By Jake Maddaford
Cardiff City manager Omer Riza admits there’s nothing to be done about their position in the table – other than to start winning.
The Bluebirds’ 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield United makes it no wins in their last eight matches under Riza.
The Londoner, who was given the permanent manager’s job until the end of the season at the start of the month, knows his side are in a precarious position ahead of a crunch clash with fellow strugglers Oxford United on Boxing Day.
“The only thing we can do now is try to win games, and we are going to take that same approach into the Oxford game,” Riza stated.
“Every game is big at the moment for us. This one even more so.
“It’s two teams at the bottom, trying to pick up points, and it’s a game we really need to win.”
Wales striker Kieffer Moore scores against his old club to give Sheffield United the lead
Cardiff City 0-1 Sheffield United
Listen on @BBCRadioWales FM / DAB, DTV & MW
Follow on @BBCSport website and app #BBCFootball #CardiffCity pic.twitter.com/Su2LQEskJp
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) December 21, 2024
The Bluebirds boss did state that he isn’t feeling the pressure during this string of poor results and the threat of relegation that once again looms over the club.
Having taken the team off the bottom of the table and then out of the bottom three, Cardiff’s poor run of form has seen them drop back into the danger zone for a second time.
“We’re doing the same things we were doing before this run,” Riza insisted.
“As long as we are doing the right things, the only thing we can be is positive.
“Of course, we’re disappointed, but we have to remain positive.
“We contained them (Sheffield UNitred) at some points, but we couldn’t keep the ball out of the net and when you go 1-0 down it becomes difficult.”
Cardiff’s meeting with Oxford in four days’ time is vital for both sides’ aim of survival, but given Cardiff are without an away league victory since April, it doesn’t leave fans with much room for optimism.
Questions were raised about whether the team’s style of play has any relation to their woeful record on their travels.
“We try to play the same way both home and away,” Riza insisted.
Spectacular from Kieffer Moore!
Scoring against his former club in stunning fashion@SheffieldUnited | @EFL pic.twitter.com/MJ5jdmsx5X
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) December 21, 2024
“I feel away from home our performances have been good, and they have been better than our performances at home!
“We’ve performed well away from home, and we haven’t got the results most of the time.
“I don’t think we as staff do anything different or say we’re going to sit back and defend, because that isn’t something I look to do.
“Our away form is something I am trying to fix, but we should have beaten Stoke and Coventry, but that’s down to mistakes and just being unlucky.”
What made things even worse for Cardiff fans to take on Saturday was the sight of Kieffer Moore, returning to the Welsh capital, scoring a brace and celebrating by putting his fingers in his ears, blocking out the boos he was receiving from the home fans.
Blades manager Chris Wilder did say that despite his celebrations, Moore still enjoyed his spell in South Wales.
“I spoke to him before the game and I asked if he enjoyed his time here and he said yes,” Wilder stated.
Awful from @CardiffCityFC who spent the first half sitting back and hoping for the odd break on the counter attack. Negative. A reversion to the Erol Bulut era. It’s like the Omer Riza revival post Bulut never happened
— Ian Hunt (@IanHunt77) December 21, 2024
“He was in a difficult situation where he had to make a personal choice, and it didn’t go down for him as well as he would have liked.
“I don’t think any player wants to leave a club on a bad note, but it is what it is.”
While Riza remains firm on the way he wants his side to play, it’s difficult to see where the points will come from in the upcoming fixtures if Cardiff get nothing out of the Boxing Day game.
Oxford themselves are on a lengthy winless run, failing to win their last seven.
But if Cardiff lose again, the list of games which follows will look especially daunting.
