Creeping sense of Leeds United dread epitomised in Farke being eaten up by precise annoyances
Tests may not come much easier than the examination, if you can call it that, Leeds United underwent in Wales yesterday. Cardiff City’s players, increasingly disillusioned with the direction of travel in the capital, offered virtually no threat to the Whites, while referee Josh Smith hit them with a red card and a penalty for good measure too.
Everything seemed to be in the yellow team’s favour. FBref, the statistics database, has possession records for the Whites stretching back to 2016/17 and, in the past eight years, they have never had a bigger share of the ball than yesterday’s 79 per cent.
Leeds had 15 shots to Cardiff’s three and seven shots on target to their two. And yet, despite that domination of ball and territory, more than 70 minutes with an extra man and a second-half spot-kick, Daniel Farke’s side could only muster two goals, and the second came as late as the 87th minute.
Points win prizes, of course they do. If United win promotion in May, nobody is going to care about that win in Wales which delivered two goals when it should have been four or five. It really isn’t going to matter, but now, in September, as we pick our way through these games, it is worth mulling over.
Farke accepted the team’s conversion rate in front of goal again left a lot to be desired, but he insisted it was the only facet of this performance which could be criticised. Leeds got the job done and returned home with the three points, but there were long spells, especially in the second half, which failed to inspire much on the terraces.
Cardiff were neither pressing Leeds nor defending with their backs on their byline. The visitors had time to pick their passes and the space to attack in behind, yet the frequency of clear-cut chances was lacking through the meat of that second period.
Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk would patrol the centre circle. Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev would rotate as the distributors between halfway and the Cardiff penalty area. The remaining six outfield players were spread across the width of the pitch, intertwined with the home backline.
Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle would get the occasional through-ball to attack in behind before delivering crosses to the six-yard box, but, in the main, Cardiff were fairly comfortable with the ideas Leeds created. This remains a work in progress, as Farke himself admitted yesterday.
Until Joel Piroe buried the game in the 87th minute, there was that creeping sense of Championship dread. How often have you seen a dominant Leeds team pegged back with an equaliser entirely against the run of play? United should have been out of sight before half-time, yet this was another turgid demonstration in so many ways.
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Potent Piroe’s point
All of the evidence since Piroe arrived at Elland Road would suggest he should be playing as the team’s striker and nothing else. The experiment with him as a second striker playing as a number 10 has never worked under Farke.
Whether it was playing behind Georginio Rutter in the first half of last season or behind Mateo Joseph briefly this season, it hasn’t ever worked effectively. When it was clear Manor Solomon had not travelled to yesterday’s game, there was even the possibility Piroe might be drafted in again with Brenden Aaronson moved wide.
Mercifully, Piroe was spared from that and the associated flak he gets. After an afternoon of poor finishing, the quality of the Dutchman’s finish was refreshing. Joseph brings a lot to the table, and Farke alluded to this, but having such an effective finisher in the box must be a temptation when the Spaniard is in something of a dry spell.
Joseph was excellent in the first half, that cannot be forgotten. The youngster was crucial in fighting for the ball that eventually released Largie Ramazani for the opening goal. The number 19 could have had chances for himself in that first period too.
It seems unlikely Farke will swap him for Piroe next weekend, but it’s clearly on the German’s mind and finishes like yesterday’s will be hard to resist in the medium term when effectiveness is so poor around the box from everyone else.
Struijk’s penalty status
Farke was non-committal when it came to his vice-captain’s place in the penalty pecking order. Piroe, ironically, would have taken it if he had started the match. Given how calmly Farke likes to react to events, you would imagine Struijk will get another go, especially if his record is as empatic as his manager believes.
The German estimated Struijk had scored nine of the last 10 he had attempted. Sadly, Saturday’s was a dire effort and, thankfully, it did not prove decisive on the day. Do any of the attackers now put their hands up and say they want the next go?
Struijk does not seem to be the type to kick up a fuss if someone else wants to take it on in Piroe’s absence. Ramazani, Aaronson and Manor Solomon were not factors in the penalty order last season, but they may well have brought decent spot-kick records with them.
Joseph surely won’t turn down any opportunity to boost his goals tally, but don’t be surprised if Struijk gets another go before he hands it over.
Solomon’s injury
United got over the line without him, but Solomon’s absence will be one of the headline topics on Farke’s agenda when he faces the media next week. The assumption is the 25-year-old simply could not get over the back complaint Farke revealed on Thursday.
Given he was not ruled out before Saturday’s game and had a chance of making it, the hope is the Israeli will be back in contention for Coventry City because no risks were taken with him. Ramazani impressed as Solomon’s replacement, but Leeds need their Tottenham Hotspur loanee playing more frequently than not.
Solomon is still getting to grips with Farke’s demands and the more he plays, the quicker he will become the talismanic figure Leeds need him to be in the final third. Ramazani showed plenty of promise and delivered foundations he can build on over the coming weeks too.
Farke’s young and wild horses need taming
As pleased as Farke was with Saturday’s win, the German was not shy in airing some of the grievances he did have. The conversion rate in front of goal was his chief bugbear, but Farke was happy to get a few things off his chest as he picked through Saturday’s performance.
The age of the players is definitely on Farke’s mind. After spending the whole of last year flagging the lack of experience in his team, that average age has not been addressed in the summer transfer window. Farke is still trotting out the same lines.
He described some of his players as young and wild horses, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Farkes loves their energy, appetite and ability to do the unexpected, but there were little aspects of that attitude that frustrated him.
Precise details like the way the players were lined up around the edge of the penalty area as Struijk prepared to take the spot-kick bothered Farke. He felt the players were not looking for a rebound, but instead waiting to celebrate with the centre-back.
There were other niggles he had, like the lack of focus after celebrating Ramazani’s and Piroe’s goals. There were his calls for the team, en masse, to be more like Piroe in front of goal, with a greater greed for scoring goals.
Farke is on-board with the project and backed his players, but the lack of experience in his ranks is evidently bothering him, especially when a game like this should have been 4-0 or 5-0 and it was only put to bed in the 87th minute.