Supporters of Leeds United could have been forgiven for believing that Daniel Farke’s team was going to chip away at the lead held by the top two teams in the Championship promotion race when the team scored a goal inside the first six minutes of Friday’s match against Rotherham United.
Sadly, Leeds’ performance did not improve after that. We had plenty of possession and had some good opportunities, but it’s fair to say that we were given a real scare by a struggling Rotherham. The Whites might have gone from New York Stadium without a win on another day.
Ultimately, everyone on the field, except for Crysencio Summerville, put on a lackluster performance. However, Junior Firpo was one of the most disappointing, despite not being the worst player.
Leeds draw: Junior Firpo fails to make an impression
It was Firpo’s first start of the year. Of course, the £13 million left-back has had quite a poor time at Leeds, with one brighter period coming during last season.
But he is a player who has made 41 appearances for Barcelona. Thus, some supporters might have thought he could succeed in the Championship by following in the footsteps of Georginio Rutter and Daniel James.
But the 26-year-old’s performance on Friday was lackluster. Not that he was bad at all. There were no obvious errors. It is difficult to criticize his performance too harshly.
However, Firpo was only “mediocre.” And considering his past struggles and the struggles of the opposition we were up against, that is worrisome.
With that in mind, there can be no doubt that Sam Byram needs to return to the starting lineup if he is healthy for our Wednesday match against Swansea.
A revelation has been Sam Byram.
This season, Byram has taken so many of us by surprise. Daniel Farke informed the Leeds management that Leeds would have the best left-back in the Championship if Byram survived the preseason without any injuries, according to The Athletic.
You could certainly argue that Byram has been just that.
Naturally, there’s a chance of injury if he returns too soon after the international break. Perhaps it was also indicative that Farke did not put him at risk on Friday. He was on the bench, though.
If Leeds supporters had known they would be demanding that Byram take Firpo’s place at left-back in late November, they would have been frightened before the season even began.
In actuality, Firpo did not disappoint the team or have a howler upon his full return. However, it’s safe to say that Leeds appeared much better with Byram in the lineup.
