Chronicle journalist Lee Ryder slammed Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock for his recent performance at the weekend, where the 23-year-old missed a great chance early on in the game.
The Magpies have managed to remain unbeaten through their first four games this season with their latest match ending level thanks to a spectacular late effort from Allan Saint-Maximin, which leaves them seventh in the table and just four points off the top four.
It is arguable that Newcastle got lucky to pick up a point against Wolves, but it could have been much easier if Willock had buried his early chance, but he sent the ball wide from a close-range effort.
As a result of his performance, the former Arsenal man was slammed by Ryder, who claimed he was also at fault for Ruben Neves’ screamer and that he has had better outings in Newcastle colours.
Rating his performance at 6/10, Ryder wrote for The Chronicle: “Unable to block Neves’ first half shot. Missed close range chance. Has had better afternoons.”
TIF Thought on Willock’s performance…
After making a huge impression during his initial loan stint at the club, Willock has struggled to hit those heights since he made a permanent switch. He picked up eight goals for the club on his loan and has bagged just two in 33 Premier League appearances since.
This form has been exemplified by this recent performance at Molineux, as he finished with a 6.8 match rating after only making one of three crosses, 2/2 shots were off-target, failing his only dribble attempt and missing that one big chance (as per SofaScore).
He also did not help out on the defensive side of the ball as he lost possession seven times while only winning three of his seven ground duels and one of his two aerial duels. He also picked up two fouls in the game and was dribbled past once.
Newcastle are quickly moving forward under their owners, and with performances like these, Willock could start to find it very difficult to convince Eddie Howe that he is a player for the future. If he keeps this up, the Magpies may look to ship off the midfielder in the coming seasons in favour of someone much better.
Should Willock be dropped?Yes
No
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