After lifting off the foot of the table, one Cardiff City player has been flourishing under Õmer Riza following his temporary appointment.
Despite transforming the Bluebirds’ mentality and performance on the pitch, Riza has yet to offer any concrete certainty in continuing his role as Cardiff head coach; the 44-year-old will likely be a candidate due to an impressive run of results.
The Riza Effect
Furthermore, one promising revelation from Rubin Colwill has emphasised Riza’s impressive rejuvenation of the squad and the development of key players. The 22-year-old is in great form at the minute as he continues to shine in the number ten role for Cardiff.
Colwill sits alongside Callum Robinson for the most goal involvements in a relatively low-scoring Bluebirds outfit. The Welshman’s three assists and single goal have been extremely important in lifting Cardiff out of the relegation zone.
Prior to Riza’s appointment, Cardiff were struggling in the bottom three and showed little to no ambition on the attacking front. The Welsh side looked disjointed at the start of the campaign but now sit two points above Coventry City in 22nd place.
Colwill on the faith he has received
The Cardiff midfielder spoke to Wales Online about what it meant to be on the receiving end of new-found faith from his manager. His confidence has supposedly sky-rocketed and it has inevitably translated onto the pitch.
“I think the confidence comes with playing, especially with match fitness. I don’t think I’ve played this many games in a row before, but my body is used to it now. I played only two days ago and I feel fine today.
“It’s just about getting used to that experience of playing loads of games. I’m just enjoying playing football. Riza’s given me a lot of confidence, put a lot of belief in me and I’m feeling good because of that.
“I haven’t just become a better player over the last two or three weeks. A lot of it is down to confidence and the freedom he’s given me. The type of player I am, I’ll take risks and make mistakes and he’s almost let me make those mistakes and take those risks. Not to a crazy extent, he’s reined it in at times.”
Writer’s View
The former Leyton Orient manager has worked wonders since arriving in Cardiff. No doubt he will be staking a claim as a key candidate for the vacant permanent role as head coach. His development of some of the key players around the squad is a marvel in itself.
An initial 4-1 defeat to Hull City in Riza’s first game in charge, has now been overshadowed by a phenomenal 5-0 victory against Plymouth Argyle and a tidy 2-0 win over Portsmouth. Colwill has simply reinforced what has been exemplified by the Welsh side’s recent results.
