Six Leeds United firsts worth millions as they prepare for nervy Norwich City night — YEP 16/5/24

By Graham Smyth

It’s do or die at Elland Road tonight as Leeds United face Norwich City in the Championship play-off semi-final second leg.

The Whites’ season, which saw them rack up an incredible tally of 90 points, could all come down to a single moment, decision, mistake or stroke of brilliance. A place at Wembley in the game they say is worth something like £150m is at stake and for Daniel Farke the road to a third Premier League promotion runs right through his former club Norwich. A night of overwhelming emotion is on the cards, regardless of the outcome, but here are six keys for Leeds if they want Elland Road to get what it deserves come full-time.

The first goal: It used to be that when this Leeds United team scored first we knew what would happen next. But getting the first goal of the semi-final would not just imbue the players with confidence - specifically the attackers who have been struggling of late - it would do wonders for Elland Road and the atmosphere. There will be a huge roar when the team comes out, each foray forward will inspire more of that. A goal will give the stadium lift off, removing some of the nerves and replacing them with rocket fuel. The stadium is irresistible when things are going to plan and, as Leicester City found, opposition teams can get swept up and swept away in it. Momentum is going to be absolutely huge.

The first floor: Daniel Farke described Sunday's clean sheet at Carrow Road as the 'basement' expectation or goal that he set goalkeeper Illan Meslier. The Frenchman did that and in doing so ticked the 'world class' box for his manager. But while simply keeping Norwich City out in the first leg was fine, Leeds will need to do more than that in the second leg. What more can Meslier do, then, than keep the ball out of his net? Well possession, quite often, starts with the ball at his feet and that is one area where he could definitely improve on Sunday's showing. Better accuracy on his short and long passing, better decisions on when to go long, better reading of situations in order to be where he needs to be - that's what will take him from the basement to the first floor at Elland Road.

The first line of defence: Patrick Bamford's absence is difficult for Leeds on both sides of the ball. When they have it, they miss his movement and the centre forward instinct to be where crosses will be. We saw that at Norwich on Sunday a few times, with Daniel James, Junior Firpo and others playing the ball into good areas that had no white shirts present. When they don't have it, they miss the way he leads the press. Bamford gets through a huge workload and although Georginio Rutter was perfectly willing on Saturday and put in a big shift, he never seemed to rattle the keeper or defence with his press. Whoever Farke goes with as his centre forward, the Leeds attacking quartet need to disrupt Norwich possession much more effectively than they did in the earlier stages of Sunday's first leg, when the Canaries found it too easy to play forward.

The first sub: Unless forced into a change, you could easily see Daniel James being the first man Farke turns to off the bench on Sunday. If Leeds need something different on the wing, James has that breakneck pace and a directness that comes in handy whether you're chasing the game or looking to lock things down and hurt Norwich on the break. His willingness to work, defensively, is right up there with the very best in this squad. Other candidates for the first man off the bench would include Connor Roberts, whose experience feels vital this week, and Archie Gray, if indeed the youngster does not start. He may well. Mateo Joseph and Jaidon Anthony will likely have to bide their time as per usual, while appearances for Liam Cooper or Charlie Cresswell will only come in the event of injury to others or if Leeds are a goal up in the final minutes and looking to repel a late bombardment.

The first man (beating him): One goal could be all it takes and set-piece opportunities have to lead to chances, at least. It would be nigh on unforgivable to hit the first man with a corner in a game of this magnitude. Leeds have struggled with decent deliveries from set-pieces of late, or simply not made the most of any decent balls into the box. This is the perfect time to make first contact on a corner or free-kick. If anyone is likely to, it's Sam Byram.

The first man up: Penalties. It could happen. No one wants it to, but it could. And should we end up in that scenario then whoever makes the walk first for Leeds will need to do so with an unshakeable belief in themselves. Step forward Crysencio Summerville? The Dutchman has taken five penalties in the Championship this season and scored four of them. Similarly, Joel Piroe has scored five of his six spot-kicks since arriving in the English second tier. Willy Gnonto took a nice one against Salford City and Ethan Ampadu stuck his away in that shootout, but they entered at penalties four and eight respectively, suggesting they are not among the club's deadliest takers from 12 yards.