Leeds United bigger picture fails to hide key emergence at Norwich City — Graham Smyth's Verdict — YEP 2/10/24

By Graham Smyth

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke eventually had to consider the bigger picture at Norwich City on Tuesday night, despite what he was seeing right in front of him.

Football is now such a consequential business that the bigger picture can take your eye off the ball when something good is happening.

At Norwich City on Tuesday night an injury to Ilia Gruev hung over Leeds United like a cloud as dark as the ones emptying rain all over Carrow Road for the duration of a 1-1 draw. Ethan Ampadu is already out until January with a serious knee problem, so the sight of Daniel Farke's only other defensive midfielder limping off in the first half with a suspected knee issue of his own was literally the last thing Leeds needed.

There are injury problems elsewhere for Leeds. Wingers Manor Solomon and Daniel James were missing at Carrow Road. Defender Isaac Schmidt joined them on the unavailable list with a glute problem. The Whites can scarcely afford another problem in any area of the pitch, not with a third game in six days still to come at Sunderland on Friday night.

But while thoughts of squad size, strength in depth and worst-case scenarios were swirling around Leeds on Tuesday, something good was happening if you kept your eye on the ball. Willy Gnonto take a bow. The departure of Crysencio Summerville laid down a challenge for someone else to declare themselves the main man. Gnonto was a prime candidate, if he wanted it enough. On the evidence of the last two games, the Norwich contest especially, he wants it. Whatever main man energy really is, he exuded it in spades all over the pitch. Until he was withdrawn by Farke, who can be forgiven for seeking to balance the bigger picture with what he's seeing on the pitch.

But while Gnonto was on the pitch, he was dangerous. He roamed, he probed, he ran at players, wriggled out of challenges, drew fouls, made chances, hit the post and set up an all-important equaliser. And in a week that has brought bad news to the door, Gnonto showcasing this kind of form is the good news that was needed.

Leeds' best early work at Norwich came down the right hand side through Gnonto and Jayden Bogle, while on the other flank Largie Ramazani made a nuisance of himself in other ways by nicking the ball off a pair of home players.

When he got on the ball, Ramazani played Gnonto clean through, only for the Italian to handle it and then see his effort saved by Angus Gunn anyway. Almost immediately Norwich went down the other end, Ante Crnac ghosted past Junior Firpo and slid the ball to Josh Sargent. Joe Rodon slid the striker's foot out from under him and referee Stephen Martin pointed to the spot. At this point Gruev went down needing treatment and by the time he came back on, Sargent had beaten Illan Meslier to give Norwich the lead. Gruev, like Ampad before him, tried in vain to continue and limped off to be replaced by Joe Rothwell. It was going to be one of those nights.

Or maybe not. Gnonto ran into the penalty area and surprised the defence with a fierce shot that cannoned off Gunn's upright. Tanaka was keeping the ball well, taking it under pressure and dealing with it efficiently. Rothwell was busy, getting himself in the book for a late one on Kenny McLean and trying to find openings. Leeds were playing well enough without excelling when they had the ball and were dangerously open when they let Norwich counter.

After half-time the teams continued to trade attacks and each won corners without doing any damage to the scoreline and then the main man stepped up. Gnonto took Pascal Struijk's pass in the number 10 position and swivelled to run at Norwich before sliding the ball into the run of Ramazani, who did the rest with a clinical finish.

The goal came on the hour mark, at which point Farke had planned to remove Ramazani from the pitch due to his fitness not yet allowing him to cover the necessary distances according to his boss. But with Leeds in the ascendancy and finally exerting some control, the manager gave his winger another 10 minutes or so. He and Gnonto looked key to any potential winner. Gnonto had a penalty shout turned down. Ramazani slipped the ball to Gnonto and he touched it to Bogle but the full-back slammed his shot high over the bar.

At that point Ramazani came off. Gnonto followed him 10 minutes later. With them went Leeds' momentum and Norwich took over in the latter stages, but Farke had to look at the bigger picture eventually. Gnonto was on a yellow card and tiring, finding it harder to track back against a side with danger on the flanks. Ramazani, says Farke, is just not yet up to scratch physically. Both will be needed on Friday night. Others are needed to and Farke wanted them to know that. So back came Patrick Bamford from his latest injury. On came Joel Piroe and Joe Gelhardt. Sam Byram too. It takes a squad, not just a main man or a pair of dangerous wingers to win promotion.

Given the bigger picture, a draw was a fine result in this game. Four points from six, when one of the contests is a difficult away game, is a fine return. And, with recovery as the main focus between now and Friday night, this week might yet deliver a little more. The midfield picture is a grave concern and Farke admitted at full-time that his number 8s will need to improve their positioning to better protect the back four and set Leeds up to control games as they desire.

Some will feel like Leeds could have won this battle with Gnonto still on the pitch. But he and his team-mates will live to fight another day. That day is Friday, when the war on this club's Championship status will carry on.