Disagreement over Daniel Farke's in-game changes as Leeds United fail to deliver in Play Off Final — YEP 26/5/24
By Chris Holt
Leeds United looked much more of an attacking threat against
Southampton when Dan James came on but did the substitutions happen too late
Daniel Farke’s in-game management has been something of a
talking point among Leeds United fans this season and it came to light again as
the Whites lost out in the Play Off Final to Southampton at Wembley.
Adam Armstrong’s goal sealed the win for the Saints, who had
shown a different side to their game throughout the match, in giving up
possession and nullifying the Leeds threat.
Leeds looked toothless from attacking sense for large parts
of the game but were lifted slightly by the emergence off the bench of Dan
James who came closest to scoring when his strike rattled off the crossbar late
in the game.
Aside from the arrival of James, who came on in place of
Willy Gnonto shortly after the hour mark, Farke had left it fairly late to make
changes and it led to questions over whether the United coach had left it too
long. Connor Roberts replaced Glen Kamara on 73 minutes, Jaidon Anthony came on
for the ineffective Crysencio Summerville on 74 minutes and Mateo Joseph
arrived on 83 minutes in favour of Junior Firpo.
“I feel as if he felt that Summerville and Gnonto had run
their course and they just weren't getting the joy... the space was out wide,
that was there for everyone to see,” said former Premier League striker Dean
Ashton, speaking on Talksport. “Dan James was the only one that really was
aggressive at going at that wide position and I don’t think they recognised
that early enough. I think actually, Leeds would have thought if it had been
West Brom, what a tough game that is. West Brom would sit in, deny us the
space, it doesn't play to our strengths and we'll find it difficult. They
probably thought Southampton would be nice and open and we could get some joy.
“It wasn’t the case, Southampton did what West Brom probably
would have done and that's when you have to be really, really aggressive out
wide. I'm not saying just lump it in there but aggressively go at that wide
position with your winger and full-back and flash balls across, low, and
constantly try and produce those difficult moments for defenders. We only saw
it once Dan James came on and we only saw it a few times. We didn't see it
enough. Piroe wasn't in the game for 99% of it because there wasn't anything to
go at.”
However, former Celtic and Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill,
who led Leicester City to Play-Off victory during his time as boss of the
Foxes, looked at things through a managerial lens, disagreeing with Ashton.
“I'm going to take a managerial viewpoint,” he replied on
Talksport. “I think you can scrutinise all you want, here's the important
points, when you are chasing a game, whether it be a normal league game or
here, what you want to try and do for as long as possible, even when some of
your good players are not really in the game, you want to keep them on because
they might win the match for you. That's the point.
“Gnonto got hit early in the match and I can understand that
one; Summerville just wasn't in the game in the manner I thought [he would be].
When I was walking down here I was thinking Summerville might be the match
winner. He didn't get into it. But you try and keep your matchwinners on as
long as possible, even though they are having a frustrating afternoon because
eventually one of those players could win you the game.”
