Newcastle United turn their attention away from the Premier League this evening as they prepare to travel to The Etihad to take on Manchester City in the FA Cup.
The Magpies have a chance to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup, which would be their second trip to Wembley since the start of last year after the League Cup final in 2023.
Eddie Howe's side head into this match against the reigning champions of the competition off the back of a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.
Newcastle, despite the tight scoreline, were comfortably beaten by the Blues – who were 3-1 up before Jacob Murphy's stoppage-time stunner – on the night in a game that appeared to pass too many players in black and white by.
Joe Willock was one of those who struggled in London as he failed to showcase the best of his abilities in the middle of the park, which is why Howe must ruthlessly ditch him from the starting XI to unleash Lewis Miley from the start.
Joe Willock's stats against Chelsea
The former Arsenal academy graduate lined up alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff in central midfield, and was unable to impress.
He played the opening 80 minutes of the match, by which point Newcastle were 3-1 down, and struggled in and out of possession throughout the game.
Willock lost 60% (6/10) of his ground duels in midfield as Chelsea's players found it too easy to get the better of him in physical contests on the night, with Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher, and Enzo Fernandez winning the battle in that area of the park.
Meanwhile, the English whiz only made one key pass – and did not create any 'big chances' for his teammates – in possession and completed 86% of his attempted passes, along with zero shots on target.
These statistics show that the 24-year-old dynamo, who had the lowest Sofascore rating (6.5) of the three starting midfielders, did not make a big impact on or off the ball for the Magpies.
Willock, who completed just one of his five attempted dribbles, did not provide strong defensive work to keep Chelsea at bay and did not use his ability in possession to make things happen in the final third to drag his team back into the match.
It has been a frustrating season for the midfielder as he has missed a whopping 30 games through injury, with hamstring and Achilles issues, which has restricted him to just six appearances and three starts in the Premier League this term.
Minutes played
62
Goals + assists
0
Key passes
0
Duels contested
8
Duels won
1
Dribble success rate
0% (0/4)
As you can see in the table above, Willock was handed a start in the last FA Cup match against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park but was taken off after 61 minutes following a dismal display – understandably given his injury issues – in midfield.
His fitness problems and lack of good form – possibly due to his spells on the sidelines – is a real shame as the Magpies maestro enjoyed a terrific 2022/23 campaign.
Joe Willock's creative quality for Newcastle in 22/23
The Newcastle star was fit for the majority of last season as he featured in 35 of the club's 38 Premier League matches on their way to Champions League qualification.
Willock did struggle in front of goal as a finisher, with just three strikes from an Expected Goals of 7.00, but did showcase his ability as a creator for Howe.
The 24-year-old gem created 12 'big chances' for his teammates in 31 Premier League starts, which led to him registering six assists for the team.
He ranked within the top 10% of Premier League midfielders for assists (0.21) per 90, and the top 9% for Expected Assisted Goals (0.21) per 90, which shows that the Toon whiz was one of the best players in his position at creating high-quality opportunities in the final third.
Willock also ranked within the top 6% of his positional peers for progressive carries (3.41) per 90, which shows that he could drive his team up the pitch in possession.
Unfortunately, his injury woes have stunted his progress this season and Howe must now brutally ditch him from the XI to unleash Miley against Manchester City, as the Magpies may not be able to afford a poor display from Willock against the likes of Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne.
Lewis Miley's impressive emergence this season
The 17-year-old academy graduate has emerged as a genuine first-team option for Newcastle this season with his impressive performances in the middle of the park.
He has made 17 appearances in the Premier League so far this term and caught the eye with one goal, three assists, and three 'big chances' created in 14 starts.
Interestingly, Miley currently ranks within the top 11% of midfielders in the English top-flight for assists (0.22) per 90, which shows that he is creating goals for his teammates at a similar rate to Willock last season.
Appearances
35
17
Assists
6
3
Key passes per game
1.1
0.7
Tackles per game
1.5
1.9
Interceptions per game
0.7
0.5
Duel success rate
45%
53%
As you can see in the table above, the two English midfielders are also similar when it comes to the defensive side of the game, as they both average between two and three tackles and interceptions per game.
However, Miley has won more than half of his physical duels throughout the season, whereas Willock was a little bit weak in his battles during the 2022/23 campaign, and this suggests that he could offer more physicality against Rodri and De Bruyne in midfield.
U23 scout Antonio Mango hailed the academy graduate's transition to first-team football as "remarkable" and these statistics back that up, as the 6 foot 1 star has performed at an impressive level despite his age and inexperience.
He has offered similar quality, offensively and defensively, in comparison to Willock when the ex-Gunners whiz was fit and playing regularly last term, which is why Howe must now replace the underperforming 24-year-old with Miley for this clash with City.