When Leeds United went 1-0 up inside the first six minutes against Rotherham United on Friday, supporters would have been forgiven for thinking that Daniel Farke’s men were about to take another bite out of the top two’s advantage in the Championship promotion race.
Unfortunately, Leeds did not kick on from there. While we dominated possession and did have some chances, it is fair to say struggling Rotherham gave us a good scare. On another day, the Whites could have left New York Stadium empty-handed.
Ultimately, there were lacklustre displays all over the pitch, barring Crysencio Summerville. But one of the most disappointing – without necessarily being the worst player – came from Junior Firpo.
Junior Firpo struggles to impress in Leeds draw
Firpo made his first start of the season. Of course, the £13 million left-back has had quite a poor time at Leeds, with one brighter period coming during last season.
He is however, someone who has played 41 times for Barcelona. So some fans may have been hopeful that he could follow in the footsteps of Daniel James and Georginio Rutter and thrive in the Championship.
But Friday proved to be an underwhelming showing from the 26-year-old. He wasn’t terrible by any means. There were no glaring mistakes. And it is hard to be too critical of his performance.
But Firpo was just ‘mediocre‘. And that is concerning given the struggles he has had, as well as the struggles of the opposition we were facing.
With that, there can surely be little doubt that if Sam Byram is fit for Wednesday when we face Swansea, he simply has to come back into the side.
Sam Byram has been a revelation
Byram has surprised so many of us this season. As reported by The Athletic, Daniel Farke told the Leeds hierarchy that if Byram made it through pre-season unscathed, Leeds would have the best left-back in the Championship.
Certainly, you could make a case that Byram has been exactly that.
Of course, rushing him back is a risk when he sustained an injury before the international break. And it was perhaps telling that Farke did not risk him on Friday. But he was on the bench.
Leeds fans would have been terrified before the start of the season had they been told that they would be calling for Byram to replace Firpo at left-back in late November.
In truth, Firpo did not have a howler or let the team down on his full return. But it is surely fair to say that Leeds looked a lot better when Byram was in the side.
Daniel Farke has to start giving 20-year-old Leeds United player more minutes after cameo last night – opinion
Leeds United returned after the international break with a disappointing 1-1 draw with Rotherham United last night.
The Whites had looked on the trail of a comfortable victory when Crysencio Summerville netted a sixth minute opener, but a sloppy performance from then on saw the home side earn a share of the spoils.
Too many of Leeds’ players were below their best at the New York Stadium, with the Welsh contingent in particular a little sluggish.
However, that is understandable considering it was only Tuesday they were playing a crucial European qualifier for their country, meaning they were unable to take part in a single training session.
Dan James has been in fine form in recent weeks for Leeds but he was a major contributing factor to the right side of the attack being virtually non-existent, which Daniel Farke should’ve spotted earlier.
Farke needs to start handing Gnonto more minutes
Farke waited until the 70th minute to make substitutions with Wilfried Gnonto, Patrick Bamford and Ian Poveda all introduced to hand Leeds some extra impetus.
Of the three, Gnonto made by far the biggest impact on the game and finally offered Leeds some quality down the right, with his cross leading to Jaidon Anthony’s disallowed goal.
Gnonto was able to keep the ball in tight areas and drift inside to sustain pressure on Rotherham’s goal, with Leeds only really looking dangerous in the second half when he was on the pitch.
With that in mind, Farke really needs to start handing him more minutes, whether that is bringing him off the bench earlier, or utilising him from the start in matches that may suit him better than James.
The 20-year-old should be full of confidence after his performances on international duty for Italy U21s and with a busy schedule coming up, he needs to be used more.
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