-time by Vincent Tan, than he did under Bulut in August alone.
Although the Turkish boss had many flaws at the Bluebirds, which were exposed to the nth degree at the start of the season, his trust in Willock is a blueprint which Riza simply must follow after Saturday’s latest display.
Chris Willock’s Cardiff City performance against Stoke City was an eye-opener
Cardiff did well to travel to Stoke City and draw on Saturday afternoon, even if they were just denied three points and their first away victory since April when Jak Alnwick overcommitted from a corner and was caught off guard by Ben Gibson’s 95th-minute equalizer.
Nonetheless, anything other than a second straight defeat had to be viewed as a relative positive, since morale had been deflated by their lackadaisical 2-0 home loss to Preston North End the previous week.
Cardiff demonstrated a greater feeling of attacking urgency and were far more threatening in transition, with Willock at the center of almost everything that went well for the visitors.
Riza gave Willock a rare start, his third, this time in a little awkward inside forward spot opposite Anwar El Ghazi, and he took most of the chance, becoming his side’s main attacker on the day, running Stoke ragged.
Willock’s excellent run basically set up Cardiff’s second goal, which came from Potters defender Gibson.
He was always making things happen for Cardiff, with his determination to fight for the ball and glide past opponents in tight spaces making all the difference, and he appears to be forming a telepathic left-sided connection with Callum O’Dowda.
Stoke’s defense were unable to contain Willock, who completed the most dribbles (6) and was fouled the most (3).
Willock also made five recoveries and won the most duels in the match (10), demonstrating a lesser-known devotion to out-of-possession activity.
| Chris Willock’s Cardiff City stats against Stoke City, as per FotMob | |
| Minutes played | 88′ |
| FotMob rating | 7.5 |
| xG | 0.14 |
| xA | 0.07 |
| Successful dribbles | 6 |
| Touches in opposition box | 4 |
| Passes into final third | 4 |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Fouls won | 3 |
| Duels won | 10 |
That’s not to say Willock is lazy, of course – his work-ethic was called into question by QPR supporters but is yet to be any sort of issue at any stage for Cardiff – rather that his technical gifts mean his presence is much more prominent when the Bluebirds are ticking with the ball in forward areas.
His performance, then, was multi-faceted, which makes it all the more impressive.
It’s even more commendable given Willock played a hybrid role between number 10 and wide-left, and while it’s unclear whether Riza will use the same shape against Sheffield United on Saturday, Willock must start regardless and should play a more central role in his plans from now on.
Omer Riza should start Given Stoke City’s performance, Chris Willock should play more regularly for Cardiff City.
Fans have been wondering why Willock hasn’t started in a few weeks, and his performance against the Potters surely confirmed that theory.
He is one of Riza’s few true flair players and needs a continuous run of games to demonstrate what he can do in a Cardiff shirt. The Bluebirds have yet to see the best of him.
Willock’s mobility and close control make him a difficult target for opposing defenders, who frequently struggle to neutralize him while moving inside from the left side of the pitch.
He’s also quite creative and has the forward passing ability to split lines and find openings; only Rubin Colwill, Alex Robertson, and Joe Ralls have generated more opportunities per 90 minutes than Willock’s 1.5, and the latter two also take corners.
Willock has only played 780 minutes of league football for Cardiff, equating to 37 minutes per match across the club’s 21 Championship games, and one has to wonder if the Bluebirds are simply good enough to regularly leave out an operator of the former Arsenal prospect’s proven pedigree and quality.
He is frequently overlooked in favour of Yakou Meite, who is far less popular with fans and has only three league goals in 54 outings for Cardiff since joining from Reading last summer.
Ollie Tanner has frequently been preferred over Willock, and while the 22-year-old’s significant increase in game time this season is perhaps more justifiable in the eyes of supporters, his absence due to injury until the new year should open the door for Willock and allow him ample time to stamp his authority on the team.
Willock’s flexibility provides Cardiff with many alternatives, as he can also play as a number 10 and may be given the opportunity to do so given Colwill’s recent slump.
Cardiff is in a relegation battle for the rest of the season, and their chances are not looking good. However, Willock’s performances might make a significant difference, something Riza should bear in mind.
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